Productive boredom

A couple of days ago I went to photograph a concert at Palladium Riga. Just like always I arrived a little earlier just to make sure I'm not late. I figured that if the venue is opened from 8 p.m. then the concert should start at around 9 p.m. So I arrived at half past eight.

At the main entrance I was told that I have to go to the stage entrance to get my pass. There I found out that the media list probably wasn't updated yet and my name is in the list at the main entrance. When I got back there again I was told that the show only starts at 10 p.m. I was pretty surprised but decided to just go inside and wait. I sat down and thought what could I do in those 1,5 hours. The music was not really interesting to me and there was no one else around that I knew so I took my phone and started playing sudoku. After a couple of rounds I got really bored.

I put the phone down and started looking at the stage. I tried to notice every little detail I'd missed in previous concerts, think of different angles and places I can photograph from, count the number of stage lights and notice how many of each color are there. Sounds silly but it helps. It helps to predict the lighting and be more prepared for future concerts. Arriving early gives you more time to explore the venue and see what you can expect from the show. At the beginning there was a bit of regret for arriving so early but after that I was happy that I was able to learn something from that.

No matter how bored you feel you can always find something useful to do.