Working bikes

Working Bikes Co-operative Director Lee Ravenscroft poses for a photograph among some of the thousands of bicycles stored in a Chicago warehouse Saturday, March 21, 2009. Working Bikes Co-operative collects, restores, cleans and then distributes donated bikes to people in need, even shipping them to distant countries. To generate money for expenses, the group sells some of the refurbished bikes during sales in Chicago. If you live in Chicago and you need a bike, you might take a look at what Working Bikes has before making your purchase.

Mommy multi-tasking

Nora Gainer carries her six-month-old daughter Bébhinn (pronounced Bay-veen) close as she chops vegetables in the kitchen of her Lakeview home. Nora was awesome for allowing me to document her as she carried out some chores around the house one day. Just thought this was a nice moment.

Polar bear-ing it

Back on New Year's Day, hundreds braved the below freezing temperature to take part in a icy swim in Lake Michigan at North Avenue Beach. Predictably, participants rushed back to shore after plunging under water. Great vibe to this event, but I have to say the best way to shoot it would be to actually jump in. (A reference to fellow photographer Josh Hawkins, who actually took the plunge with camera in hand one year).

Blind faith

Artist Nick Colella works on a customer's tattoo at Chicago Tattoo on Belmont Ave. Just a simple shot of someone doing something. Takes a little faith to trust someone to tattoo a permanent image on an area of your body you can't really see.

This is Obama country

Nationally renowned aerial artist Daniel Dancer created a large scale rendering of Barack Obama in a parking lot in Chicago using the snow-covered ground, mulch, garbage and eventually Chicago Public Schools students. Dancer is famous for creating these massive works of art and then photographing them from high above using a crane. Students wearing prearranged colors helped Dancer fill in sections of the rendering later on. It was a publicity thing, but I was glad to get a chance to go up in the crane and shoot a few photos as Dancer prepared his work of art. It was pretty darn cold and windy up there though!

No fun and games here

Carolyn Paul of Rogers Park participates in a public protest of the city of Chicago's bid for the 2016 Olympic Games at a downtown rally. Participants at the event, which was held at Federal Plaza, claimed the city needs to improve schools, roads and other public services before it spends billions to host the games. I'm often curious why people take time out of their day to attend rallies like this. I'm all for standing up for what you believe it, but is it realistic to expect change because you scream and yell your opinion? The answer to that depends on who you're asking I guess.

Obama sightseeing

I rode along on a bus tour during a photo assignment for USA Today about Barack Obama sightseeing. That's when I shot this photo of Thomas Lehmann of East Germany riding the Gray Line Bus Tour through a Chicago south side neighborhood near the home of president-elect Obama. Obama's neighborhood is Chicago's hottest new tourist destination. The streets around his home in the upscale Hyde Park neighborhood are sealed off by the Secret Service, but visitors congregate daily, hoping to catch a glimpse of the president-elect. This isn't one of the photos that ran with the story in USA Today. It doesn't suggest anything about Obama, but I liked the quiet moment anyway and thought this was the perfect place to publish it.

One huge victory party

Covering the crowd at Barack Obama's election night victory rally in Grant Park was a little like running in water. It wasn't easy and I wasn't going anywhere particularly fast. Still, I'm glad I had the experience to cover such a historic moment. I was amazed at how calm a crowd of 250,000 people could be and I hate to think what it would have been like if Obama had not defeated John McCain. Anyway, my primary focus was on the folks who attended the rally and that was a good thing. While I was only about 150 feet from Obama when he spoke, I couldn't see much more than the backs of heads and plenty of waving flags. The one and only photograph I took of Obama was a frame I got off while holding my camera as high in the air as possible while standing on my toes. It's not exactly Pulitzer material but hey, I got one. The photo above is from the exact moment CNN, which was being broadcast on huge screens at Grant Park, declared Obama the winner. Then there were contrasting, yet similar, moments of celebration.

