Chris La Putt is Forever

Landmine Marathon

Chris was so good at what he did. I can't even call it photography, because he made even boring shows look cool. It was magic. He was so good that every concert shooter in NYC needed to be better. His work made everyone else work harder.

I want his family to know that when he left home, he was loved. For every great concert he saw, he put twice that energy into his art. He had fun and he inspired all of us to do the same: to always try to be better and to do better.

The first time I ever saw Chris was at an Opeth show. At that point I hadn't shot a big show. I was in the audience and admiring everyone in the photo pit. I saw Chris and thought, "I could do what he does." Then, just a few feet away, I saw his screen. And I thought Damn ... I don't know if I could do what HE does. A little over a year later, when I started shooting bigger shows, he started telling me that my photos were crap and I could do better. He offered to lend me his arsenal of lenses, even though I had never actually met him at that point. And more than a year after that, when I was looking for a job, he connected me with Dominick. And three years later, when that job went bankrupt, he came by, to offer some snark. Chris was always looking out for me, even though he was sick and even though we weren't besties. He did a lot with the time he had here. The advice he gave, the photos he made, the love he spread, that's forever.

I love you and I miss you, Chris