2009_01_19_Breakfast fit for a farewell_bv

2009_01_19_Breakfast fit for a farewell_bv

I left for Kansas this past Monday. After the short week or so at home then a wonderful weekend in Champaign-Urbana it was time to head out to the next internship. As a farewell my friends that are still in town at school and I cooked a great breakfast to fill my up for my 10 hour trip back across the vast openness of the midwest.

It was an amazing little cook up at Aaron's apartment that he will soon be leaving, and even though a couple people in our core group are spread across the country I feel they were there in spirit celebrating, hanging out, and eating a massive plate of great breakfast food.

I'll miss everyone so much, again, as I head out for the next 5 months into the unknown. It's a very strange time to be trying to make it as a photographer, crap, make it as anything. Just remember what really matters; friends, family, great times, and pursuing your dreams.

Again, thanks for looking. Have an amazing day.

Best,
Brad Vest

Listening to: Birds without wings, David Gray



Erica works the light and the coffee cup. We love light.


Babs, you have to crack the huevos before adding them to the mix. Oh, that was just erica throwing them into the mix, acceptable.










Food coma sets in.

2009_01_18_Zumi Zumi

2009_01_18_Zumi Zumi

On Sunday friends and I headed over to Murphy's to hang out. It was a Sunday, but due to having no school the next day to honor MLK the bars were packed and we were relegated to the basement. The basement at Murphy's is horrendous and it seemed to have gotten worse over the past few months.

To top it off after we were situated a group of people moved into the booth next to use and started playing this came that I can only assume is called zumi zumi. I have never heard of this game, zumi zumi, but apparently it was all the craze with the table next to us at Murphy's. It's a pretty loud and obnoxious game which involves thumping the table and screaming numbers.

It was a great time though even with the unnecessary ruckus coming from next door. Nothing could have dampened my spirits while seeing some of my best friends. Great times.

Cheers,
Brad Vest



This is when babs was pretty close to destroying the zumi zumi game. (photo: Erica)


It was getting pretty rough with all the table pounding and yelling. Oh, there was a side of drama also so it seemed when someones boyfriend left the zumi game without saying goodbye. (photo Adam)


It nearly killed face.


Sway sweatshirts. (photo: Face)


This should be an advertisement for something. (Photo: Face)


We don't pose for photos often. That's probably a good thing.


It was another great night.

2009_01_17_Driving like a Blind Pig

2009_01_17_Driving like a Blind Pig

After my brief week at home I headed a little out of the way to go south to Champaign-Urbana to visit with a few friends there before heading out to Hutchinson, Kansas. Just as Seattle's weather tried to hold me back when I left there, I had to brave pretty treacherous roads to make it down to U of I. There was no way I was going to head out to Kansas without making it to see a few great friends first however.

The usual two and a half hour drive turned to be a close to four hour slick endeavor with a few snow drifts along the way. There were quite a few cars in the ditch along the way but as long as you drove slow it was pretty safe. There was one area where a ton of police cars were and such but it seemed to only be a fender-bender that was blocking a couple of lanes.



After arriving safely in town the weekend began as a few friends and I hit downtown Champaign for a great time.

Cheers,
Brad

Listening to: I love you more, The Streets.

The Blind Pig, a great little establishment in downtown Champaign.


I think Face was in awe, or shock, for a little bit over the fact that I was going to the famous land of Kansas. (photo: Adam JB)




The end of a very long night.

2009_01_16_Not enough hours in the day

2009_01_16_Not enough hours in the day

It was great being home for a tad between internships. I only had the chance to spend a little more than a week at home between traveling from Seattle and to Kansas. A month would have been nice, and a week was far to short. However, it was great to catch up with family and friends while I was home for that short period of time before heading off on the next adventure.

Thanks for looking,
Brad Vest

Listening to: Place to belong, Little Dragon

Giant slice of pizza from the new place in DeKalb.


Curious pup watching the grill.


Collision? or a little love?


Coming from Seattle where the weather is not exactly ideal in the winter, a little cold and rainy, it was a sunny day on the beach compared to the -10 to -20 degree weather northern Illinois was having when I returned.


Very, very cold.

2009_01_15_Chicago_bv

I'm in Chicago for a couple days. It's really cold.






5 days till I start in Kansas.

Best,
Brad Vest

2009_01_14_I've got that apocalyptic feeling_bv

2009_01_14_I've got that apocalyptic feeling_bv

One of my great friends, Pat Traylor, swung through DeKalb on his way to O'hare to catch his flight out to Guatemala on Wednesday night. We met up and had a great little send off party for Pat, along with one of my other great friends, Beck Diefenbach, who has a job with my home town's daily newspaper, The Daily Chronicle.

The night was very chill with a lot of photojournalism talk, a little photojournalism wallowing, and the appearance of the infamous flat pat who just had to say goodbye to 3d pat.

