Triggered: Kedar Berntson
‘Boy with at Monster Truck Rally’ © Kedar Bernston
When I took this photo, I was at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, covering the annual Monster Jam World Tour for Office Magazine.
It was a high-octane event that delighted through extremes: Dare devil drivers performed aerial stunts in 12,000-pound trucks for a crowd 20,000 large. The sound was Zuesonian. The smell of diesel was intoxicating. The target demographic, kids under the age of twelve. It was an all-around fun time.
I was lucky to sit behind an eight-year-old who seemed to be Monster Jam’s ideal consumer. He would stand up in his seat, jump up and down, yell, and—when the stimuli passed a certain threshold—become a flight risk. The trucks would start snarling, the stunt-pilotry would become gravity-defying, and he would make a break from his family and tear-ass down the aisle for a better view.
I wanted to photograph how enthralled he was by the spectacle. This tour, the trucks, the tricks, the drivers—all of the time and money put into the industry writ large—were ultimately for kids like him. So when he put his fist into the air, mimicking a driver who climbed up on top of his truck to greet the crowd after winning a race, I knew it was the obvious shot.
See more of Berntson’s work on his website and Instagram (@kedarberntson)
