Easy Let Down

Just another frame from Warped Tour. Security was surprisingly strict for the bands that were there, and I got kicked out of the back stage area during Bad Religion after being there for only a few other sets. I guess I got cocky and was walking around too much. This is David, one of the many stage managers at the venue. He was a pretty good guy and let me down pretty easy when I tried to get around to the stage during Big D and the Kids Table. I had a nice little conversation with him and was on my way to greener pastures.

How I Spent My Day Off

Ok. I have to admit, the blog title is pretty misleading to anyone who doesn't know me or know how my summer is going so far. I am stuck in eternal weekend mode, having nothing to do most days. I'm not spending my time very well as far as photo projects and things like that go, but I'm trying to stay a little busy with little things, and I'm getting more time to spend with old friends and my two little cousins, Lukas and Anna (above). Basically, I have plenty of time for personal family/friend photos and pretty picture-making, which is right up my alley. No real complaints, just having way too much time to spend thinking and to listening to music.

I Think It's a Box?

Just a snap from my bathroom. I think if photojournalism doesn't pan out, I'll try my hand as an abstract photographer. I'll do stuff like just take a completely red photo, or a white photo with a little spec of off-white in the middle. . . just to spark interesting museum conversations.

Do Not Attempt to Adjust Your Screen

These are some photos from Warped Tour in Cleveland which I got the chance to shoot last week via a press pass from speakeasymag.com. In case you are unfamiliar with Warped Tour, it was created in 1994 by Kevin Lyman, big skate punk scene guy, and has been touring around the country and world, with interchanging punk scene bands. In its glory days, the Warped Tour was a place for kids to come hang out, watch their favorite bands in one venue, and skate; but today, a lot of people claim it has sold out to certain newer music fads and scenes that play to a certain market of kids. I can partially attest to this as I hadn't heard of 90% of the bands besides Bad Religion, NOFX, Less Than Jake, Big D and the Kids Table, and a handful of others. It's been about six years since I had been to Warped, and it was a little strange being there for reasons besides the music; I felt out of place. As far as shooting goes, it was pretty sunny most of the day, so I struggled for a while to get the motivation to even pick up my camera. And by the time the light got nice, I was working on a pretty good size migraine from being in the sun from 11am-8pm and made the choice call it quits before I ended up getting carried away on a stretcher like a couple unlucky kids I saw. All in all, it was a good day of people watching and sight seeing, and I slid my way backstage a few times and walked around some band trailers with the writer, getting to see some things I ordinarily wouldn't get to.

But my ears are still ringing. . . damn kids and their rock'n roll.

Thought

For the better part of the past 6 years, many of my fondest memories and experiences revolve around the time my friends and I have spent enjoying the simpler things in life: sitting amongst friends, sipping coffee, smoking cigarettes (not for all I know), and simple conversations. All of these actions leave plenty of time for one to spend in thought and a lot of time left alone in one's own mind. As I see it our personal thoughts and feelings are essentially what separate us from other lesser beings. Although, recently I have found myself sitting perfectly content without a thought in my head. Maybe it has been the feeling of summer creeping in on me, or maybe I'm just an android. Either way, I have to admit that sometimes I enjoy the inner silence and I hope one day everyone can enjoy a little inner quiet before the weight and troubles of the world reenters and the silence is ruined. Somehow I don't think this frame is one of those times.

Snap

Just a frame from a couple weeks ago that I remembered. I know its bad for your eyes, and I've been told since I was a little kid that it's bad to look at the sun, but I'll be damned if I can't take my eyes away from it. I just wish when I pointed my camera at the sun the light would be as beautiful as I see it in my mind. But this seems to be a common problem in photography for me. Maybe I just lack some skill that should enable me to capture exactly what I see, or maybe I should just become a painter so I can create things exactly how I see them in my mind and how I would imagine them to be. 

Where Have I Bean?

I've been in Chicago for the past week helping my girlfriend, Erica, move into her new apartment and get settled in before starting an internship with a commercial photographer in the city. It's been a great trip, I've practically filled my 32gb card, but just haven't really felt like going through and editing all the frames I liked. Here are just a few images from Millennium Park and from the 4th of July and Wicker Park. I'll try to wrap my head around all my photos from the trip and post again later.