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I got another concert assignment for the Star this weekend, but this concert was nothing like the ones I've shot at Klipsch Music Center. Those are fun to shoot because they're loud, they're often creatively lit, and they're a chance to listen to and discover music I don't look for on my own. There was none of that yesterday at the Greenwood Amphitheater, which does not have creative lighting. There was, however, something much better: kids. Kids who marched around the paths on the campus, kids who gave tons of hugs, kids willing to dance and jump around without shame or excessive self-awareness. In other words, kids who are very photogenic. I had a lot of fun, but nowhere near as much fun as the kids.

For more photos, check out the IndyStar.com gallery.

Joshua Wilson, 3, stands in the way of dancing children marching down a path during a Greenwood Summer Concert Series event at the Greenwood Amphitheater, Saturday, July 20, 2013.

Last weekend was the most photo-intensive weekend I've had since the J&C. Danese Kenon called me on Wednesday to see if I could take the Kendrick Lamar concert on Thursday, she texted me on Thursday to cover Peewinkle Puppet Studio's annual adult show Friday, and she texted again Friday about a gig for Saturday. That gig turned out to be VentureCamp, an entrepreneurial competition in which the participants hone their pitches while living in Kessler Mansion, formerly owned by one Jerry Hostetler. I've been to his other, more run-down house for an assignment, and knowing what I knew about his "flagship" estate, my expectations were high that I would meet with opulence and, for the first time in a while at the house, beautiful people. I got both in large quantities.

I also got centerpiece on the IndyStar website and ::trumpets sounding:: a photo on the front page above the fold. Not bad for one weekend's work.

For more on the whole weekend, click on the story links: Kessler Mansion, Peewinkle's adult show, and Kendrick Lamar.

Heidi Shackleford twirls a glow-in-the-dark ghost puppet during Peewinkle Puppet Studio's annual adult show in Indianapolis, Friday, June 7, 2013.

For my second Star photo assignment this weekend, I shot lacrosse, something I hadn't covered in over four years. Culver Academies played Carmel High School in the Indiana Girls Lacrosse Association state championship on the Northside, and the game was pretty exciting. Culver got two or three goals ahead, then Carmel pulled back, at least twice, but the game ended with a narrow 9-8 win for Culver. Not only was it a good game, but it was played under pretty consistent cloud cover, creating a giant softbox in the sky and evenly lighting everybody almost all game. That, plus the skills I've gained in the last four years, made for much better photos than the last lacrosse pictures I took, made in harsh sunlight with a slow camera and a slow lens. Check out all the photos and the story by Jason Haddix here.

Big announcement time: I've moved back to Bloomington. I moved into my subleased room today, and starting tomorrow, I'm taking an eight-week chemistry class, the one every pre-med student takes first on their trek to medical school. I describe the class (C117 for all you IU readers) that way because medical school may be in my future. I haven't made a final decision, but it's between that and a master's in science journalism. I know, it's a far cry from photojournalism, but I still want to do some of that on the side. I need to supplement my income any way I can in defense against the gloom and doom of student loans, and I can't deny that there is a large part of me, cultivated by wandering eyes and the IDS, Journal & Courier and Star, that really likes making pictures. Another large part of me, though, really likes science, and I want to be more able to show people how flippin' sweet science is.

So, there you go. Don't be surprised if a rant, positive or negative, about chemistry creeps into the blog over the next eight weeks. Also, if I can find a way to make a photo in a chemistry lab like those in Simon Hall, then that for sure is going up here.

Carmel defender Graylynn Oatess defends against Culver midfielder Annie Morsches during Culver's 9-8 victory over Carmel in the Indiana Girls Lacrosse Association state championship at Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School in Indianapolis, Saturday, June 1, 2013. (Alex Farris / For The Star)