The Ska-Skank Redemption

I had the pleasure of interviewing and photographing the guys of The Ska-Skank Redemption a couple weeks ago. They’re great guys with a lot of talent. If you’re in Fargo this weekend, be sure to check them out at Spirit’s Lounge. You can also follow them on Twitter and Like them on Facebook. They also recently released their first ep “Wicked Bees,” which you can check out on Spotify, Bandcamp or iTunes.

Brian Glur and Dorian Walker

The Ska-Skank Redemption

Dan Christianson

Skankin it up

Rocking out with The Ska-Skank Redemption at the Pickled Parrot

Andrew Ochoa on drums

Dan Christianson and Brian Glur

Rocking out at the Parrot

The Ska-Skank Redemption at El Roco

Clyde Schuman on bass

Dan Christianson on guitar

The Ska-Skank Redemption

Skanking it up

Dan Christianson

Andrew Ochoa, Brian Glur and Dorian Walker

Brian Glur and Dorian Walker

The Ska-Skank Redemption playing at the Pickled Parrot.

Andrew Ochoa on drums

Clyde Schuman on bass

Trading in my reporters notebook

I’ve traded in my reporter’s notebook for a camera. Well, not really. But, I did have a freelance photo gig this weekend. My boss from my sophomore internship contacted me Wednesday afternoon asking if I’d like to shoot the Fargo Beer Festival on Friday night. I didn’t have any plans, so I jumped on the opportunity. I love writing, but it’s nice to get a change of medium every once in a while.

I arrived at the festival around 5:30 p.m., got the camera from Kurt and started shooting. Kurt is the promoter of the event, so he needed PR photos, not journalistic photos, which was also a nice change. I haven’t shot too many events, but I do enjoy it, especially when everyone’s having a good time. I got a lot of photos of people trying new beers and laughing with their friends. A lot of people stopped me and asked to take their photo, which was funny because it’s not like they ever see them. Well, maybe they will but its unlikely.  But, hey it made for some good photos.

I got back from Fargo around 11 p.m. and headed to bed so I could be up early for The Color Run. I wasn’t running, but rather interviewing new runners for a Herald story. I also brought my camera along and shot some more photos of the event. Both The Color Run and the beer festival were nice reminders that I love photography. I may not be that best but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t keep doing what I love.

I don’t own any of the photos from the beer festival (you can view them here), but below are some photos I shot at the Color Run. Enjoy!

Writing for the Web

My favorite class this semester has been Writing for the Web. I absolutely love the class because, well, it’s with my favorite professor Deneen Gilmour and it’s all about blogs, which I absolutely love. Deneen is always so excited about “new” media and online resources that it gets me excited about it too.

I’ve published two of my stories so far, one on Makin’ It Better and one on Doing It Downtown. Both were my own original ideas and I had a blast working on them.

The first story was about Ms. Simplicity, a professional organizer. I originally planned on writing the story mostly about her blog and how she shares organizing tips and tricks with her readers, but the idea changed after interviewing her. The story turned into more of a profile of her career and how she does what she does, but I think it still turned out great. And it was a lot of fun meeting Melissa and seeing her beautiful (and organized) home. It was also great to hear some of her organizing tips and tricks.

Ms. Simplicity organizes homes, lives

The second story was my favorite so far. It was all about shoes and what they say about the owner’s personality. I went downtown and interviewed F-M downtowners about their shoes. Then, I went to Journey’s in West Acres Mall and interviewed the “experts.” It was a lot of fun and interesting to see what people had to say about their personalities and shoes.

Shoes Talk: FM downtowners reveal personality traits through their shoes

Everyone has come up with such interesting story ideas this semester, so go check them out at Doing It Downtown and Makin It Better. Be sure to leave a comment or two to let us know what you think.