Music has always been important in my life. Until recently, music had never been the main focus of my life. Music has become an area that I want to fully engage in and explore the possibilities. Photographing bands is the area within music that I have enjoyed the most. Over the past year, I have noticed that some bands gave off an energy that was unlike what I found at other shows. Through my photographs, I wanted to capture that energy and show it to people who were not there.

Through my years studying photography, I have felt like I was never truly in control of my own work. With everything I tried, there was always someone there who was trying to heavily influence their opinions on which direction my work should be heading. Eventually this would get to the point where I felt like the project was no longer mine and more of a chore on my part. With my thesis project, I finally felt like I was in control and all the final decisions of what I was doing was up to me, and not someone else. My thoughts on my photography and life have run parallel paths through the course of the past four years. Recently I have figured out how to take control of my own being instead of relying on others to determine what my self-worth should be. Taking control of my photography has enabled me to create a guideline to learn how to take command of my own being. I know and understand my rolls as a photographer and a human being now.

In closing, I would like to thank all those who contributed to my thesis: Frank Portman, Joel Reader, Jym Pittman, Kepi Alexander, Roach Sullivan, Jaz Brown, B-Face, Gel Baca, Laura Baca, Lisa Baca, Kim Shattuck and the Muffs, Steve Faine, Gary Gutfeld, John Denery, and Chris Imlay. I could not have done this without the support of my parents. I would also like to especially thank my thesis committee for their guidance and support: Karen Norton and Kay WalkingStick.