I was invited to the Getty Museum to attend an event titled Happy Birthday Mr. Hockey so I asked C if he can go with me because K, who was originally suppose to go got a shoot booked in Little Rock, AR the day before and flew out Tuesday morning. I was commissioned to do some promotion for the Getty so my goal was to find a good picture to take and post it to my Instagram account. We arrived at the Getty a bit early to see the Hockney exhibition before going to the event, which was a conversation between people who have been associated with Hockney, in one way or another. There was no indication that Hockney himself is going to attend in any of the promotional material of the event. Then, as we enter the room of the exhibition, I immediately spot an interesting old man wearing a bright green cardigan and holding a cane, and as soon as he turns towards us it becomes clear that David Hockney is here. Now, no photos were allowed at the exhibition room, so I was very unprepared and my phone camera set to take pictures in the dark in B & W. C and I approach Hockney and his partner Bing. Hockney immediately notices us, and we introduce ourselves although it is apparent that he is not hearing very well and is making generic responses - however Bing steers the conversation towards and a few insignificant details are being exchanged. I then ask if we can take a picture, and under the attempt to avoid being discovered by the security guard and trying to get it done fast, I left the flash on, and the first couple of pictures are a total disaster. C then attempted it again, but I left the settings still on manual with a slower shutter speed which resulted in a hazy picture. It was right at that time that Hockney was called to make his way to the auditorium where the event was taking place, and consumed with disappointment over the pictures, I miss my chance to fix the settings and take a picture of Hockney of my own. C and I ended up going to the Auditurium were the conversation took place. Even though my invitation was nested under 'press', we received the worse seats in the house, up in the mezzanine, as far as it gets. The conversation was rather tacky, but the moment they invited Hockney in took everyone in the crowd by surprise and the excitement was eminent. C and I later went to this new spot by the Houston brothers in Koreatown called Breakroom 86 - an 80's school themed karaoke club with a live band backing the armature singers. I stayed for an hour and took an Uber back home.
