Semester Work

Well the semester is over and here are a few of my semester works.

Summer Favorites

Well winter has pretty much arrived here and in honor of that, and in honor of me finally getting on here and writing. Reliving my favorite memory of summer.

Firefest

Well since it's 1:30am what else is there to do but write a post. So in continuing with the catch up the next concert I went to this summer was Firefest on July 27th, IT WAS THE BEST. Lonestar was the headliner and they've actually been on my concert bucket list for SO LONG. and they did not disappoint!  And now for pictures!

David Nail

I am a serious sucker for brass/instrumentals in bands. 

Maaa friend Ashley

LONESTAR

And just like that, short and sweet

Aquatennial Fireworks!

I didn't do much shooting on my own this summer, maybe 3 times, but one of the times I did get out was to shoot the Aquatennial Fireworks with a friend! It was a blast, and although I kind of hate having to get there so early to get a good spot it wasn't a terrible wait!

So to extend the summer feels, some firework pictures!

The Color Run

So remember when I use to blog? Well I just need to catch up on my summer so that one day I can look back at it and actually remember what I did.

So the day after the BBP, on the 14th I did the color run. It was a blast! Although it was super hot out and I think I was the only one that really had done any sort of running to gear up for the 5k, so we ended up walking, which turned out to be okay, I was sweating enough just walking!

But it was so much fun, and I can't wait until next year! I'm hoping to do it again if I'm around, and if it comes back to the cities! And some pictures!

It took place at the state fair grounds, and then it was weird to go back during the state fair and be like- hey I went through this part during the color run!

I'm hoping to do a turkey trot with my sister as my next 5k and actually run that one. Slowly, but run it.

Ma bff, Alex! 

All six of us, and yes I totally dressed in all white! 

SO MUCH COLOR, SO MUCH SCRUBBING.

I'm hoping to draft all of my summer posts tonight, so be looking for those later on, in the days to come! 

Basilica Block Party!

Finally, a few pictures from the BBP!! Such a great night!

What i imagine others see my hair as. 

Not many pictures simply because I went alone the first day, not much to take pictures of. 

a Wrap up of summer in words...and about dreams.

So I've had a busy summer both work wise and concert wise (that one was of my own choosing). But with summer winding down I want to do a little recap. I still have a few days left to hang out with friends, and I think I might be going to a lake over labor day weekend which, in MN is like the ultimate end of summer.

This summer I wasn't actually planning on two jobs, but this past spring I kind of figured out that if I wanted to graduate this coming spring I would need to do an internship so I ended up doing an internship, and working at the jimmy j's as always. But then the internship offered me a spot to stay on through the fall when they do school pictures around the area, and so therefore I ended up working two jobs this summer, which I guess has kind of become my normal in the summers. I've been doing it for the past 3, I think. I do have to say I was a little disappointed I wasn't working with my dad this summer.

As far as concerts go, here are the ones I've attended
-Winstock (Dierks Bentley, Kip Moore, Luke Bryan)
-Quietdrive
-Matt Hires
-Basilica Block Party (where I saw Mayer Hawthorne, Matt Nathanson, Cloud Cult, Goo Goo Dolls, and Matchbox Twenty
-Firefest (David Nail, Jerrod Niemann, Lonestar)
-Wefest (a lot)
-Jamfest (Greg Bates, Josh Thompson, and Joe Nichols)

So actually compared to last summer I've toned it down. just more festivals were attended.

I really didn't do much besides work and go to concerts, I went to the beach twice, and have hung out with friends a few times otherwise not a whole lot has been done. But that's kind of how I like my summers. Busy, and full. Because then when school comes I just feel so ready because it's a "slower" pace.

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Now onto dreams. My dreams in life that is. And I guess how I connect the two is because summer for me has always been spent dreaming of my future (probably because I've been bored out of my mind at work and can't wait to do something I actually love for work) 

While I'm not actually all that concerned about next summer and what I'm going to do for work yet, I have a lot of dreams for next summer. By May I will have a degree in portrait/wedding photography and I'm not sure at that point what I want to do with it. I know in the long run my ultimate dream of all dreams is to be a music photographer, and if not that I will settle on sports. I don't think I can just do portraits/wedding my whole life, quite frankly that sounds boring. I know myself well enough to know that I will need to switch up my focus every couple years. From seniors to babies to families, etc. Until I get established in music (hopefully.) I'm hoping this might actually happen soon, I've sent in 3 emails inquiring about how I might become a photographer for some festivals next summer! Fingers crossed that I get some responses! 

