©2010 Chicago Tribune/Alex Garcia
“So are you feeling spiritual this morning?” was the question I was lightheartedly asked after transmitting these pictures yesterday. At first I didn’t realize what the editors were talking about. In search of morning fog pictures, I had stopped at the intersections of Balbo and Columbus after being dazzled by light rays from a building through the fog. Have you seen this type of phenomenon before? I hadn’t. By the time I got there on foot, the wind had carried away the fog and my photo with it. So I turned around, saw the statue at left, and thought – well, at least it’s something. Then I saw some of the dazzling reflections again on the building at right. I ran towards it and photographed the light rays before transmitting from my camera using our mobile technology. I was so focused on the unusual light, I didn’t even realize the overall image. When I later saw the cross I found it amusing and a little embarrassing that although I’m a photographer and churchgoer, others saw it before I did.
©2010 Chicago Tribune/Alex Garcia
T Bone Burnett won his first Oscar last night, for Best Original Song from”Crazy Heart”. Walking onstage, the gentlemanly Burnett was wearing his familiar sunglasses and signature dark suit. His dark outfit made for an interesting image in the alley of the Vic Theater in Chicago when I was assigned to take his portrait on one of his visits. I was grateful for the light in the alley that day. It was one of those moments when the sun was out, and the light was skimming the surface of the bricks. You hope your subject is available before the light changes, or clouds move in. The lighting seemed appropriate. At the time, he was coming out with his first album in 14 years, so I offered the theme of “emerging from shadows” back at the office. Even with a portrait, you try to tell a story.
©2010 Chicago Tribune/Alex Garcia
Who knew that a Whole Foods grocery bag could function as a sled? I was with my kids when we passed by a snowhill that triggered the phenomenon known as “scream-at-Dad-until-he-caves”. We didn’t have a sled in the van, so I went hunting for a cardboard box. Of course, you can never find a floppy cardboard box when you really need one, so I looked at the bags in our cargo area and thought “hmmm..” The experience of all of us happily walking up a snowhill with grocery bags was priceless. My kids were too young to care what people thought, and I enjoyed the free ride.
©2010 Chicago Tribune/Alex Garcia
I was a vulture today. At least that was the term used by a police officer. He and I were both watching a group of television cameramen and reporters surround a couple as they left the scene of a triple murder in the suburbs. I wasn’t a part of the group, although I easily could have been. I had been photographing people’s reactions, such as the man above in what was a very heartbreaking scene. Even though I was out there with everyone else, waiting to find whatever tidbit of information we could find, I didn’t see a picture in that one mob so stepped away. So the officer muttered “…vultures..”, and truth be told, I saw it too. At face value, either in movies or in real life, it is ugly. And I struggle with it. There is another side, of course. If there were no photos to show the emotion of a scene, news such as this would have less capacity to arouse the body politic to action, and to ask countless questions that urgently matter, such as, is the killer on the loose? Was the home invasion random or part of a pattern? Is the community safe? Emotional pictures are like an alarm bell to pay-attention-to-this-one. They encourage connection, empathy, concern, and hopefully action. Having said that, there is such a thing as too much. Both in process and result. Invasive. Gratuitous. Insensitive. I’m sure there are countless stories of this, and I won’t seek to defend them. I’m not alone in trying to balance the need to get information out quickly, with the need to respect someone’s emotional space in a public setting. My television colleagues have pressures that I don’t fully appreciate, but those I respect also struggle with it. Perhaps I should take the advice of a different police officer who said later, “you’re just doing your job.” In the end, this post is not meant to be a confession, a defense, or an appeal for absolution. It’s just a statement of fact. I felt like a vulture today. And I’ll never get used to it.
