Holi: Festival of Colors | Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple

I waited for years to photograph this particular event, and the time finally came: Holi, a Hindu celebration of happiness, love, peace and the end of the winter season. Celebrated for two days by over 80,000 people in the seemingly out-of-place location of Spanish Fork, Utah, Holi only continues the streak of bizarre, visually astounding, crowd-heavy events that never ceases to amaze me to photograph.

I originally thought I would be shooting it for the paper, but the assignment was handed off to staffer and buddy Spenser Heaps, who did a beautiful job for print the next day. That being said, I took the weekend to shoot Holi as both the casual observer and raging participant. The "assignment" was actually no assignment at all - in fact, it was the first event in three months that I shot for myself with no purpose but to simply enjoy. The result? It felt great. The pictures shown here represent the feel of Holi; the happiness, the struggle to breathe and the celebration of beauty in the marriage of crowds and colored chalk. In addition to making pictures that worked wonders as a creative release, I made new friends, strengthened current relationships and checked another life experience off the bucket list in one fell swoop.  While I scrub to rid myself of colored chalk in unspeakable places, I sure hope you enjoy.

Cottonwoods of Provo

Tagged along with Daily Herald staffer, James Roh, for an assignment of his on a slow day at the paper. This image, complete with its colors and tone, sums up the gamut of Utah County at this time of year. Enjoy the peace.

MLK Day 2012

The beauty of this job - for me, at least - is the sheer volume of life a photographer can experience through the simple presence of a camera. The places you go, the things you see, and in this case, the people you meet.  For MLK day this year, I was lucky enough to meet and photograph the living civil rights legend, Julian Bond, at a presentation at Utah Valley University in Orem.  While the picture is merely a profile snapshot, it is the experience that was the incredible takeaway from the day's events.

NERO / N.Y.E. Resolution for ZUMA Press

It's been simply astonishing to watch dubstep dominate the American music scene over the past several years. What began as a sort of musical experiment in South London basements can now be heard in nearly every radio-played single, unbiased by genre or scene. Yet what is more incredible is the live presentation of dubstep - a thing of beauty that I've been lucky enough to photograph several times. While a touch more tame than this past summer's IDENtity Festival, N.Y.E. Resolution was a comfortably familiar experience of epic proportions.

NERO - one of the world's top DJs at the moment - made a stop in Seattle, Wash., for a New Year's Eve celebration, and the following images are a brief testament to the insanity that unfolded. What a way to kick off 2012. Happy New Year, and enjoy!

Welcome | Goodbye?...

As time surges forward, change is needed.  After showcasing my work as a blog on Flickr for many years, it is officially time for a change in the way my images are viewed.  Bigger is always better.  So: hello, Blogger.

If you wish to meander through old work, please visit: The Ol' Flickrstream.

Thank you for making your way here.  The internet is a big, scary place.  Stay a while and enjoy the view.

• Jordan Stead /// https://www.jordanstead.com/