September 8: Milwaukee Avenue Alley

Gapers Block Story + Photoessay

Gapers Block, an excellent on-line source for all things Chicago, has published a story and photoessay of mine documenting a day in the life of Barry "Can Man" Woodson.

Click here to read the story

Click here to view the photoessay

September 4: Leland Avenue

September 3: Logan Boulevard

August 25: Merchandise Mart Stop

August 24: Montrose Avenue

August 23: Congress Parkway

Taken on the set of "Mosul, Illinois," a movie I wrote and directed. This was the final weekend of shooting. Pictured are lead actor Hannah Phelps and cinematographer Chad Cooper. During the past six weeks, I was blessed to work with a dynamic and hard-working group of collaborators on both sides of the camera. Before the final cut is sent out to festivals, we are planning screenings of the movie in Chicago and Fort Wayne later this fall. Stay tuned for more information.

August 21: Fullerton Avenue Alley

August 20: Brown Line

Thanks to the Chicagoist

Thanks (again) to the Chicagoist for publishing my photo from a Wabash Avenue alley. 

And special thanks to the bird for staying still, the sun for shining, and the CNA building for being red.

August 19: Congress Parkway

August 18: Fullerton Avenue

Hey! What the hell's wrong with West Virginia?

August 16: Diversey Parkway

August 15: Millennium Park

August 14: Wolcott Avenue

August 13: Kedzie Avenue Alley

Thanks to the Chicagoist

Thanks to the Chicagoist for showing me and my Clark Street photo a little love this morning. They have posted a series of recent "round" photos from Chicago photographers. Check 'em out: there are some pretty cool images.

August 12: Western Avenue Brown Line Stop

August 10: Clark Street

August 9: Fullerton Avenue Alley

August 8: Addison Street

August 6: Addison Street

August 5: Milwaukee Avenue

Chicago photo #175 for this blog in 2008!!!

(With many more to come...)

August 3: Humboldt Park

August 2: Dan Ryan Woods

Yes, these photos are from Chicago. I took a two-hour hike through the Dan Ryan Woods on the city's far south side between 83rd & 87th Streets. It was remarkable to spend two hours alone in the city (especially while being surrounded by trees).

July 30: Hubbard Street

Thanks to the Chicagoist

Thanks to the folks at Chicagoist for using a photo of mine from last week. (I had no idea there is a hallucinogenic drug called "businessman's lunch".)

July 29: Western Avenue

July 28: Diversey Parkway

As well as I can figure, this man is either going to or coming from a supermarket. Screw that little milk crate I've got on the back of my bike; this is the way to shop in style!

July 25: Addison Street

July 24: Lawrence Avenue

July 23: Lake Street Alley

Thanks to the Huffington Post

Thanks to Jason Linkins at the Huffington Post for using my "Michigan Avenue 20" photo for his blog. Click here to read Jason's humorous take on the gentleman in my photo. (My favorite comment on the blog is: "This is a picture of the Republican base.")

July 22: Addison Street

July 21: Fullerton Avenue

July 17: Pearson Street

July 16: Washington Street

July 15: Michigan Avenue

The back reads: "Obama is simply a creation of our Russian-infested media & rigged polls!!! He has no prior accomplishments that would qualify him for the most important job on earth!!!"

The front reads: "Russian Communists have been involved in the deaths of 2-3 million since 1978!!! In Afghanistan, alone, they killed 1.4-1.5 million (447 per day, on average)!!! In the two Chechnyan wars, 130,000 have died!!! Arm yourselves!!!"

July 14: Millennium Park

Thanks to Gapers Block

You can check out my photo of the Fullerton Avenue El Stop 

on today's front page of Gapers Block. Thanks, guys!

July 13: Wilson Avenue

July 12: Lincoln Avenue

July 11: 18th Street

These photos are from a night out in Pilsen following the 

Chicago Arts District 2nd Friday Gallery Night.

July 10: Rockwell Street Alley

July 9: Armitage Avenue

July 8: Montrose Avenue

July 7: Irving Park Road

The Irving Park Diner still hoppin' on a Monday night around 1am.

July 2: Wacker Drive

July 1: Sacramento Avenue

June 30: Montrose Beach

June 29: Elston Avenue

June 28: Fullerton Avenue

These photos were taken on my mile-and-a-half walk home from Facets Cinematheque. (I had seen the late screening of Milos Forman's Loves of a Blonde.)

June 27: Clybourn Avenue

June 21: Lake Shore Drive

On the road home to Indiana...

