the photography:
here are 5 B&W photos of what i have come to call a tree nosher. it’s actually a machine known as a logging skid. this one is pretty beat up. ahhhh. can’t you just smell the northeast kingdom of vermont? the problem with black and white on a super sunny day is that the green grass and the blue sky are almost the same amount of neutral gray. also, the harsh overhead light creates bad harsh underbody shadows. oh well. this thing was cool.

the music:
this might just be a swearing at motorists marathon. you all should support your local heroes. dayton has the motorists. what does your town have?

the photography:
spending five days in the state of my youth reminds me of how much i HATED where i grew up when i was a kid and inversely just how much i LOVE it as an adult. visiting family and friends is always good for the soul and this past weekend was no exception. as i wrote earlier, my nephews are ridiculous. here’s some photos from wandering the place. a motorcycle, a house, some trees, great bubbly, lobsters, and a privy. my feet felt like they were up all weekend long.

the music:
swearing at motorists are one of the great unsung midwest indie rock heroes. their biting wit and dead-on lyrics cut even the most staunch listener to the core and they make random stories about small city living relevant to anyone. it’s fantastic lyrics mixed with lo-fi DIY production that sounds miles better than it should. these guys should be touted as the “best little band with song writing that people have never heard”. this song could have ended up on a modest mouse rarities record. the touching line for me (sorry about the curse words in advance): “you shut the fuck up, and you calm the fuck down.” he means it.

the photography:
hanging out this weekend in vermont couldn’t be any sweeter. my twin nephews are here as are my brother and sister-in-law. it’s a good old down home family get-together. we spent the day running around burlington. amazingly we ran into friends from high school, friends from college, and one random friend from chicago who just happened to be rolling around downtown. spending time at my parents house means lots of lounging on the rug in the living room, lots of watching/talking hockey, lots of talking about kids i went to high school with, and much chewing of the fat. it’s pretty awesome. photos are of the boys. they are damn cute. the first one is titled “shit patrol”. the rest are untitled.

the music:
the beach boys remind me of sitting in my parents living room listening to my dad’s vast collection of vinyl records. we had all of the hits of the 50′s, 0′s, and early 70′s and i would spin them left and right and make my mom dance with me. it was an awesome time. besides tim hardin and bob dylan, the beach boys were number 1.

the photography:

Portrait #19 is theresa

to break out of my shell for the middle third of these 50 portraits i have decided to meet and shoot some local chicago web celebs. first on my list? the owner, operator, and sole proprietor of The Local Tourist website (go check it out with the link provided, you’ll love it!), theresa. the site is a great way to explore chicago from where to eat to site seeing to venues. an awesome website run by an awesome person. i met theresa about 2 months ago while working with my wife at a meeting of the tweeters (tweet-up) and i realized early that theresa has one of those personalities that you don’t forget easily, especially when paired with her curly red hair. shooting photos in the early evening is fantastic so matching up the orange glow of the sun with the orange glow of her hair was perfect. also, talking and walking through your portraitee’s favorite park/stomping grounds for an hour or so is a great way to capture said portraitee’s personality. so go check out her site. you’ll be glad you did. thanks theresa for chewing the fat. viva la Local Tourist. also, i am just a sucker for some natural lens flair. take that photoshop!

the music:
i woke up this morning and i took the dog to the dog sitter and i drove down western avenue (one of, if not THE, longest streets in chicago) and all i could do was hum this song. i love the cars. i love love love the cars. this song (which is occasionally mistaken to be titled “I like the night life baby”) appears on a great album that features of the greatest album covers of all time. LINK. and lots of people forget about ben orr. rip mr. orr, your voice and songs will be missed.