Electric Plant

Its been a fun 2010 had a great time photographing and looking forward to doing way more in 2011.....I'll leave you with last image I made on Christmas night after I got home for my folks. I decided to talk a walk about the block with a camera I had been borrowing from a friend of mine. I had walked by this window gosh I don't know how many times and never made an image. Maybe I couldn't figure out how to best make it? Well on this night I saw it and knew exactly how I wanted to do it. Those neon lights really create a sort of electric light as if that plant was plugged into the wall, it just really radiates and pulsates with life....

Joe

One day over the summer I drove down to Lawrence Ave and went on a walk to look to make some photographs. Kinda inspired by photographer Alec Soth in making a photograph of a stranger. I really wasn't looking to make a portrait, as I was walking this guy in the back of this truck had seen me with my camera and was like, "Take a picture of this". So I was more than happy to and we got into a conversation on what I was doing and Joe was explaining to me about this fruit or vegetable that he is holding in the image and how you could only get it in Mexico. I forgot what this fruit or vegetables name was, I will have to do some research and figure out what its called. I always seem to usually make the best portraits of strangers when they come up to me and ask for me to make their photograph. They usually see the big camera, the hasselblad in this case and probably think this guy is probably pretty serious or something. I have gotten more and more comfortable in making portraits of strangers and have even gone up to people and asked them if I could make their portrait. Trust and confidence are keys in photographing people whether you know them or not. This is still a work in progress for me, but I have have watched some of the best photographers whether watching a youtube video with Alec Soth, being in a lecture with Dave Jordano, or out photographing with one of my best friends Dan Videtich. I feel all 3 of these photographers have helped me on how to approach photographing strangers and just being more comfortable and confident in situations....

Empty

Your seeing a lot of this these days empty stores. The economy is not so hot, people are losing their jobs, lots of businesses are closing down....What stuck me about making this image was the space both inside and outside and how the two merged . It has an almost dreamlike feel, like I just woke up and can see quite straight seeing things in multiples....

Swap O Rama Continued

Swap O Rama

Its been awhile since I've posted so I've got a whole bunch of images from over the summer to my travels to the various Swap O Rama Flea Markets around the city. Since Maxwell Street has kinda lost its luster and unfortunately people really haven't been going much to for various reasons. So I've found a nice place to make photographs and its not the same as Maxwell Street, but the Swap O Rama Flea markets around the city and burbs have something a bit different to offer. Not as diverse as Maxwell Street, but there is still lots to photograph.....I will certainly be revisiting in the future....

Unwound

Took a walk in a sculpture park today as I've done a few times in the past and have usually walked away with a few good images. The light was great today for B&W nice soft and really diffused. I really like the relationship between the foreground to the background, there is a really nice energy going on between the two. This is a series that hopefully I can keep on developing more in time......

Love

All we need is love right? This one morning I was down at the "New New Maxwell Street" flea market in Chicago a few weeks back. Seeing that white teddy bear wrapped in cellophane with the word "love" stitched on the bottom of its paw just jumped out at me. Its one of those things that when you see and you go, "how can I make an interesting photograph of that?" I made a few different versions, but this one works that best. It gives perspective, those people hanging out talking to each other, the guy with his hand on the woman's shoulder....Yet the bear is just sitting there waiting to be picked up and shown the love that we all need....

Chicago EL

I for some reason like to create chaos in my images and this one is no exception. What drew to me making this image were those crazy abstract magenta shadows that are happening on the train tracks. Everything else seemed to fall into place from all the lines in the building in the background to all the lines and colors going on in the train entrance. It almost feels like some sort of a action movie, the calm chaos before the real action starts happening.....

Imagine

One Sunday about a month or so ago my friend Brendan and I decided to check out a new flea market that we had never been to. This is the Swap-O-Rama flea market in Alsip, IL. I've always been interested in flea markets, Maxwell Street being the one that I've photographed the most. The thing with these markets is you just never know what you are going to discover these places are full of people and stuff and its always a good time no matter if I buy anything or not.....the possibilities are endless photographically......

Red Alert

This image is one of the reasons why color photography is so exciting to me. The combination of light, shadow, and color makes for a very dynamic image. When I saw this image scanned it made me smile, its one of those times that an image came out better than I originally thought it would...

