On the day of the Leica Magnum Paris event, I had the huge pleasure of meeting Bruce Gilden. After the official product announcements of the Leica M9-P and the 21mm f/3.5 Elmarit lens, I headed upstairs for some small appetizers and some wine. After chatting it up with some fellow photographers and bloggers from the event, I spotted Bruce from the corner of my eye. My hands got clammy, and I could feel the adrenaline flowing through my body. It was my hero—Bruce Gilden in person! I knew that I had to talk to him.
The second he was about to pass my left shoulder, I politely leaned in and asked, “Excuse me, are you Bruce Gilden?†He then said with a grin in his scruffy Brooklyn accent, “Yeah I’m Bruce Gilden—who are you?†I then introduced myself that I was a street photographer and blogger from Los Angeles and that I was a huge fan of his work. He then told me, “Oh—I think I know who you are.†My blood froze. How could someone like Bruce Gilden know who I was? I then asked him how he knew me and he told me, “Yeah a guy named Charlie in my workshop told me about you. He said to keep my eyes open for this overly enthusiastic Asian guy.†I then grinned and started to chat with him.