In a new light

I have photographed countless basketball games in various high school, college and NBA venues during the last 10 years. Last night I shot a game at Thornton High School in Harvey, Ill., which now holds the distinguished honor of having the worst light in a gymnasium I have ever seen. Or couldn't see. Either way, it wasn't even a contest.

When I first walked through the doors of the school, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. It looked like the lights were still warming up, but nope, they were at full power and in all their dim-yellow glory. At the risk of going overboard, it was honestly difficult to see inside the gym, let alone photograph. Thornton's purple uniforms actually looked brown. I have seen garages with brighter shining light bulbs!

So in honor of my first attempt at photographing "cave basketball", I've uploaded one image, in grayscale of course, from last night's game between Thornton vs. Rich East. Below is the actual file and light inside the gym.

Grit to the finish

A runner grits his way to the finish line during the Public League cross country championships in Chicago's Washington Park. My assignment focused on the winners of the race, but I love to stick around for the "late arrivals" at the finish line. They tend to represent the spirit of the event perfectly. In other words, it doesn't matter where you finish. It only matters that you DO finish.

Chicago Marathon

We all know running a marathon is tough. So tough in fact, most of us have never done it and probably never will. But photographing one isn't exactly a walk in the park! It's more like a sprint in the park ... and all around it too. It is a fun event to shoot though, with plenty of interesting people passing by in a blur. One runner decided running the marathon wasn't hard enough so he juggled along the way. Others stayed on the sidelines and made sure the runners got water, as well as a random laugh or two.

Jim Belushi likes the Cubs

Actor Jim Belushi was the emcee at a downtown rally for thousands of excited Chicago Cubs fans as the team prepared for it first round playoff matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Belushi was full of energy, running onto the stage and singing "Sweet Home Chicago" to the crowd.

Chris Issak concert

Chris Issak performs during a free concert in Barrington, IL. Below, Issak left the stage and walked into the crowd, assembled in the parking lot of a new shopping center, and sang to a few lucky fans up close and personal. One note about this assignment: The security for this event was off the charts. A pass was required and when I asked if I could shoot some photos of Issak back stage (which was really just the parking lot behind the stage) I was told absolutely not and that I could only shoot the first three songs. That calls for a big ol' gimmeabreak! This was a FREE concert. Audience members held hundreds of cameras and I was the only member of the "official media" there. So, naturally, I was the focus of rules that just had to be enforced. I would have been better off bringing a lawn chair and taking a place among the crowd.

Big tree falls

Residents of Norwood, Ohio say this tree is well over 100 years old and was one of many lining the streets of the old neighborhood before it came crashing down during a wind storm. The large tree's size and the many power lines it pulled down caused problems for crews trying to clean up the mess. It remained in the street there for several weeks.

Wet week

Just a few shots of the flooding here Chicago. The Des Plaines river and the north branch of the Chicago river overflowed, causing some pretty serious flooding that lasted the better part of a week and did plenty of damage. Above, a resident of one flooded neighborhood in Des Plaines pulls a boat carrying his children and a few of their belongings. Below, one fellow carries his shoes while the other dumps water from his boots. It was one of those weeks, but I have to say, the people of the Midwest kind of take it all in stride.

Foggy night on the lake

Lights along the Lake Shore Dr. bike path illuminate fog coming off Lake Michigan as a biker walks alongside his bicycle.

The gay principal

Kurt Jones, principal at Libby Elementary and Middle School, faces a tough task this school year as he and his staff try to improve one of the district’s worst performing schools. Making it even more difficult is the fact Jones is openly gay and continues to face the task of cultivating relationships with the parents of Libby students, who are primarily poor and black. Jones walks through a cluttered hallway as the school prepares for first day of classes by cleaning the classrooms there. It was fun watching Jones interact with his staff and with some parents. In the time I spent with him, it was clear he has a knack for earning the respect of those around him.

Bicyclist killed on Lake Shore Dr.

