Upwards and Onwards

Just some photos of what I really love about Minnesota.

Don't quote me on it, but this just might be my last blog post as a resident of Minnesota, due to
my recent acquisition of a full time Photojournalist position at Times-Citizen Communications in Iowa Falls, Iowa. Now I know what your thinking, "Where the hell is Iowa Falls?" or, "Where the hell is Iowa?" Well, let me school you. Iowa Falls is a small town 45 minutes due East of Waterloo and is the economic center of Hardin County. Luckily for all my Twin Cities friends, Iowa Falls is a leisurely three hour drive due South from Minneapolis on I-35. This transition is not going to be easy of course. Number one problem for me is having to leave what has been my home for the last three years. I really, truly love Saint Paul and Minneapolis and will miss it terribly, probably to the point of exhaustion. Of coarse I will also miss all my friends and Family in Minnesota too, but it's not like I will never see them all again...right?

I had the chance to tour Iowa Falls with the Managing Editor at TCC on Wednesday, and was very pleased to discover that it was not some one-horse-town in the middle of Iowa. Iowa Falls is in fact vibrant, bustling college town with its own unique personality and history. When asked to describe the town, I quickly came to the conclusion that it was essentially Lanesboro with a pulse. Not to say that Lanesboro doesn't have a pulse, but you could call Lanesboro an aging hippie to Iowa Fall's youthful athlete, if that makes any sense. (for anyone who doesn't know anything about Lanesboro, simply imagine short summers of tourist and long winters of despair.)

Hopefully this change in venue will push me to be even more productive than I am now and keep me on track with my future goals. I will be in charge of shooting and editing all photos and video for the TCC's two newspapers, specialty publications, and for TCC's online edition. I also hope to begin to contribute to TCC's in house radio station, KFIG 95.3.
I start work on the 19th of May, and hope to be kept so busy that I won't have to think about how much I miss my friends and the cities that I love. Thanks to Robb Long, my brother Noah, Adam Wiltgen, and my Mom and Dad for all their support over the years and to anyone who has contributed to my pursuit of photography. This isn't the last that you will hear of me of coarse. I will continue to update this blog and probably more online venues in the future.
So stay in touch, and let me know if your road-tripping through Iowa!

Love,
Eli