In honor of my grandmother, Dee Quirk
Thanks to my dad, Jaan, and Robbie
a dream vision becomes reality
shot on 35mm film
nashville, tennessee
In honor of my grandmother, Dee Quirk
Thanks to my dad, Jaan, and Robbie
a dream vision becomes reality
shot on 35mm film
nashville, tennessee
Gretchen Kaija + Ian Boswell
B I L L I E E I L I S H
WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP TOUR 2019
NASHVILLE TENNESSEE
Shot for the Nashville Scene, all photos online
Tame Impala swimming in daydreams in Nashville, Tennessee, diving into an unforgettable Thursday night performance.
“You guys look beautiful, the city looks beautiful, you smell beautiful.”
Photos by yours truly up on the Nashville Scene and in the May 9th weekly print issue.
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA
Down at Mardi Gras this year, I had myself a ball & a biscuit of a time, soaking up sunshine, snappin’ away left and right, sippin’ on lemonade shandies, and stuffing myself with seafood (and po-boys) at every opportunity. A beautiful, blissful week of costumes, libations, friendship, and parading through my favorite streets and old haunts. I spent all of Mardi Gras day dressed head to toe as a rose garden, an homage to my time spent living in New Orleans, the city where I fully blossomed into my true self.
I drove home with not one, but two, full size king cakes in my passenger seat to prolong the sweet celebrations as long as reasonably possible, as well as a couple bags of fresh coffee beans from the French Truck. Now I’m able to wake up with a little taste of New Orleans from the comfort of my own home, at least for a little while.
Upon my return home after three weeks of traveling, I came to discover upon developing my film that my once-trusty point and shoot camera had been a little shaken up, maybe took one too many rough and tumbles, as mysterious black borders and lines unknowingly appeared across multiple rolls of film. At first glance of the negatives, I felt the onset of heartbreak as I realized some photos would be completely lost to time. I paused, took a moment and some deep breaths, and allowed myself to embrace the abstract framing and the creative decisions it allowed me to make with my final photos, lending a hand to the creativity and freedom that bleeds out of the soul of the city of New Orleans.
I’m learning from this as it’s a beautiful little reminder to always be present in the moment and to remember that life ain’t always perfect. It’s not always gonna be what you expect. It’s a little rough around the edges, and you’ve gotta embrace the beauty inside of what you do have and are able to experience.
Laissez les bon temps rouler, they say!
until next year ~
xo
I'm honored I was able to be a part of the She Shreds SXSW experience this year. I was involved with the one two years ago, as well, but this one was especially... special. Originally, the day was supposed to be at a space called Kinda Tropical - an old gas station convenience store turned cafe and small local market with cool teas, local beers, iced coffee on tap, and breakfast tacos. Everything was beautiful - the aesthetic could not have been more ideal and She Shreds had swagged up the place with decor, merch, cacti, banners, prayer flags, gender neutral bathrooms, and a breezy little stage on the back patio. The sun was beaming, and Shamir took the stage as I sipped the first few sips of my extra strong, bone chilling iced coffee as I began to shoot photos for the day.
And then... barely 30 minutes into the set, cops appeared and began roaming around the scene, eventually shutting us down due to a double whammy of overcapacity and unknown lack of a permit from our venue. Everyone lingered around like "Whaaat" for about the length of time that it took to make some phone calls, secure a new location, pack up all the merch, the gear, and relocate EVERYONE - the whole dang crew of show-goers and show-players. The Sahara Lounge saved the day in under 45 minutes. The show must go on!
Everyone packed into the teeny tiny super cozy bar that smells of old (and new) Lonestar beer. Like 500 bodies. A whole community. We were still all in this together, no one was letting anyone give up. The bands played on, and the day evolved into it's own beautiful success story. I was there to document the whole dang thing and I'm happy to share my photos of #SXSHESHREDS with y'all.
FULL STORY AND ALL PHOTOS HERE!
Thanks for reading, see you out there next year!
xo, Emily
And to close this out, here's me, fresh faced and super stoked to shoot the full day ahead!
One of my photos was paired with a recent interview article with White Reaper in Amadeus Magazine! You can read the whole thang' here!
DECEMBER 14 2016
Whether or not this was a chilly December evening, I'll never fully remember, as I quickly basked in the warmth of the chaos of the family-style-reunion that blossomed as Together Pangea (LA) and Twin Peaks (Chicago) rolled into Nashville's Exit-In that afternoon. Bands, photographers, and friends alike, all together in one place - including members of White Reaper, NE-HI, Cage the Elephant, Daddy Issues, and Chrome Pony, and photographers CJ Harvey, Kelsey Reckling, Jesse Fox, (and myself!), all present, documenting throughout the night. One truly never to be forgotten.