Category: Chicago

2017- A Look Back

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As we approach the end of the year, as in years past, I look back at the work I have done, and then put together the highlights.

The moments that were captured stand out, but also, the greater context of them. Where I was, and more importantly, who I was with. When I am reviewing the year’s archive, I not only look for particular images that I knew stood out, but also, the connection to the place, time and people I may have been with. The image becomes more than just an image when there is that added context to them. That’s what I always look for when I’m doing these reviews. I have had the great fortune to have met so many incredible photographers (and even more than that, amazing people).

The additional element to this year’s retrospective is a challenge from a friend of mine, who asked me to create a Facebook album of my 17 favorite photos. The slideshow contains these 17 images.

January featured a trip to Boston to attend a memorial for my friend Paul Kempley. Later in the month, I met up with some local photographers, very dear friends, for a casual meet up. We always have a fantastic time, but it seems that January is the only time we can all get together.

February was spent locally, I continued to look for good winter sunrises, as well as some wanderings in the loop capturing the spirit of Chicago.

At the end of April, my great friend Cathie and I met up in the Smokies. Probably the biggest highlight of the year for me, I had never spent time there. But I will be going back!

June featured the Out of Chicago Conference, where I resumed my duties as photowalk coordinator with help of my friend Bryan Esler. It’s always an amazing experience, and just being a small part of the show has been an incredible experience. I’m looking forward to the 2018 Summer conference, I’ll be back as photowalk coordinator!

The rest of the summer was spent with various meet ups with local friends. And then, the last weekend of August, I flew to Raleigh Durham and spent an extended weekend with Cathie again. We played a hell of a lot of mini golf, which was great, because most of the time, we’re running from location to location to photograph. It was nice stepping back and just enjoying each other’s company, albeit competitively. But, the trip started with Cathie and I meeting up with Dan Thompkins for sunset on the Friday I arrived. I’ve known Dan for a few years through Facebook, but I finally got to meet him and his wife Carolyn. That made it all the more special.

In September, I helped out on a street photography workshop conducted by my friends Mike Boening and Jamie MacDonald, two absolutely incredible photographers and better guys. Jamie unfortunately was not able to make the trip, but, I did what I could, hobbling in the boot because I had just been diagnosed with Plantar Fasciitis. The weekend was a blast, even with having to wear Das Boot. Later in September, I finally had the chance to photograph Chicagohenge. On the spring and autumn equinoxes, the sun sets down the east-west streets in the Loop. That is the final image in the slideshow.

2017 was a great year. It did not feature as much travel as I have done in recent years. But, I maximized the times I did travel, and explored the local environs. Next year is shaping up to be another great year, with some trips already planned, as well as the possibility of a couple of others.

Thank you for continuing on this journey with me. Have a wonderful holiday season!

A Boot And A Blast

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Earlier this year, when I heard that a couple of my friends, both Olympus Visionaries (Jamie MacDonald and Mike Boening) were going to host a workshop in Chicago this past weekend, I knew I had to attend. They are fantastic photographers, and even better people. I have been following their podcast, and now their YouTube channel Mirrorless Minutes https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqCm16qk_T2JoDzvin_f9eA ever since I met them a few years ago. I had been looking forward to this past weekend for months. In August, I was able to meet up with Mike while he was in town doing some scouting for the workshop. The agenda for this weekend included several great, signature Chicago locations, including sunrises at the lakefront, and an exploration of one of my favorite neighborhoods, Wicker Park.

Leading up to this weekend, on Wednesday, September 13, I met up with a couple of local friends for the sunset at the Museum Campus. I went downtown a little early, planning to eat dinner somewhere, and then walk over to the campus. The place I settled on for dinner was near the Art Institute, and it was a fairly long walk from there to the campus, but I have made this walk many times, and even longer walks. So, after fortifying myself with food and a beverage, I began the walk. By the time I got to the lakefront, near Buckingham Fountain, my right foot was hurting, right by the heel. And the more I walked, the worse it got. By the time I got to the spot we chose for the sunset, I was in agony. And since I had gotten there early, I ended up standing a lot as the sun began setting, and we stayed around for the blue hour. The sunset wasn’t great, but, there were some very low clouds hugging the tops of the skyline, which made for some great night photos. However, by the time we left, I could not put any weight on my foot. The next day started with the same level of pain. As Thursday went on, it slowly improved, but, since I had taken Friday off from work, I made an appointment to see a podiatrist. I had a feeling I knew what I was dealing with, and she confirmed it the next day- plantar fasciitis. She said my case wasn’t a severe one. If this wasn’t severe, I don’t want to know what a severe case feels like! The treatment plan involves stretching each morning before I even get out of bed, and RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation). I told her about the workshop, and that there was no possible way short of death that I was going to miss it. She fitted me with an Air Boot that I wore for the weekend, to help me get through all of the activity without further aggravating my foot.

We met for the workshop Friday evening, and took a quick trip near the hotel to take some photographs overlooking the Eisenhower Expressway at night, getting some great car light trails heading east. The next day started early, we met at North Avenue Beach for sunrise, then, after breakfast and a morning session, we ventured to Wicker Park. The bulk of the afternoon was spent there, exploring the streets. That neighborhood is perfect for street photography- the stores, passersby, the vibe, it’s a great place to photograph. We took a group photo at the new Vivian Maier street art installation on North Avenue, done by the famous street artist Kobra. We went back to the loop, got dinner, and then went to the Adler Planetarium for sunset and blue hour.

