San Diego

I just finished shooting an annual report for the McCormick Foundation, based in Chicago. Two grant recipients happened to be in the San Diego area, and I was willing to go there. Yes I was. Sheryl Oring created an interesting project called "I Wish to Say", which involved setting herself up in public spaces with a typewriter and offering people the opportunity to send a message, via typewritten postcard to the president of the United States, who, in 2008, was our beloved GW. A wonderful collection of insights from the populace. I'm showing an outtake here. While I like to shoot strong location portraits, I also like to experiment with multiple-image compositions like this one. Nick Schuler is a battalion chief with the San Diego County Fire Authority. Our shoot was interrupted by a traffic incident in which a driver had a diabetic event while driving and went off the expressway into a ravine, rolling over a few times, and ended up walking away from the wreck, all airbags deployed.

Good Fortune

This is a great profession, did I mention that? I recently photographed (again) world-class harpist Yolanda Kondonassis when she was in town to play with the Elgin Symphony Orchestra and to stop in at harp manufacturer Lyon & Healy in Chicago. Yolanda and I have developed a great creative relationship regarding her images. I get the bonus of hearing her play. And the added bonus of working with her husband, Michael Sachs, of the Cleveland Orchestra. 

Another great experience was to work with Nichole Manning, Director of Game Operations for the Chicago White Sox. Yes, that is the World Series Champion ring on her finger. This assignment was for a publication of Nichole's alma mater, The College of William and Mary. This was one of those assignments that doesn't have a significant budget, but has plenty of non-monetary benefits. It was fun to roam around US Cellular Field with Nichole, who was extremely generous with her time and an enthusiastic partner in the creative process. Another bonus? The low budget dictated "hiring" my 14-year-old son, Ellis, a serious sports fan, to assist.  All good.

Where was I?

Oh yes. It was cold. And it still is. But enough of that. Literally. Jumping in to the goldmine of cliches, I shot for Manitowoc Company's Annual Report at their state of the art kitchen in Tampa, Florida. Yes, there was more than one chef in the kitchen. And yes, I withstood the heat and remained in the kitchen. Lesson learned: be nice to your chef - for they carry dangerous weapons.

Cold?

Me too. Oy. Chicago. Very tough town for winters. And for citizens' endurance of their elected leaders. Plenty of other blogs to cover that topic! So, it's cold. It serves no purpose that I can fathom, but, in the words of our national leader,"so what?". Stop me. No more politics. Personally, I have lost faith in the system, (did someone say "duh??"), so let's talk about winter. There is something nice about the quiet, when the wind isn't ripping your face off, the sky is clear, the stars are out, you wonder about the Native Americans in their time. This channel near where I live was creaking and cracking one cold night when I was walking the pup. Speaking of the pup, he is digging it. Almost as good as the dog beach in the summer, but, uh, perhaps not quite. I hope anyone who is reading this has a good new year. It's sad that so many of us suffer the consequences of an illusory economy. Hang in! I'm hoping the shake out will produce a sliver of civic consciousness that miraculously alters the ways of human beings, and a sense of the common good emerges in our policies and plans. but then, I have always been a naive optimist. Cheers!

Goodbye Summer Hello Fall

I will take Fall. I am not ready for Winter. Quick post, then back to work. Just came off of a job in northern Wisconsin for CDW. A six-hour drive each way from Chicago. As usual, I had fun and was challenged by the assignment. A lot of institutional IT products live in closets. Fortunately the story goes beyond just the hardware, enabling me and the subject to get out and breathe a little. It's always fun shooting in a school. The trip produced some nice bonuses. Accidently discovering the Fred Smith Concrete Park in Phillips, Wisconsin, was a real treat. Driving on remote highways out in the country works for me also. I lose time by pulling off the road to shoot, but it's too painful to not stop. So, I stuck my face in some richly-colored leafless bushes to shoot the amazing world of macro/shallow-depth botanical details, which I could do forever. Soon after, I had to document the insanely dense grove of small trees. Crazy and hypnotic. ciao.

Sweet Summer

It has been a really nice summer. My family adopted a dog. And the dog, Aaron, hit the jackpot. We live near a great dog beach, so, the pup has gotten to run free and socialize all summer. Great therapy for us, too.
I got to shoot a really nice campaign for BDO Seidman. A rare in-house, employee-based, poster campaign. I had great subjects in great locations, due to the personalized aspect of the campaign. We shot in Chicago, NYC, Orange County and Portland, Oregon, much to my delight. Here are a few of the shots, including the wonderful Multnomah Falls, and me showing my fashion sensibilities while instructing Cindy how I wanted her to cast.

Mr. Quarterly

You know, time sure flies when you check on your own blog. Who wants to hear me blab everyday anyway? So, getting right to it, yes, there has been more photo phun added to the image universe. Like, a nice trip to Southern California for a company that makes spine repair hardware. For me it was tailor-made: lifestyle shots, product shots, cool manufaturing shots, art shots and excellent downtime shooting like the father teaching his son to surf. Prior to that job, I worked with a wonderful TV spokeperson, Danielle Hirsch, who demo'ed some cool USG textured-wall products. Danielle was a pleasantly grounded human being. In SoCal, I can highly recommend Leucadia Donuts and the Hideaway Cafe - both gem finds.