When all was said and done, after beck and I looked at images and bullshitted into the late hours of the evening it was time to head home. Walking from Beck's killer downtown apartment I walked out into what seemed to be the aftermath of an apocalypse. Zombies I presume. It was so peaceful and with the light inch or so dusting of snow DeKalb had that night I felt as if I were the last one on the planet making the short walk to my car. I strolled down the middle of the street taking photos, glancing at things in a new way, and thinking about just how fragile everything is when put into context.

It was the perfect ending to a great night.

Great seeing those two, it had been too long.

Cheers,
Brad Vest

01_10_2009_Home, past the holidays_bv

--01_10_2009_Home, past the holidays_bv--

After ~2732 miles, a little over a day of driving, and a few seedy hotels I've finally arrived home, DeKalb, Illinois. In 9 days I'll be starting my second internship with the Hutchinson News in Hutchinson, Kansas. But for now it's nice finally spending more than a few hours awake in some other position besides being behind the wheel of a car.

necessary?


The last leg of the trip was uneventful as far as scenery goes. Along interstate 80 Nebraska is about as visually interesting as a beige piece of construction paper. Though it would be great to spend some time in that strange state making photos. After all, everywhere has amazing people and photos, you just have to look.

Dirty window, clean energy.


In this short time at home I have a lot of things to keep me busy, this little vacation is going to go by very quick. Home with friends and family, a trip to Chicago for a couple days, reorganize my stuff and get ready for the trip to Kansas, and finally a little get together down in Urbana with a few great friends.

Due to this and the fact that I'll most likely be off the internet grid for a while I may not be updating much over the next week. I'll be shooting as always, things will be up eventually.

Thanks for looking.

Best,
Brad Vest

Biggest full moon of the year. It would have been great to have a 400mm in the trunk and really take advantage of this guy, it was huge.


Sunset in the side mirror, oh man, mind blowing, original, awesome. (ha)






I love being home to see my family, but they knew I was coming home. It's always fun to see how the dogs will react.


Nice to see you too.

01_06_2008_the long trip home_bv

--01_06_2008_the long trip home_bv--

Live in the moment.

My brief time here in Seattle has come to an end, for now. I honestly can't even begin to describe my feelings of leaving this place. I feel as if I am leaving something just as I was beginning to truly appreciate and understand some of it's intricacies. The hardest part is not the city, place, or the things here that this place has to offer that I have come to love, it's the people. I'll be leaving great friends and fresh friendships that I have developed in my time here. Feeling more and more at home as everyday passed while realizing it can only last a certain amount of time.



Today I embark on my journey home across the wide open tundra of the midwest to Illinois for a week with friends and family. From there I'll head off to Hutchinson, Kansas to begin my spring internship with The Hutchinson News.





Moving onto Kansas will be eye opening, foreign, and creativity inspiring place to this fresh-eyed wanderlust who'll be stomping its ground for the first time. I am really looking forward to making pictures and developing friendships in this new place. But for now I can't help but feeling the tug on the heartstrings as I leave this place, with people who've impacted my life so much.



I'll be back Seattle, one way or another. But for now this bird has a little more migrating to do before planting his feet. After all, it's the journey and the stops along the way, not the destination.

Stay tuned, the tide is changing.






Best,

Brad Vest

listening to: Once Around the Block, Badly Drawn Boy

Thanks for the drawing Anne, it was a fantastic 'last' night in Seattle. Time to go rock out in Kansas for a while and make some wonderful americana images.

--02_08_2007_Obama_2007--

--02_08_2007_Obama_2007--

In February of 2007 I had the opportunity to shoot Barack Obama's announcement for his candidacy for President of the United States of America for UPI, United Press International.

This almost became a very regretful day for me. I was supposed to catch a ride with a fellow Daily Illini photographer but after I woke up at 6 in the morning and after repeated calls with getting nothing but her voicemail. I was sitting in my apartment, all my gear packed, all my hand warmers in the pockets, without a car, started to have get extremely nervous that I was about to screw up a huge opportunity. I made a few calls and annoyingly I'm sure woke up the then photo editor at the Daily Illini Beck Diefenbach and nabbed his car and booked it over to Springfield. I was 2 hours later than I was supposed to be (still 3 hours before Barack was scheduled to speak, gotta get there really early for these types of things.) I made my way through the thousands of people that arrived there before me only to get to the gated off section with no pass and not much hope. I waved down some officers told them my dilemma and amazingly was escorted to the media area. My friend Mark who was also shooting the event had a spot taped off for me on the risers and everything worked out as far as getting to the spot.
The 8th was one of the coldest days in February and there I was huddling with other media nursing a grande americano hoping my toes didn't develop a nice case of frost bite before Obama comes out to speak.

How things changed in less than a year from being in Danville. Thousands of spectators, more secret service and media than there were spectators in Danville, and an atmosphere that I haven't seen at a political event in my entire life.... all while in sub freezing temperatures.

Have a fantastic day,
-Brad





This really illustrates how cold it really was there. All those heat waves were from the crowd huddling waiting for Barack Obama. One usually sees heat waves behind airplanes or maybe coming off of hot pavement in the summertime... not just rising from a crowd. That only happens when it's pretty much 0 degrees outside and there are thousands of people. Great memories.