Weekend Photo Roundup- Skrillex and Drag Queens

Melissa Menzinger May 31, 2016

This weekend represented two of my favorite things- pool parties and drag queens! I kicked off the weekend by shooting Skrillex at Talking Stick Resort's Release Pool Party. I have never seen the event so crowded! I believe it sold out.

Skrillex had a fantastic stage presence and always looked like he was having fun. Even if you are a casual fan of EDM, I'd recommend checking him out!

Kobalt's Divas Memorial Day Drag Show: photo by Melissa Fossum — Kobalt's Divas Memorial Day Drag Show: photo by Melissa Fossum

I closed out the weekend by photographing Kobalt's Memorial Day Divas Drag Show. I took some cool portraits of the queens before the show.

One of my favorite quotes as the queens were setting up was "day drag is weird." Drag is very much oriented in nightclubs, so it was interesting to see a mostly sober crowd enjoying the show. That didn't stop them from having a great time, though.

This portrait of T.C. Taylor is my favorite. I also enjoyed seeing Payda Parc in partial drag.

Butthurt Valentine's Party - Photo by Melissa Fossum

Weekend photo roundup- Valentine's Day and Arizona Cocktail Week

Melissa Menzinger February 17, 2016

A lot of single people hate Valentine's Day, but I don't mind it. This may be due to the fact that it's always a big work weekend for me.

Valentine's Day Eve was my busiest shooting day thanks to dance parties, Hotel Valley Ho's spectacular Cocktail Carnival, and the Arizona Strong Beer Festival.

MAN-CAT Butthurt Valentine's Party - Photo by Melissa Fossum

The biggest event was the aptly named Butthurt Valentine's Dance Party. The event was organized by Tempe activists A Claire Slattery and Sarah Richie Rich and featured live music from MAN-CAT and Serene Dominic. There was also free candy and Donna Lewis' "I Love You Always Forever." What more could you ask for?

I was the event's official photographer and also posted some photos to AZCentral. I'm sure you'll be hearing more about Butthurt Tempe's events in the future.

A Claire Slattery at Butthurt Valentine's Party - Photo by Melissa Fossum

I bought a wide angle lens on Saturday and got to test it out that evening. Suffice to say, I love it. This lens works great for nightlife.

I also took photos of the final monthly Obscura Dance Night. The event will continue periodically in the future.

Arizona Circus School at Cocktail Carnival at Hotel Valley Ho - Photo by Melissa Fossum

I spent most of Saturday overdressed thanks to Arizona Cocktail Week's annual Cocktail Carnival at Hotel Valley Ho. I'm not complaining, this vintage hotel is a the perfect place to go when you're feeling fancy.

Arizona Strong Beer Festival at Steele Indian School Park - Photo by Melissa Fossum

One of my favorite experiences from the weekend was capturing this photo. I managed to talk my way into getting on a highrise (thanks, beer company! I was a little overheated so I forgot which company you were specifically, my apologies). The Arizona Strong Beer Festival was packed, and it was great to get a high spot to take in the crowd.

Deschutes Brewery at Arizona Strong Beer Festival at Steele Indian School Park - Photo by Melissa Fossum

Plus, look at all of that tasty beer! I sampled beer the first year I photographed the event, and I would highly recommend buying a ticket for next year's festival if you are a beer fan.

I rounded it all out by photographing The Yard's Last Slinger Standing Competition in Tempe.

See you in the photo pit.

Super Bowl Viewing Party at The Yard Tempe, 2/7/16

Weekend photo roundup- Super Bowl, Renaissance Festival, and Chromeo

Melissa Menzinger February 9, 2016

To say this was a busy weekend would be an understatement. I'm not much of a sports fan, so photographing fans at Whiskey Row and The Yard was just enough football. I got to see Lady Gaga's National Anthem performance and watched Beyonce's halftime show the next day.

Even though football is not my cup of tea, it was great to see all of these enthused fans cheer on their teams. Plus, I captured a ton of ecstatic Broncos fans at Whiskey Row.

Broncos Super Bowl Party at Whiskey Row Scottsdale, 2/7/16

The Yard's Super Bowl viewing party was a blast. It was my first time going to The Yard's Tempe location, and I can't wait to see what they have in store for Arizona Cocktail Week.

I also got to photograph Chromeo's DJ set, which is always a pleasure. Sure, it wasn't a full live set, but fans were still able to show off their fancy footwork. This brought back fond memories of the duo's 2015 DJ set at Maya Day + Night Club, which was even better because it doubled as a pool party.

The crowd goes wild for Chromeo at Livewire 2/5/16.

I love shooting from Livewire's balcony. Chromeo's crowd was almost as fun as the audience going wild for Steve Aoki.

Drummers at the 2016 Arizona Renaissance Festival

I rounded out the weekend by photographing the opening day of the Arizona Renaissance Festival. This was a blast because it was so easy to photograph people that were in their element. The main challenge was avoiding things like cellphones and sunglasses in the background of the photos.

After the Renaissance Faire, I took a little detour to Canyon Lake and Tortilla Flat. I can't wait to share my photos from this detour, but that is another post for another day.

See you on the photo pit.