©2010 Chicago Tribune/Alex Garcia
The wheel turns at Navy Pier a recent morning, and a new month of assignments brings new highs and lows in the life of our city. I was asked a fairly frequent question on Friday, “So what is your typical day like?” As viewers of this blog know, every day is atypical. I’m on a day shift which means that I get whatever happens during that period of time. I usually find out that morning, with many changes during the day. Think of photo assignments as airplanes needing air traffic control. If you look at assignments on radar, the flight path of one photojournalist from another could be completely different owing to the time of day and other circumstances. If I’m a night guy working weekends, it means I’m shooting a lot of sports. When I worked in Southern California, I would be out at photographing Rams or Raiders game every weekend. I even shot NFC Championships and a Superbowl. But as a Chicago photographer, I haven’t shot a single Bears or Bulls game in 10 years (OK with me, BTW). So in addition to time of day, the size of paper makes a difference. If I worked at a smaller paper, I might be shooting a feature picture story of an interesting character in the community on a regular basis. At a larger paper, that character might become a portrait to occupy the lead in a sweeping piece about interesting characters in a region. Each approach has its strengths, but it will color a photojournalist’s portfolio. As a result, the work of a photojournalist and his newspaper is symbiotic. Below is a short sampling of my photo assignments from the past month. Since moving to an earlier morning shift, I found there tends to be more overnight crime than at other points in my career.
(I don’t describe those that haven’t been published yet or which are multiple day assignments. Many assignments, in which I check on a police report, don’t get listed either).
A popular restaurant that burned down overnight.
People whose health insurance was mistakenly dropped.
Cubs pack up for spring training.
A candidate for Cook County Board President casts her vote.
A memorial after a fatal car crash.
A wind farm.
Lawyers at a press conference about medical malpractice.
Interviews of Republican candidates for governor.
CTA bus stops in the wake of budget cuts.
Lawyers at a press conference about a medical malpractice court ruling.
Heavy snowfall.
A gubernatorial candidate thanks voters at a train station.
A street corner of a proposed high tower in suburbs.
A body found in an alley.
The Auto Show.
A mob of media surrounding a convicted town mayor released from prison.
A CHA building being demolished.
Freight trains stalled in suburbs, blocking intersections.
An executive director of a battered women’s shelter.
An early morning shooting at Northern Illinois University.
A police officer killed in an accident.
A single father brings his kids to a preschool.
High schoolers playing rugby.
A warehouse of printing presses.
A food pantry for the needy.
Family of teenager shot and killed.
A state official at a church event.
Commuters struggling with weather.
Freeway accident involving a state vehicle.
Behind the scenes at a Chicago Police Department facility.
©2010 Chicago Tribune/Alex Garcia
Members of a high school academy rugby team mix it up during a scrimmage at Garfield Park on an early morning before school. I came upon it while driving around for features. The scene had all the makings of the kind of crazy-rough-ball-chasing-crazy-blizzard pictures that one hopes for in a sports picture, so I was delighted when it started and a little bummed when the scrimmage itself ended after about five-ten minutes. But after an hour of drills, the kids were fuh-fuh-fuh-reeeeezing, so I was glad to see they would be getting some warm relief – even though it was to the expense of more dramatic snow pictures…
©2010 Chicago Tribune/Alex Garcia
A commuter walks among the 9-foot tall cast iron legs of “Agora” a public art installation at Michigan Avenue and Roosevelt Roads. I’ve seen this several times, but didn’t see a time in which a photo could work really well. I passed by it this morning and for the first time saw that commuters had forged a path between the legs. Shooting at eye level would have been a bit pedestrian, so I laid down in snow when I saw a commuter coming around the bend. People are such good sports. I got up covered in snow and asked for her name for the paper. I’m sure I was quite the sight, but it never ceases to amaze me how little I have to explain before complete strangers tell me what their name is and what they’re up to. In this case, maybe there was some sympathy for the photographer at work…
©2010 Chicago Tribune/Alex Garcia
A door from the patrol car driven by Chicago Police Officer Alan Haymaker rests on the side of Lake Shore Drive after his vehicle slammed into the side of a tree. Haymaker did not survive the crash, which occurred while he was enroute to a burglary. The exact cause of the crash is being investigated, but icy weather contributed to it. The Tribune had a full story about him on its breaking news website. After photographing the accident, I accompanied the reporter who interviewed the officer’s pastor at his northwest side church. The picture of Haymaker that emerged from that interview and others was both humbling and inspiring – of someone who served the needs of those around him, as an officer, friend, neighbor, and father – at sometimes great risk, but always as a reflection of his Christian faith. I had just been talking with my wife about how much our society is owed by people who live and serve others in quiet, unassuming ways. This morning I heard one such description and it gave me pause. That seemed to be Haymaker’s mission and heart.
