Victorian Halls, The Venetia Fair, and Flannel Mouth | Concert

I went up to Chicago to see some awesome bands: Victorian Halls, The Venetia Fair, and Flannel Mouth. I've seen them all before, they're all great performers, so needless to say, I was pumped for this show. Another perk is that I know all the band pretty well (that's an understatement for Flannel Mouth, who are high school buddies of mine), which meant I got pretty much free reign to take photos of the bands. I just took my Sony Nex 7 along, since it's small and has been doing amazing at the concerts I use it at.

 Up first was Flannel Mouth! They've come so far from when I knew them as a whole different name haha. They're excellent musicians, you should definitely keep an eye on them.

Up next was The Venetia Fair and I love seeing these guys perform. They're insane in the best way possible. Even if you aren't fond of their music, you'll love their stage antics.

And closing the show was Victorian Halls. I always love the energy they bring to shows! They've got quick, catchy beats and great lyrics.

All these bands have made a stop in Peoria before! Flannel Mouth is from Peoria, actually, so be sure to check these bands out when you can!

New Toy!

Brian got me an Oh Flash from Photo Jojo for Christmas! Well, part of my gift anyways. We played around with it a little bit last night. I like it! It has a really interesting and cool effect to it. I'm excited to use it more!

Shannon | Studio Session

I was bored last night and had the sudden urge to take some photos using my studio equipment. It's not exactly my specialty, but I can't get better unless I practice, right? I asked Shannon what she was up to and she said nothing, so she came over and we tried a few things! I think my favorite is the one highlighting her flexibility, although I can't decide if I like the black and white or color version better!

Does it really matter where you print?

The answer is: yes! I suggested to my boss at the Peoria Camera Shop about doing a print comparison of the 'other guys' in the area to show that our photos are of superior quality. He liked the idea and printed the same couple photos at CVS, Target, Walgreens, and Walmart. The results were pretty much what I was expecting, but wow, some of those places can really mess up your print! Take a look below, but keep in mind that these are scanned in and don't look nearly as drastic as they do in real life. If you'd like to see the difference for yourself, stop by the shop sometime and see.

Again, the differences aren't as drastic on the computer screen. Please come in and see my little poster I made with the actual prints.

Wildlife Prairie Park

My mom and I decided to go to Wildlife Prairie Park and get some excersize and see if I could get any good photos! It was a really nice day to go to the park. They're redoing a lot of the exhibits, but we didn't mind the dust. I was really wanting to get some good ones of the wolves (my favorite animal), but they stayed pretty far away in the shade most the time. Overall, I really enjoy going to WPP. It's not like a zoo, it's more like a sanctuary for all the natural Illinois residents.

August & Sanibel | Pet Session

One of my good friends, Brooke, asked me about taking photos of her and her sister's dog. I was more than happy to get some shots of their beloved canines. August, the husky, couldn't stay clean, though, and found something to roll in and get all over his face. He's still cute, at least. Sanibel, the yellow lab, had lots of fun fetching sticks out of the water during the session, too.