Beer

Fundamentally photography is about light and if you don't have it, you don't have a photograph. One morning a few weeks ago, I had just stepped out of my apartment and this was the first thing that caught my eye. Not so much the mundane subject matter, but that light and how it was dancing though the trees and landing on the subject. The light makes everything just comes to life. Without out this interesting light the image would be rather boring and uninteresting....

Dog World

This is one of those times when I was interested in one thing in the frame and that was that dog on the dashboard. When I made the image I was looking at any of the crazy reflections going on, and now when I look at the image it like wow, there was just so much more going on in the frame than I thought about at the time. That's exciting to me, seeing something after the fact and how it fits into what I was originally looking at...Funny how things just seem to some together that way. All those reflections create this 3D world around this dog almost like a dream in a way....

Driveway

I was going though a bunch of images that I had made within the last few months. I kinda forgot about this image I made while I was in NYC this past February. I remember when I first came I across it thinking how surreal. It certainly does have a surrealist feel to it with a graphic edge which is an interesting dynamic.

Picks

I got these guitar picks from a co worker of mine, her ex-boyfriend was a roadie for the Foo Fighters. I always love collecting little odds and ends of music memorabilia. I thought is was really cool that these picks were personalized with their nicknames on the back, adds a nice little touch. I really like the shallow depth of field when you get to the last pick it almost feels like its vibrating off a string on a guitar....

Flower Girl

This is another image from Serbia that I made last year which I liked, but I didn't like that actual scan of the transparency. It just didn't work for whatever reason. So yesterday I was doing some more Polaroid transfers and decided to try this image, and guess what, it was magic! It works on so many levels, the paper has a slightly warmer tone, and I love the color its as a bit more subdue and the texture of the paper just adds a nice feel...One of my new few Polaroid transfers!

The Stapler

Going back to a bunch of photographs I made earlier this year when I was doing some still life images. I was looking for things around my apartment that would be interesting to photograph. This was my Dad's old stapler that just kinda got past down to me over the years. I'm not sure where he got it, but its certainly very unique. They just don't make things like they used to, this stapler is probably 40 yrs old and still works great! I've always felt its form and design were really interesting, and by photographing its profile really shows it off. Its very elegant, practical, and abstract at the same time which is why its so charming.

Yellow

I've been looking at this space ever since they tore down the building that used to be there, for what reason I have no idea! At one time they were going to develop it to put in another ugly new condo building, didn't happened probably because the developer ran out of money and couldn't get enough idiots to by something that's not even built! On my way home on day after work a few days ago, everything fell into place, light was nice, right angle....that yellow box I have always wondered what was there at one point in time. It must have been covered up by something...The warmth of the light on the buidling with the windows and that plain yellow box they just seem to work off each other.....

Hands and Socks

So I was playing around with my iPhone camera since I let my other cameras at home since it was pouring out this morning. I;ve seen some things on the internet using the iPhone camera....I always forget I have a camera on my phone since I usually have one of my regular cameras with me. So I thought I would experiment a bit, made some observations on my EL ride home. I view this camera kinda like a holga, a sketching tool....Brought the images into photoshop and tweaked them a bit nothing too major...Maybe I'll do some more or at least remember if I don't have one of my other cameras that I have the camera on the iPhone I can use to create....

Woman's Best Friend

I was out on lunch break at work last week, I had just gotten a new lens for my camera and it was a nice day out. Normally I don't like to photograph in the middle of the day since the light a usually kinda hash. One this day it was harsh and defused so it can work. I sat around a little park by Marina City for awhile nothing much happening photographically. So on the way back to the office I walked down State Street when I ran across this lady sitting in the back of her mini van with her dog. It just seemed so random! I got as close as I could to make the image which was about 15 ft from her. She never saw me I don't think. I love how her and her dog are both looking in the same direction which really makes the photograph for me.....