©2010 Chicago Tribune/Alex Garcia
Naperville skater Evan Lysacek appeared here previously in a collection of other portraits of Olympic hopefuls, but I didn’t make any comment about his photo. Now that he rocked the Olympics by being the first U.S. man to win a gold medal in skating since 1988, I thought I’d post some specifics. In that post, I described some technical details on how the photos were supposed to look, but the look he was creating was one of focused intensity. I’m not exaggerating or lassoing a star when I say that of the seventy-some athletes I shot during those three days, Lysacek was the one whose intensity stood out. I was actually a bit startled by it. Maybe it was his eyebrows and tightly clenched jaw, or his dark eyes and quite demeanor – or all of that. As you look at his photo, especially the one at left, remember that he’s facing me and a crazy crowd of activity behind me – photographers, agents, athletes, etc.. all bumping into each other and creating a raucous roar. Some athletes handled that by being funny or irreverent. Some appeared a bit tired or distracted. Lysacek stood in and quickly stared at me with such concentration, I knew he was focusing more on the picture than I was.
©2010 Chicago Tribune/Alex Garcia
Every so often the museums offer free days, weeks, etc.. for visitors. This week is one such week for the Shedd. Of course, if you want to have a personal encounter with the Belugas in the “Beluga Encounter Habitat” it will set you back a couple hundred dollars, which is why I offer this up-and-close shot to you during a press visit to the Oceanarium. “Assignment Chicago” – saving you money since 2009….:-)
©2010 Chicago Tribune/Alex Garcia
Just another day at the Auto Show at McCormick Place…
You can see more photos here.
©2010 Chicago Tribune/Alex Garcia
A view of the ongoing demolition of Cabrini-Green buildings in Chicago. However bad the crime was in some public housing – and it was quite bad according to photographers here at the Trib many years ago – it is still a gut-wrenching site to see homes torn down. The painted apartment walls in the buildings hint at the pride that some of the residents took in their dwellings. Over the last decade I’ve been to Cabrini on assignment several times, and althought I’ve had run-ins with gang members, I was struck by the communitarian ethos among some of the residents struggling to raise their kids properly and to live a normal life. At one point I was standing with a group of moms with painter’s pants, brushes and caps, painting their lobby a bright red color. On the other side of the lobby were young, able-bodied kids with bandannas over their faces, running around in a pack, as if they were trying to avoid getting caught. It was fairly evident in that moment that no matter of paint could rescue a building crumbling from within.
©2010 Alex Garcia
Snow sculptures of various cultural figures and figments of imagination dotted the side of the road along South Michigan Avenue, compelling me to grab the kids for a visit. Among others, there was a dancing elephant, a mohawked-figure, a grandfather clock and what appeared to be an exuberant Oprah. I was off the clock, but that creative need to make photographs keeps right on going, even at a family outing. (Fodder for another conversation….) It didn’t take long for an image to happen – a woman saw this sculpture of a seeming religious figure and dropped to her knees. She was having fun, but was she also sincere? Not sure. As a photographer having fun that day, I can indulge the luxury of mystery. (BLOG UPDATE. My friend Margaret talked to the creator of this sculpture. It’s of a Chinese opera star – not a deity. Too funny!)
©2010 Chicago Tribune/Alex Garcia
Legendary Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka made an appearance in a Boost mobile ad during yesterday’s Super Bowl, in which his (one-time) New Orleans Saints went marching out with a victory. 25 years after he led the Chicago Bears to a raucous Superbowl win, Da Coach still is the man for many Bears fans. My one portrait of him was not made in a studio with an art director, agents, and assistants scurrying around serving everyone’s needs over a sumptuous buffet, with 3-4 setups ready to go. As with most newspaper portraits, this shoot was no-frills – it lasted about 45 seconds in the corner of his steakhouse right after an interview. I had two direct flashes pointed directly at him from both sides – why would you put a softbox on a gritty character like Ditka? A few frames, and then he had to go. Of the many quickie portraits I’ve made of famous people, this one worked out better than most.
