Category: Street

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!

 

The Out Of New York Photography Conference, Part 2

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My last blog post took us through Saturday evening, but there was one more day. This second part is dedicated to Sunday, because that was an incredible end to an incredible few days in the Big Apple. As part of the staff of Out Of Chicago, I was able to choose one of the all day workshops that were happening throughout Manhattan. I chose Steve Simon’s workshop. I have admired Steve’s work for years, he has a very unique vision, and is able to capture the human element like few photographers I have seen. Plus, I have been wanting to do more street photography, so the choice was easy.

We met at the entrance to the High Line. The High Line is a Rails-To-Trails conversion of an unused section of track of the New York Central Railroad. The High Line stretches for 1.45 miles in lower Manhattan, from Gansevoort Street to 34th Street. Some great architecture has sprung up around the High Line, there are great views over several streets, and a great mix of people. For this excursion, I shot predominantly film, Kodak Tri-X 400, and the rolls are yet to be developed. We encountered an interesting slice of life there, but this was just a taster of what was to come. I did get a few digital shots, the one below is looking toward upper Manhattan, looking up 10th Street toward midtown Manhattan.

 

Up 10th Avenue

We had a few more locations to go to, so we left the High Line at 23rd street, and walked to the MTA stop for the F train to go uptown to 57th and 5th. This corner is known as Bill Cunningham Corner. Bill Cunningham was a New York Times fashion and street photographer, and this corner was where he camped out to document expressions and fashion. He passed away in June of this year, and it was a weird feeling standing at the corner where so much of his work was done. But, I quickly realized why he spent so much time there. The gentleman in the next photo came strolling by not long after I camped out there. He knew he was getting attention and he enjoyed it.

 

57th and 5th Dude

Our next stop was Washington Square Park, another very unique New York location. They have everything there, including a grand piano at one end, a comedian at the other doing “Stand Up In The Park”, to Abraham Lincoln, jazz musicians, tarot readers, chess players, and the list goes on. You want to see a cross section of New Yorkers? Go there.

 

New York Abe

Our last stop was Chinatown. I have seen the neighborhood in countless movies. It was just as I had imagined it to be. Some people wanted their photos taken, but most did not. I  got some photos anyway, and our group posed by what was supposedly a Banksy piece of art depicting Donald Trump, although its authenticity as a true Banksy is up for debate.

The conference was an experience I will never forget. I fell in love with New York. As a life-long Chicagoan, spending many, many hours in the Loop, the vibe of Manhattan was extremely familiar. And yet it had a different pace altogether. I doubt I will get used to the insanity of most of the drivers. Maybe if I lived there it would become part of my fiber. Regardless, I will be coming back to New York, sooner rather than later. There is so much yet to see. Also, as with the previous Out of conferences, I made new friends. I met some incredibly passionate and talented photographers, of every level of experience. Some were from Turkey, some were from San Francisco, some were from New York and Long Island. Meeting these folks, and learning from them, seeing things in a new way, sharing ideas,  this what it is all about for me. So for this, I am eternally grateful to the Out Of Chicago team- for letting me be a part of the crew, and continuing to inspire me.

Chinatown