Mother Betty

I made this image a few weeks ago when I was at NIU in Dekalb seeing the photographer Dave Jordano speak. After spending the whole day seeing Dave's work and him talking to the students. Myself, my Professor Larry Gregory, Paul Clark(another professor), and Dave had dinner. Feeling inspired I hit the road on my way back home, I decided to take RT 38 which I really hadn't done when I was in school at NIU. I was losing light pretty fast when I ran across this small roadside Cemetary I had to stop. The sun was sitting kinda low and when I came across this image it was that reddish hue that attracted me. It had a really warm and comforting feeling to me. Its as if the tree and grave were just meant to be together. The fact that grave belongs to a Mother made the image complete. There certainly seems to have holy feeling going on. Things just fell into place rather nicely. I knew that it was a keeper as soon as I saw it.....

William Gary, IN

A few minutes after I photographed Mr. Jackson walking down a sidewalk to ran into William, I think that's what his name was. Anyway he was this huge guy that seemed to take up the whole sidewalk, there was no way around him. He seemed kinda suspicious to what I was doing, but after chatting with him for awhile and a few fist bumps later he let me make his photograph. A really nice guy and this photograph is how I remember him he was looking down at me because he was so tall.....

On an Island

This is the photograph and lead me to photographing Mr. Jackson. I will never forget him saying to me that, "Artists don't photograph garbage cans" It always really interesting to me what I see compared to what someone else sees in a scene. Everyone just has different sensibilities based on there surroundings and experiences.....

J. Jackson Part 2

Here is the second photograph I took of mister Jackson. It certainly has a more intimate feel since I was able to get closer with the Hasselblad which had a lens that was more for portraits. I like both as each has there own qualities that makes them interesting...I will be sending Mr. Jackson prints of these 2 images and hopefully when I go back to Gary I might stop by....

J. Jackson

I rarely do many portraits, even more rare that I do a portrait of a stranger. I was on my way back home from a work assignment in Valparaiso, IN, I decided to stop in Gary, IN because I'd always heard cool things about the place, I mean it is the home of the King of Pop....So I got out and walked around one of the main streets making some images. Long story short, I was out by a side of a building making some images when a guy started yelling at me, I turned around and no one was there. Then I looked up and there was this guy on a phone, asking me why I was making a photograph of a dumpster? Well, the photograph that I made wasn't about the dumpster it had more to do with the color....So I get into a conversation with this guy which eventually leeds me to making a few portraits of him.....It might not be my best portrait, but it one that I really had to talk my way into and I'm most proud of being able just to be able to make the image.

Landscapes

One my way home from a friends house one night as I drove past this truck and I knew I had to turn around and make an image. The whole idea of and landscape truck in a cityscape was appealing to me. It was pretty dark out. So I pull my car in back of this truck, and I knew I needed more light so I turned my headlights back on to illuminate the back of the truck, which worked out perfectly. Landscape + Cityscape = a cool image I think....

Root Beer

I love history, and when I see something like this it makes me feel good to have found it. They could have easily just covered the sign with that siding. Its great that they took the time to cut the siding preserving that sign means something, its one of the rare things you see these days....

Tractor

This one is from on of the last rolls from when I was down south last year. I believe this was in some town which I can't remember the name of that I stopped on my way back to St Louis. I remember there was a small fire behind that fence which was probably pretty typical in that neck of the woods. I love all the green with the red accents is what attracted me to making this image and that smoke in the background adds to it...

Rock Abstract

I dug a little bit deeper in the archive to find this image. Its from a few years ago I think I was on a beach that had a whole bunch of rocks. It really feels like a cave relief sculpture. Love all the subtle colors, textures, and forms that come in and out the the rocks from light to dark. Its probably one of my fav abstracts I've done in awhile...

Christmas Trees

I was walking around a freezing my ass off trying to make some images on a beach in Rogers Park. I found this image to be kinda odd can't say I've ever seen people do something like this before....why?

Tailor Shop

I can't remember when I took this image exactly probably around 2004 in the summer. This was one of the last remaining buildings on the Old Maxwell Street flea market. I won't go into the history of the place lets just say it was around for a very long time. A historic place that UIC decided to buy up all the land and to expand their campus. Whenever I've seen color photos from Maxwell Street back in the day the colors were always just gaudy and taken in bad light. I've alway known Maxwell Street in B&W it just always felt right. On this day I drove by later in the afternoon around 3 or 4pm and I happened to have color film in the camera so I was like hell, why not light was great nice and warm, so I made a few images this one of the the ones I liked. I remember going inside the tailor shop one time and met by these 2 older men that were just so paranoid like the Nazi's were going in to get them and would not let me photograph at all. The guy sitting in front of the building was there if I remember correctly was to take care and feed some cats there were living there. I don't think he was living there at the time maybe he was, but all those 2 buidlings were really close to being demolished. These homeless guys would back into these places just for a place to sleep. This area if you go there now does not look anything close to what it used to be and its a shame really. History down the tubes at least we have the photographs......

