Indianapolis | Alex Farris Photo Blog

Before going to Guatemala for the second time in the last week of February (photos by former IU journalism dean Jim Brown on the trip website), the Star sent me on four photo assignments. The first two, on the first Saturday of the month, could not be more different: a regional high school wrestling tournament in the early afternoon, and, stretching into the wee hours of Sunday morning, Nelly's concert at The Vogue. The latter photos, for some reason, never made it to the website, but they most certainly happened.

The following weekend, I covered a child's birthday party put on by a kids' spa treatment company. I never before had taken a photo of seven-year-olds with cucumbers and masks on their faces, so cross that off the bucket list. And the day after Guatemala, I was thrown back into the mix of American culture with the most Hoosier thing imaginable: a high school basketball game played in an overflowing gym. Southport played Evansville Reitz, previously undefeated, and pulled away in the final minute for an 88-80 victory. These are probably my best basketball photos since my time at the IDS, not least because of the enthusiasm of the players and fans (but also because I wasn't afraid to use 3200 ISO).

Also, photos I took in December were finally published. Local DJ Oreo Jones has a cooking show with all the trappings of a public access show a la "Wayne's World." It's called Let's Do Lunch, and it features local chefs and music acts. I covered the filming of an episode the night before my biochemistry final (don't worry, I got an A in the class), and the photos and story finally ran online on Feb. 4, and seven color photos made it into the next day's local section (four on the front!).

There. Now I'm all caught up.

Rosie Lockwood relaxes under a face mask and cucumbers during her friend Kate Hollingsworth's birthday party and spa treatment provided by Pretty and Posh Parties in Fishers, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015.

Yes, yes, yes, I'm posting January photos in March. Life (e.g. two medical school interviews, work in Seymour), got in the way of posting, but not in the way of taking pictures. I was assigned three events for the Star: A high school wrestling meet featuring the indomitable Carmel High School girls' swim team, a sandwich cook-off during a Colts playoff game, and a little thing they like to call Bacon Fest. Also, my college housemate Steph, featured here, got engaged to her British boyfriend, so I made the trek to Chicago for the party. It almost goes without saying, but I will be taking her wedding photos.

Next post will be up within the hour!

Ally Benedyk of Love Handle doles out a sandwich containing Ovaltine brioche, hickory bacon, blackberry-miso jam and koshered carrots, during the Taste of the NFL Sandwich Cook-off at Recess on North College Avenue, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2015.

The second missed wedding entry (for my third wedding of 2014) began as a shameless plug.

During the first week of my summer organic chemistry lab at IUPUI, I overheard a comment from a TA named Callie. She wasn't my TA, but the two lab sections were combined in the computer lab that day, so I heard her say she was about to buy her wedding dress. I rolled my chair over and, slightly brazenly, asked when she was getting married and if she had a photographer. She said no, she didn't have a photographer. I pulled a business card out of my pocket and handed it to her, admitting to the shameless plug but offering to help.

Wouldn't you know it, the self-promotion worked. Her fiance sent me an email, and we scheduled an engagement photo session for downtown on a summer Sunday (the same Sunday as the Fray concert I was covering). After a productive session came the lakeside wedding in October, and holy hell was that fun.