MSUM alum connects love for concerts with photojournalism

When Alyssa Goelzer came to MSUM, she wasn't quite sure what she wanted to do, but was certain that she'd find a creative niche there.

"I knew I wanted to do something creative. I just didn't know what," Alyssa says.

It wasn't until her second year that she started to shift to photojournalism. She remembers being able to connect the projects in Chris Walker's photojournalism class to her love for concerts.

BS in Photojournalism

"Concerts have always been my favorite thing," Alyssa says. "I have been to at least 300 concerts, most as a fan. When photography came into my world it just made sense to combine the two."

These projects she did for class eventually led to people asking her to come take photos at their local events. She even took the initiative to email organizers before concerts she was attending to ask if she could take photos while she was there.

While still in college, Alyssa was able to photograph WE Fest, a three-day country music festival hosted in Detroit Lakes. There was a section on their website to apply to photograph the event. She filled out the application, and a year later the stars aligned.

"It was a lucky situation," Alyssa says. "They were going through a transition of ownership. During this transition, my application stuck out to the new owners. I had a solid portfolio made from my classes and the local concerts I had been shooting. Since then, it's become a thing I do every year.

Shooting a festival is a lot of work. Alyssa needs to cover the concert bowl, which is where the fans and vendors are, as well as the smaller stages, VIP areas, and the campgrounds.

Being prepared for anything is crucial for concert photography. She normally only gets three songs to capture everything she needs.

Alyssa credits her classes with Chris Walker for preparing her for these challenges. His teaching and flexibility to take projects in various directions allowed Alyssa to prepare specifically for these situations.

She noted that it gets tricky when they only let her get photos for one song or restrict her access.

"Sometimes I'm a million miles away and stuck using this super zoom lens. It's a lot of pressure," Alyssa says. "I love it though."

Alyssa believes that putting yourself out there is critical for students' success.

"You have to put yourself out there one way or another. That's the only way you can get something going," Alyssa says. "Local stuff almost always needs photos, reach out to them and do your best."

Alyssa currently works as a photojournalist for the Forum. She feels like she has really brought her passion into the Forum and changed how they do event photography.

"I feel that I have pioneered the way we've covered concerts," Alyssa says. "I took it upon myself to cover shows. I wanted to make multiple photo galleries to show the community all the fun things happening in Fargo. I think we have covered more concerts last year than we ever had at the Forum."

Alyssa was first able to work at the Forum as a Marcil Apprentice, a one semester apprenticeship with the Forum for upper-level communication and journalism students at MSUM.

This program allows students to rotate around several media departments at the Forum. Students get real world experience in areas such as video, blogging, content marketing, and news service. Alyssa was able to spend some time shadowing the photographers.

Alyssa was able to land a part-time photojournalist position at the Forum one month after her apprenticeship ended, where she has been working ever since.

"I feel that my dream job has kind of always been concert photography," Alyssa says. "I get to do a lot of that at the Forum."

One day Alyssa would like to find a position with even more of a focus on concerts. She mentioned touring with a band or working for a venue would be a dream job for her.

Alyssa discovered that she could turn her passion into a career while at MSU Moorhead. Being able to take projects in her own direction was a major catalyst that helped her discover where she wanted to be in life.