Jenny Conlee of the Decembrists, Stubb's, Austin, Texas, August 9th, 2011 “The first week of August 2011 was a bit busy for me, and I hadn’t made the time to set up access for shooting the Decemberists, who were playing that night at Stubb’s. I reached out with a last minute Hail-Mary request that was thankfully successful. August in Texas is hot, and Stubb’s can get the worst of it, being an outside venue. [Band member] Jenny Conlee had been fighting cancer for some time, and was set to rejoin the band for the two Austin shows. I wanted to be there, and it would turn out I was the only photographer that evening. I was very glad to be in the photo pit. When they took the stage, Jenny, likely due to the heat, had removed her scarf from her head. Her hair had become a casualty of her treatments, and she wore her new look with strength and pride. Despite the good vibes she was giving off, I was pretty nervous in how best to approach shooting her. I didn’t want to make her self-conscious by trying to overshoot her as a point of interest, and more importantly I wanted to capture Jenny and the band in a way to photographically represent how wonderful they can be live. Afterwards, I thought I did an acceptable job and was pleased enough with the results (and it was very nice to see BV’s anonymous commenters [give] positive support). A few days later I received a very nice e-mail complimenting the photos from Jenny’s husband. He wanted to have [the photo] printed for the band and family as gifts of thanks for all of the support given during Jenny’s treatment. In addition to being wonderfully flattered, I was grateful to know I had done my job well in the eyes of the people I most wanted to make happy. I prepped the image and delivered it, happy to be a part of such a moving gift. Things apparently went well, and Steve (Jenny’s husband) made a couple of prints and sent them along to me with an autograph from Jenny and a thank you note. It was probably the best compensation for my efforts all year, and a story that will keep me inspired to do more and better with every show I shoot.”—Tim Griffin