©2010 Chicago Tribune/Alex Garcia
After a recent early morning blaze on Chicago’s west side, firefighters wore headlamps to find their way during an investigation of a burned-out building. Their bluish lights moved this way and that in the darkness, so there was a co-mingling of light and shadow that kept my interest. There wasn’t much to shoot so I felt free to photograph more creatively. The strong amber light from the streetlamps were more interesting left warm than color balanced. If you’ve ever lit these situations with direct flash, you’ll know what I mean when I say the results can be just awful-looking if you shoot it straight. I composed, focused and hoped for the silhouette which finally came amidst the mysterious exchanges between the investigators.
©2009 Chicago Tribune/Alex Garcia
It’s rare to get rooftop access for a fire, especially for one that overlooks a restaurant whose destruction had created such buzz in the city. The Costa’s Restaurant in Greektown was a beloved place for many. You know there were many memories contained within the walls of the restaurant, all punctuated with the flaming cheese exclamation “O-pa!” But a midnight fire in the kitchen put an end to any future joy when it didn’t stop burning for hours (no one was hurt). I arrived in the early morning and shortly after saw this rooftop as a possible vantage point. A security guard for the building pointedly refused access when I asked for it, but when I saw a resident walking her “yip-yip” dog I asked to tag-along upstairs as her visitor. Even with the roof access, I was still shooting this with my arms extended to shoot out over the overhang. We were up on the roof for maybe a minute or so before the security guard came up and said the owner wanted us to leave. By that point, my host and I got what we were looking for.
Welcome to my 100th post! Thank you for reading past that exclamation point, and a hearty thank you to all of the blog readers and Facebook fans who have been encouraging throughout the past six months. Your words and support have really helped me keep this journal alive.
So if you haven’t joined us on the Assignment Chicago Facebook Page, please do. It’s a handy way to keep updated on things and to comment on photos.
If you are already a Fan, can I ask that you suggest this page to your friends? It just takes a moment. You can do so from the Facebook page, in the column at left. Chicagophiles, photophiles, cityphiles – all are welcome!
To commemorate this moment, and to keep it interesting, I’ve compiled a list of unfiltered observations, lessons, tips, secrets, etc. from each of the 100 pictures posted here on this site. It’s for all those who are aspiring photographers, or are interested in the process of photography and photojournalism. They’re also reminders to myself. They’re listed in the same sequence as the images from which they are inspired, which is why it reads like a stream of consciousness. So…for what it’s worth…let’s get going…..
100 Tips for 100 Photos
1) Some of the best moments I’ve seen as a photographer happen on the way to other moments.
2) Don’t let the frustration of bad light keep from transforming a moment with your own.
3) Low angle + underexposed sky + off-camera light = dramatic portrait
4) A good percentage of my best photos were taken holding the camera with an outstretched arm.
5) Color balancing every scene takes the color and interest out of ambient light.
6) Pictures are like paintings. It start with the background canvas.
7) Creative collages – a la David Hockney – can tell the story better.
8) There is such a thing as boring photos taken from a helicopter. I have a ton.
9) Interesting celebrity portraits often depend on the willing interest of the celebrity.
10) Ambient light = content.
11) Even in a rapidly moving event with crowds of people, small details can tell the full story.
12) When the reality of a scene will be obvious to a viewer from any angle, go for surreality.
13) If someone doesn’t ask why you’re taking photos, you generally don’t need to give them a because.
14) To give people a sense of being there, it’s best to be knee deep in it.
15) Photographs can lie. It’s too true.
16) The decisive moment can’t always be tack sharp. But don’t expect an editor to agree.
17) Sometimes all you get is a few minutes. And you might know that going in.
18) Access, access, access…and mission. An essential part of what makes for a great photograph.
19) It’s hard to get to a news event in a big city before emergency personnel do. Good thing.
20) Don’t avoid low-percentage shooting situations. They yield the question “How’d you get that?”