Reds, Clarksdale, MS

I remember the first time I drove past this place, it was in the evening when I first pulled into town. I was you have got to be kidding me! This was an almost, wait is was surreal scene! They sure love their BBQ and smokers, I saw a lot of these types of things in front of restaurants, clubs, by houses....

Wabash Ave.

After work one day over the summer I was walking Wabash ave toward Wacker Dr.. I'm not sure what stuck me about this image when I saw it. I think it was just a different perspective on the street maybe in life. There is a sense of rythm to the street that just moves you in the frame. I like how the building and the curved edges meet to make the image cohesive and solid I've walked in this area a bunch of times the great thing is everyday everytime your eye is going to find something new whether or not you make of photograph of it doesn't matter. What matters is that your always looking at the world around you and you never know where that next image will come from. In this case case the image came from up above.

Delphin

I drive by this grade school all the time usually on my way to my folks place. The school has these cool bubble like windows. This one window where has always interested me every time I pass by. I've photographed it once before, it was an ok image and since I've always every time I pass by am thinking on how to make a better image. Well, I figured it out, one: get even closer, two: use a slightly wider angle lens, three use a square format camera holga worked out perfectly in this case. I love the natural fisheye kind of lens effect that is created by coming in closer. This image has an interesting layered depth I really like. It kinda has this worldly feeling going on....

Plaid

I made this image one my way to the train over the summer. Everything just seemed to line up, love the colors and that warm morning light really does it for me......I guess plaid is back again well at least for this image,

Window

This image is from a roll of film that has been sitting around since the early summer last year just waiting to be developed. Its one of those images when I saw it I really liked it, but wasn't sure why....I love those silvery mid tones they are just so rich! There is kinda of ghostly feeling I kinda get when looking at this image. That white swirl or I'm not sure what to call it, but it just floats there in a soft seductive way...

Deadwood

This was one of the first images I took while in Clarksdale, MS in October. I remember it was a cloudy kinda and a misty rain with really diffused lighting. The blue just jumped out at me with all the different lines and textures....The more I looked at image the more I saw a transparent quality between the lighter areas contrasting with the darker areas forming an interesting dynamic.....

Pond

While on a bike ride in a forest preserve over the summer this scene really caught my eye. I love how the light is hovering over the image, which adds an a very atmospheric warmth. It has a semi abstractness going from reality to abstract in different parts of the image helps create even more interest. The variety of green hues really adds a certain depth that makes you keep looking. It feels very much like a Monet painting....

Upstairs

Walking around downtown St. Louis in the early afternoon, it had been raining all morning on my drive there from Chicago. When I saw this image it jumped right out at me, the light, the abstractness, the form, and the tone it was all there. It kinda reminds me of a Cubist painting in a way.... This was one of those moments when I could almost see the final image in my head before I took the photograph, and that's what is on the negative.....

Robinson's Chapel

This image is from my road trip down to Mississippi last Oct. It came off out of the last rolls of film I just recently processed from the Holga camera. Its a double exposure I did in the camera can't remember where the trees were probably not too far from the chapel. This chapel was at the end of a dirt road couldn't tell you want town it was in. I really glad the double exposure worked the few times I've tried them they never came out the way I would like, but this out came out perfectly. I also found it interesting that there were these head stones around the front of the chapel probably the first time I've ever seen that before that's for sure. Anyway this image is a keeper.....

American Family

Over 4th of July weekend this past year I was at my folks weekend home in Buchanan Michigan. I came across this image while walking around downtown Buchanan. I just found it interesting that someone would have this old family photo in a store front. I love history and this really speaks it to me....

Candles

I've had these candles sitting around in my apartment and have for along time wanted to photograph them. The reason probably way I hadn't photographed them before was I didn't know really how to approach doing it. Well, I figured it out ....I really dig the tone, color, and daylight is the best light!