I don’t think I ever could have predicted the wonderfully weird and diverse mix of photography opportunities I had in May. Last year, I spent the bulk of May relaxing at home in Oahu and exploring the Big Island of Hawaii. This May, I had a fun time staying in the Pacific Northwest covering everything from a multi-day music festival, a throwback concert on my birthday, a couple breaking celebrity news stories, and my adorable nephew just days after his first birthday. Since this month’s freelance life was comprised mostly of photography gigs, below is a visual photo recap of the month’s work.
Avril Lavigne, decked out in her outfit inspired by her controversial “Hello Kitty” music video, opens for the Backstreet Boys at WaMu Theater on May 22. Despite her eye-catching outfit, Lavigne’s performance felt lack luster and strained–always a bad sign when your bassist is busting out more moves than the lead performer.
In stark contrast to opener Avril Lavigne’s strange show, the Backstreet Boys put on one hell of a show that had the crowd of millenials crying for more. Speaking as a millenial, this lineup from the early 2000’s was the best 28th birthday present ever. 
Seattle’s Experience Music Project (EMP) Museum opened its newest gallery, Spectacle, in mid-May. A tribute to flashy music videos, the new exhibit is chock full of behind the scenes videos and props from some of the most iconic music videos of today. Featured in the main entrance is a tribute to hometown hero Macklemore, whose fur coat and other music video props from “Thrift Shop” are on display.
The highlight from the EMP’s opening night gala was a “surprise” performance by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, who were both prominently featured throughout the exhibit. According to the evening’s costume party attire, Macklemore donned a mask and wig that would later become highly controversial in the news.
Jean Kasem, wife of iconic radio host and personality Casey Kasem, confers with legal counsel along with her daughter Liberty Kasem. The Kasems are currently undergoing a highly explosive and public family drama with daughter Kerri Kasem over the custody of ailing Casey Kasem. Jean and Kerri showed up for a court-ordered hearing on May 30 at Kitsap County Courthouse where Kerri won visitation rights to visit with her father. The story has since taken on a rather bizarre twist in which Jean threw raw meat at Kerri during one of her first attempts to exercise her visitation rights. 
Legendary singer-songwriter Lionel Richie performs at Key Arena as part of his “All Night Long: All the Hits” tour. Age age 64, Richie is still an exuberant and energetic performer on the stage.
Despite being a foodie, one culinary item has never been on my “must eat” list: balut. If you’re not familiar with balut, it is a Southeast Asian delicacy consisting of a developing duck embryo that is boiled alive and eaten like a hardboiled egg. Can you see why I’ve never had the desire to eat it? In May, however, I attend Food and Sh*t, a monthly culinary pop-up restaurant at Inay’s Asian Pacific Cuisine. Hosted by local rapper Prometheus Brown and his crew, the night had a large assortment of tasty culinary treats including balut, which I tried and (to my surprise) ended up liking quite a bit.
New Orleans bounce musician Big Freedia shows off his best assets while performing at the Sasquatch Music Festival’s final day during Memorial Day weekend.
Matt Shultz, lead singer of Cage the Elephant, crowd surfs with an eager audience of fans on the first day of the Sasquatch Music Festival at The Gorge.
Iconic hip-hop duo Outkast puts on a shiny, eye-catching performance to close out night number one at the Sasquatch Music Festival. Unlike the duo’s previous shows of the year, this performance was full of hit singles and was beautifully lit, providing tons of photo opps of Big Boi and Andre 3000. 
British actor Chiwetel Ejiofor signs autographs for fans while making his way down the red carpet at the Egyptian Theater. Ejiofor is the recipient of this year’s Seattle International Film Festival Award for Outstanding Achievement in Acting. He made an appearance at Seattle’s Egyptian Theater in May to receive his award.
Lately, when one restaurant closes on Capitol Hill, it’s quite a bit of time before a new one comes to take its place. This was certainly true of Dinette, a joint owned by Chef Melissa Nyffeler who closed up shop after 8 years in business. The newest tenant in the old Dinette spot is Revolver, a vintage-inspired bar and eatery that opened up in May.
In early May, Seattle restauranteur Ethan Stowell opened up his latest culinary venture: Chippy’s. Much like the name implies, Chippy’s is a fish and chips joint located right next door to Stowell’s Ballard Pizza Co. 
My adorable nephew gives me a sly look while attempting to get one-on-one time with my laptop computer. At the age of 1, he is fascinated with all things technology, insisting on getting his hands (literally!) on anything that resembles a camera, laptop, phone, or tablet.