Sunday started at Buckingham Fountain for sunrise, then, back to the hotel for breakfast, and the wrap up where we chose our 5 favorite photos from the weekend, and talked about them. Outside of myself, only one other attendee has lived in the Chicago area. The group came from Detroit, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Nashville, Atlanta, Indianapolis and even Winnipeg, Canada ( and I might be missing some other locations, not intentionally). I loved seeing everyone else’s views of my home city. Everyone’s eyes saw something a little different, and it was a beautiful quilt that everyone had weaved through their vision. And now, for me, it gives me yet more reasons to continue exploring, to see a place so familiar but yet in an entirely new way. It was truly a fantastic weekend, even with the boot!

 

Out Of Chicago, Summer 2017 Conference

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I had the privilege to be involved again in the flagship Out Of Chicago Photography Conference. Instructors and attendees from all over the world spend a weekend totally immersed in everything photography. As one of the photowalk coordinators, I do not have a lot of opportunities to sit on classes or venture out on photowalks during the show, but, this year, I was able to lead a couple of excursions. But more on that later. The conference officially kicks off on Friday evening, and this year, our keynote speaker was none other than the incredible Art Wolfe. His images speak for themselves, but, to hear him talk us through them, it was a perfect start to the activities.

Prior to the official start, there are pre-conference workshops on Thursday and Friday. I had the opportunity to assist Derrick Story, a wonderful photographer and even better person, on Friday during his “Down ‘n Dirty Street Photography with Film” workshop. As you all know from previous postings, I have started shooting film again. I could not pass up this opportunity. I will be getting the film processed, and will be posting a separate article once I have scanned those negatives.

Friday night featured our “Photocrawl”, where we have photographers stationed at signature venues throughout the Loop. This year, a new twist was added, where we had guides lead groups to specific locations. I had the opportunity to be one of these guides, taking folks to Buckingham Fountain, Maggie Daley Park, and finishing at Cloud Gate (a.k.a. The Bean).

Saturday, the conference kicked into high gear, and I spent the day at the center, making sure the photowalks went out successfully. I went out to assist on Mike Boening’s and Derrick Story’s photowalk to Wicker Park. Being a life-long Chicagoan, I know these long distance excursions have inherent logistic difficulties, especially when they involve public transportation. Wicker Park is a street photographer’s paradise, though. Incredibly vibrant, with very approachable people, eclectic culture, street art, and great architecture. It has everything, well worth the time to go when you’re in Chicago. I took some folks on a walk east on North Avenue, and we came across a new public art installation featuring Vivian Maier, the renowned mid-century street photographer. The art is stunning. I was able to continue working on my sunglasses project too.

In the afternoon, I sat in on a mini workshop hosted my friend Lara Joy Brynildssen about Lightroom Collections and Lightroom Mobile (and almost ended up going into detention for causing too much trouble with my friend Monty). I learned a lot in Lara Joy’s class. Saturday night, after dinner, I ventured out into the Loop for an evening photowalk. Originally, I was leading my own group, but, it only ended up being one person. So, we joined up with another group, venturing to the River Walk.

Sunday morning, I led a group on an architecture photowalk in the Loop. We started at Harold Washington Library, right down the street from the Conference center. From there, we went to Calder’s Flamingo and captured some excellent reflections. We continued on to Chase Tower, and along the way, everyone said they wanted to see where a certain photo was taken, a spot where you can look down on an elevated train intersection of several CTA lines. I know the spot, so, we went there instead of a couple of other buildings. The featured photo of this article was taken from this spot.I just love exploring, and it’s not about the destination but the journey. And it turned out to be a great idea. The rest of Sunday was spent back at the Conference Center. By the time of the closing address, I was wiped out.

The conference is one of my favorite times during the year. It’s been a privilege to be involved, and working with some truly amazing people. Networking is always a big component of the conference- reconnecting with friends I met at previous conferences, and meeting new ones. It’s humbling to be involved with such talented photographers. I look forward to next year’s conference already!

Of Fire Engines And Zombies- June 18, 2016

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Weekends during summer in Chicago offer a lot of opportunities to explore different subjects. The plethora of street fairs, neighborhood gatherings, and civic events usually result in some unusual combinations. Yesterday was just such a combination, as the title of this blog attests to.

The day started with an annual event at the Chicago Fire Academy, near Taylor St and Jefferson. The Academy stands roughly where the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 started. This is where Chicago trains its firefighters. The event is a gathering of the Illinois Fire Buffs, who are dedicated to the history of firefighting. They have a show of nearly all eras of fire engines, vintage to current, as well as a flea market where you can buy just about anything related to firefighting, including vintage equipment, books, etc. The event starts with a short parade of the fire engines. They had everything from a 1920s era Ahrens-Fox engine, to a REO engine and Federal Engine from the 1930s, on up to the current engines made by American LaFrance. The older ones are still operational and well preserved!

It was fun seeing these machines up close, and helped me appreciate even more the firefighter’s ability to do their job in an era where technology was nowhere near today’s level. Even so, you can’t help but admire the firefighters of every era, who go into places everyone else runs from. It takes a special person to do this.

Later in the afternoon, I went to Millennium Park, as this was the annual “Zombie March” took place. The march covers a route of 2.5 miles, starting at the Pritzker Pavilion, going up toward the Wrigley Building, back to the Daley Plaza, and finishing at Buckingham Fountain. I got there in time to see the participants getting into character, and prepping their zombie makeup. The work they did was very impressive! All in all, it was a fun day, and the great news is, summer is just starting!