21) The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle is true with photos – it’s uncertain whether your camera altered the equation.
22) Don’t stop once you get a cool looking photo. Sometimes your cup will runneth over.
23) Some of the most interesting portraits are when you can’t see anyone’s face.
24) Always keep ear plugs in your photo bag. Keep an additional new set for the friend you will make with them.
25) An underwater housing has many interesting above-water applications.
26) Carry a compass. I would have saved Door County the cost of several rescue personnel had one been in my bag.
27) I hate to admit but the early bird often gets the worm. I’m typically a night owl.
28) Avoid complacency like the plague.
29) Whether it be manipulated electrons of a flash, or sunlit particles of the sun, God powers the batteries.
30) The secret of getting photos others don’t is knowing the exact place and time when it all comes together.
31) A bicycle amplifies one’s seeing by reducing the inertia you have to keep going.
32) Helicopter vibrations demand a very high shutter speed, although it may not seem like it at the time.
33) Keep a camera in the front seat, ready to go.
34) Chances are if you’re curious about something, your pictures will have the power to make others curious.
35) “Backlit” is seen as a shortcoming in camera manuals, but that’s just boring conventional thought.
36) Staying with a situation to make a better photo often involves swallowing one’s pride and impatience.
37) Don’t hesitate to pull off to the side of the road for a photo. Just don’t get hit, ok?
38) When a celebrity gives you a lot of time, you don’t have much of an excuse.
39) You’ll probably look foolish at some point while taking pictures. If that bothers you, it’s not the career for you.
40) Let your subjects not leave you unchanged.
41) Being a professional photographer means knowing when and what audibles to call at the 5 yard line in overtime.
42) If you are tense during a photo shoot, your subjects will become tense. Mostly, you’re a thermostat.
43) In any group, a few faces will captivate. It’s not level of attractiveness. Take time to find those people in a crowd.
44) Blur, color, light, repeat.
45) I think it’s human nature to shrug off things you don’t understand. That’s a blown opportunity for pictures.
46) Being a photographer will help you meet famous people, but you risk being seen as the annoying person in the room.
47) I miss police ride-a-longs. They yield some of the most compelling images.
48) Sometimes it’s not the size of something but the diversity within it that makes for a compelling image.
49) Be nice to cops. Firefighters are always the heroes, but cops have to deal with far worse stuff.
50) Arriving early to events can help give you the necessary big perspective to adapt quickly to changes.
51) Yes, morning light before 8ish and afternoon light after 3ish are warm and beautiful. But high noon is also virtuous.
52) If you can be paid to make pictures, you are increasingly fortunate.
53) Don’t get caught up with the mechanics of your tools and the dynamics of an event. You’ll miss the heart of a shoot.
54) Kids’ pictures are a legacy to leave for a family.
55) Shoot jpg and RAW at the same time. RAW can save you technically and artistically, even if it’s only 1% of time.
56) In this age of wide exposure latitude in RAW, I shoot shutter priority more often, since camera shake is a killer.
57) The Communication Arts Photography Annual is a great tool for visual inspiration.
58) The best war photographers I admire are also able to capture the exquisite nature of peace.
59) I’ve had pictures that seize my imagination and not let go until I try to adapt their vision to my own reality.
60) Shoot as much for as long as you need. Sometimes it’s your 1st photo. Sometimes it’s your 2587th.
61) When you’re shooting a group in a short time, shoot a ton. You might get one where someone is not staring at you.
62) Observe your biases while shooting.
63) The world needs more uplifting photos. My industry tends towards grief.
64) Keep an organized archive. Someone you once photographed may become president (or his mistress…).
65) Social skills and salesmanship are more important than talent as a photographer. I know, I know…
66) It’s beneficial to keep a physical list of places you want to return to when the weather or season changes.
67) It’s best to avoid saying “Oh, I’ll come back here to shoot more”, because the unchangeable changes.
68) Negative self-talk in your creative life masquerades as your conscience or “practical thinking”.
69) Save up money to take creative pictures from a helicopter when the sun is low. Just for the creative boost.
