During a historic April snowstorm of 15.5 inches of snow in one day, this trip to Minneapolis was definitely not one to be forgotten. 9 sophomores and 2 instructors of the photo department braved the weather and continued their venture.
The first day while the weather was still nice we hit the ground running. Leaving Powell at 2AM and operating on little to no sleep we made our way to General Mills Studios. This is where I truly began to understand that commercial photography is more of a team effort and there are more positions than just the lead photographer. Art directors, food stylists, second shooters, digi-techs, and multiple types of assistants make up the base of the kind of crew that can be on a set at one time. General Mills operates mostly with team members that are freelance meaning that set teams are unique to each shoot. Being a corporate business General Mills had multiple kitchen sets, props room that stylists dream of and high-end equipment to produce the best final image.
Afterward, we visited Blue Ox Studios and met with Ben McKean. We took a walk around the studio then sat down and discussed a myriad of subjects such as, what it takes to work your way up the studio hierarchy and seeing the progression of McKean’s portfolios and books.
Food was also an adventure of its own. Each day we were on the hunt to find coffee and food we couldn’t get in our little Wyoming town. We had both creative and cultural foods and one dinner we spent with alumni of the photo department at The Melting Pot.
In closing, this trip was a great opportunity to learn and experience the different photographic styles and opportunities that are out in the world. Also, it was one more great memory made with photo peeps.
Tia Erin Artistry 
Thank You! That was fun! I enjoyed your trip!! You need to devise ‘taste a vision’ photography!
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