If I'm being completely honest I kind of want to be a  vagabond next summer. Another dream of mine is to travel, which is weird I guess since I've never actually been on a plane. But money is probably going to be a factor, so that's probably not going to happen. 

Although my cousins from california were here this summer and they all want me to come out there next summer, because it's such a good place for music. And I REALLY want to take them up on the offer, they life in north, central, and southern california so I would just travel my way down California, to visit them all. Plus as a kid I never really got to get to know them since I only saw them about once a year if I was lucky, so it would be SO nice to actually get to spend time with them! I'm a sentimental person and family means a lot to me (probably wouldn't guess that) so if I am able to spend time with them it would mean SO much to me! 

But then I've also thought that I have an uncle in the industry that lives in Arizona, so if I go visit my cousins in California, why not visit Arizona in the mix, right? (I know, I need the funds to do this. I'm not completely delusional.) 

So basically all I know for sure is that I'm graduating in the spring. I would do anything to go out to California next summer though! And become a music photographer eventually. 

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All subjects talked about will have their own post of pictures later. 

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And thus ends my very long winded post. 

This.

As I was reading some blogs today, I visited one that I don't usually visit. Her names Chelsea and she was talking about the Last One. Where you never know when the last picture you will take with a loved one will be. This is why I take pictures, not just as a profession, but when I'm at concerts or with people/friends. The people I go to concerts with are the ones that mean the most to me (or did at some point) and sometimes I wonder when I will see them again, so it is prudent (right context?) to take pictures with them.




Anyway, the post is worth a read.

Winstock

Back in June, I kicked off my summer concert "series" with Winstock. It was a freaking blast. It's a relatively new country festival but it was a great time. It was my friends 21st birthday, that day. And you know, she decided she wanted to drink on an empty stomach. But I shoved food in her face and made her eat it. So luckily it didn't turn into a terrible night. 

We made friends and here's that story. 

Night 1, briana and I were leaning against the fence waiting for Dierks Bentley to start, and then this nice little polite guy comes up and asks if we were allowed to stand there, and I was like "uh, I'm not sure, but I am and you can to at least until they kick us off the fence" So he and his girlfriend came and stood next to us, and then this drunk girls came up behind us and asked "hey, can you move over like 2 cm," so I did just that. Then these 2 drunk boys(who the girls didn't know) came up behind them and then they started talking, but they were all so drunk that I started to screw with one of the guys. He kept talking about this girl (supposed girlfriend) that just walked into VIP without the lanyard that you needed so he was on the phone trying to get her to come to this red sign we standing by, and she never came so then I was like "Is she even real?!" And then he showed me a picture on his phone and I was like "aw, cute is that your sister?" At this point I think he was getting mad. Also at this point we had a girl behind us (megan) and her boyfriend was getting more beer, so she turns to me and is like "i like you, you're funny" and I was like "uh, thanks" So anyway, the guy that wasn't trying to convince me he had a girlfriend was trying to jump the fence, but in his drunken stupor wasn't really doing it. 

Alex comes back from getting beer( megan's boyfriend and the friends we made) and eventually he convinces the guy to jump the fence, but security was standing there, and so they made him come back over. But from then on Alex, megan, and myself were friends. 

Eventually we got kicked off the fence by security because you couldn't stand on the gravel, everyone had to be on the grass. So we found a spot and sung our hearts out. At the end of the night, megan goes "HEY, YOU GUYS SHOULD COME PARTY WITH US TOMORROW AT OUR CAMPSITE" (said in a loud drunken stupor) so she gave me her number, because I'm not stupid enough to hand my number out to strangers and then we went and partied with them the next day. 

I should add that before any of this happened a guy was taken out in handcuffs because he was belligerently drunk. And obese so it took 2 security guys and 1 sherriff to take him out, meanwhile his girlfriend is a bawling hot mess because her boyfriend just got carted out of the concert. 

Needless to say the weekend was successful, I'm hoping to go next year but we'll have to wait and see if I have the funds to do so. 

And now some pictures!  

Hello!

Hello friends!

To prove I'm alive, here's a picture taken literally about 10 seconds ago.

Summer has flown by, and maybe by September I'll be blogging again. I do for the sake of myself want to write down what I've done this summer. So eventually there will be blog posts to read!

But for now, I must go to bed. Working both jobs tomorrow!

Throwin' it back.

Well, since I haven't downloaded any of the pictures I actually wanted to post, I'm just going to do a little throw back today.

NEW ORLEANS!!! Oh what I wouldn't do to be back there! 

Just me, chilling at my desk! 

Hair glue is the worst!! 

Well, just thought I'd post to say I'm alive. Summer is busy for me, working a lot, and busy on the weekends too.