70) Making the mundane intensely interesting is a valuable skill that people recognize.
71) Portraits often reflect the photographer more than the subject being photographed.
72) If you ask many questions upfront, you can save yourself a lot of wasted shooting time.
73) Some photographers shoot in manual. I’m usually shooting in automatic mode toggling the exposure compensation.
74) I ran into David Alan Harvey using a crappy old flash in Cuba. Quite a lesson there.
75) Always be ready.
76) Watch how the sun falls in different places at different times of the year . Take a longer, more patient view.
77) I wouldn’t advise photographing kids on the street without getting parental approval. Even if they’re being cute.
78) Individual achievements in photography are determined by talent and drive… politics and timing.
79) Getting inspired by the mood of your surroundings will make time flow as you wait for your moment.
80) It is hard to know when to cut bait. When in doubt, wait.
81) If you’re out photo hunting, iPod earbuds are blindfolds to your ears.
82) If you’re looking for a public restroom, don’t ignore construction site portable toilets. (sorry, it’s just that important)
83) When shooting a crowd of people, imagine yourself a casting scout looking for a mesmerizing face.
84) Photographers who are not self-conscious may get photos others don’t, but they leave a wake of ill will.
85) Photographers that blast away, even in tight situations, miss the subtleties.
86) Readers of newspapers are more visually astute than newspapers realize.
87) Free wifi, an outlet, cheap parking, cellphone signal, restroom, and maybe a cup of Joe. Is that asking too much?
88) Keep in flight. Thank you John White.
89) Understaying your welcome as a photog is generally worse than overstaying, for them and for you…
90) Develop a philosophy about when not to take a picture, so you’re not caught in the moment.
91) Shadows deepen when exposing for highlights, accentuating the graphic nature of an image.
92) Photography is hard on your lower back and shoulders. Some digital cameras are too heavy.
93) Not to sound like a kook, but feeling moments will yield to seeing them.
94) It is easier than people think to photograph strangers.
95) The option of jeans everyday. And I don’t have to pay at the office.
96) I thought I would tire of sharing in the happiness when a child gets a photo in the paper. Still there.
97) Another approach: seize on a detail within a scene, and follow it through until it’s gone.
98) Real, intimate, telling, documentary moments are not that easy to come by.
99) 10 years later, the Chicago skyline is still not old. It changes by the minute in the mornings.
100) Rules in photography are often broken to great achievement.
©2010 Chicago Tribune/Alex Garcia
I’m catching the train back to work this next week. Well, only figuratively. I’ve been off for a week on a staycation, and the morning sun beckons. This year I’m going to make more of an effort to find activities in the morning, in addition to the next-beautiful-morning-light-scenic and the day-after fire. If you have any suggestions, I’m all ears…
©Chicago Tribune/Alex Garcia
So the assigning editor in the morning tells me to check out a mass yoga demonstration at Union Station that would involve commuters. It sounded like it had some photographic potential in terms of “real people doing real things”, but when I got there, the overwhelming public relations nature of the event was plainly evident. The event was to promote a financial services website. Of course, newspapers often cover events that have an overwhelming public relations nature to them. Or as some cynics like to say “Slow news day, huh?” Sometimes the editorial response to a business promoting an event is “buy an ad”. In this case, I stayed awhile trying to focus on people who seemed to be real commuters caught up in the blue shirt frenzy. It didn’t seem like there were many interested to partake, and I felt the pressure of leaving for my next assignment. After deciding to shoot from the second floor, I finally found a moment that would be real enough – a man in a tie struggling to keep up. I come down to get his name only to find out he was a marketing executive helping to organize the event. ARGGH!
©2010 Alex Garcia
Siberian Huskies on Northerly Island during a Polar Adventure Days event sponsored through the Chicago Park District. This is my ideal kind of event. Not because of the wonderful dogs, the cool ice sculptures, the science demonstrations, the rescued animals, and the overall nature-centric themes of the event. Those were all wonderful for my small kids over the weekend. But what makes it unbelievably cool is that it’s a Chicago event that’s all free, with FREE PARKING! Oye! Makes me want to go back in February…