June 20: Brown Line

June 19: John Hancock Tower

June 18: Ohio Street

June 17: Western Avenue

Thanks to Gapers Block & Apartment Therapy San Francisco!

CLICK HERE to go to Gapers Block

CLICK HERE to go to Art Therapy San Francisco

June 16: California Avenue

Urban Tanka #1

I have had a few persistent friends encourage me to incorporate more writing into this blog. I've resisted doing so because my writing and my photography are different animals. That said, however, I have started work on a series of poems I am calling "urban tanka". These are poems I compose while I am out in the city each day. They are based on a 31-syllable structure of 5-7-5-7-7, a poetic form long revered in Japan. 

Here are a couple of examples of my "urban tanka". If it's okay with you, I'll post a few every week or so.

he's coming towards me

white man calls old man "white boy"

crazy, drinking eyes

swaying, bleary, to battle

"not on your best day, hear me?!"

Full'ton at Western

large man on small violin

"hey, hey, do you play?"

Polish gypsies from Dublin

Dragon's Milk is the special

coffee in blue mug

Marlboro red, red chapped lips

deception of sun

your broken promise of spring

blue mug of coffee, now cold

June 15: Leland Avenue Alley

June 14: Sunnyside Avenue

June 13: Purple Line

June 12: Clark Street Alley

June 11: Broadway

June 10: Lake Street

June 9: Fullerton Avenue Alley

June 8: Printers Row Book Fair

June 7: Seeley Avenue

June 6: Clark Street

June 4: LaSalle Street

June 3: Humboldt Park

June 2: Damen Avenue

May 30: Welles Park

May 29: Dearborn Street

May 28: Randolph Street

May 27: St. Boniface Catholic Cemetery

May 26: Kedzie Street Alley

May 25: Hubbard Street Alley

May 23: Altgeld Street

May 22: Cherry Avenue

May 21: Foster Avenue

May 20: Illinois Street

CLICK HERE to buy a print of this photo!

May 19: Milwaukee Avenue

May 18: Ashland Avenue

May 17: Lincoln Park Conservatory

May 16: State Street

May 15: Cicero Avenue

May 14: Andersonville

I was in Andersonville yesterday afternoon to take some photos and check in on the folks at The Coffee Studio. This fantastic coffee bar is owned by two Chicago designers and is hosting its first art show, Bike Love: A Graphic Celebration of the Bicycle. I'm lucky enough to have two photos included in this show. Please join me Friday night, May 16, from 6:30 - 9:30pm at the Coffee Studio for a celebration of the show and of Andersonville's Bike Week. I'll be getting there around 8pm, in case you would like to avoid me completely. Cheers!

May 8 - 13: Indiana

I spent a long weekend back home in Indiana. My childhood home will soon be sold, so I have been documenting the house and its surrounding landscape and detritus whenever I am there. It was also nice to catch up with my mom, sisters, and nieces. It was well worth the 180 mile drive just to witness my 8 year-old niece teach my 4 year-old niece how to make fart noises with her armpit. We are a sophisticated family, surely.

May 7: Ashland Avenue

Thanks to Chicago Public Radio

Many thanks to the folks at Chicago Public Radio for featuring my photo, Halsted Street 22, on their home page today. As always, I'm very appreciative to have a picture of mine noticed like this. Visit the CPR site today to check out the photo!

May 6: Graceland Cemetary

May 5: 33rd Place

Nothin' like a little afternoon delight...

May 4: Fullerton Avenue

SQUARE FORMAT SUNDAY #2: Things Are Lookin' Up

When I teach kids about street photography, I tell them that when in doubt, look up. And when severely in doubt, lie down and look up. Well, I have found myself in doubt this week. My photographic eye had grown stale and unadventurous. Therefore, I gave it a couple of days' rest. Today, I went back out with a plan to "look up" and take no photos that were at eye level or below. It helped to refresh my eye, no doubt.

May 1: Montrose Brown Line Stop

April 30: Wells Street

April 29: State Street

April 28: Neighborhood Alleys

Unfortunately, I have been battling a bout of food poisoning for the past 36 hours or so (hence, no photo from yesterday). I woke up this morning, though, and determined that the best course of action would be to roam the neighboring alleys scavenging for charismatic trash to photograph in the pouring rain. I have a profound love for Chicago's alleys; they have always represented for me a kind of urban Misfit Island. (And yes, I adopt my share of these orphans.)

I must say, though, that there is nothing better to raise one's food-poisoned spirits than an abandoned shopping cart full of feathers.