A young man was killed after attempting to cross Lake Shore Drive during rush hour on his bicycle. One motorist stopped before striking the victim, but he continued on into another lane where the driver of a pickup truck hit him. His bike sits in several pieces on the road as paramedics tend to his body. The biker was pronounced dead on the scene.

RV in flames and really mad woman

Passing through Indianapolis on my way back to Chicago, I noticed some smoke just off the highway and decided to take a look. (Photographers have a hard time passing by black smoke.) It didn't take me long to find the source. A large RV had burst into flames outside a home. The fire department hadn't arrived yet so I grabbed the only camera I had and started shooting. To my surprise, the woman below actually was worried about me taking photographs and not that small matter of her home and RV going up in flames. I got off this one photo before she reached me. I was lucky some of her family was there to calm her down. It's never easy to photograph someone's misfortune, so I really felt badly for the woman. By the way, since I know you're curious, that's a lanyard with a ticket around her neck. Apparently the group had been at a NASCAR event in the RV early that day.

Beauty gets her crown

Mrs. Southeast of Arkansas, Laine Eden Berry, 35, was crowned Mrs. International 2008 Saturday at the 23rd Annual Mrs. International Pageant in Skokie, Ill. Throughout the two-hour event, 47 contestants competed in three categories, including interview, evening gown and fitness wear. Berry’s husband, Kevin, crowned her Mrs. International. Also pictured is Mrs. International 2007, Rebekah Negrete at left. The entire time I was composing this photograph, a woman behind me was yelling at me to sit down. So, if you're out there lady in the seat behind me, I'm really sorry. I was on strict orders to get the "crown" shot. Sigh.

The world around Wrigley

As a crowd gathers behind him to sneak a peak into Wrigley Field, Mike Baugh, 53, sleeps in his wheelchair on Sheffield Ave. Baugh lost his legs to diabetes and is a regular outside Wrigley where he asks for spare change from passing fans. The world around Wrigley Field amazes me and since I live less than a few miles from it, I find myself there as often as I can. I would think it would be a great way to learn documentary photography for someone trying to get into photojournalism. People at Wrigley are colorful, passionate and generally not interested in much of anything other than the Cubs so you can fly under the radar pretty easily as a photographer.

Candy council in session

Jasper Geier, 7, of Lakeview, reacts after taste testing a piece of candy as a member of the "candy council" at Candyality in Lakeview Thursday. The council, made up of neighborhood youngsters, reviews new candy products and advises the store's owner before she buys selections for the upcoming months. Geier was testing a product called Bean Boozled, which are jelly beans with randomly gross results. Geier got one that tasted like moldy cheese. I've always found it difficult to photograph youngsters because they tend to notice me too much. I like to blend in and let the subjects hopefully forget about me enough to carry on with whatever it is they are doing. I was lucky that this group was way more interested in the table full of candy than me and my camera. They were great kids too, which made it fun.

Garden dedication

Howard Brown Health Center held a dedication ceremony for a newly installed Peace Garden outside their facility in Chicago. The garden is dedicated to Mary York and Lisa Tonna, who both passed away from cancer within two weeks of each another. LaGenia Bailey of Northside, who was York's partner for 11 years, gets a hug from Howard Brown's Director of Lesbian Community Care Project, Catherine Jefcoat. York and Tonna were both actively involved at Howard Brown. This was a touching event to cover.

Soaking in the win

New Trier High School head coach John Combs is soaked with a celebratory bucket of water in the closing seconds of his team's win against Loyola Academy in the boys Illinois state championship lacrosse game at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, IL. This was my first chance to photograph lacrosse and I have to say, it was a nice change of pace.

Memorial Day parade

Thousands turned out for the annual River Forest, IL Memorial Day parade. Darrin Flynn blends in with the batch of yellow balloons he carries along the parade route above. Bobby Cheely, 9, holds his ears shut as civil war actors fire some rather loud rifles in his vicinity. I don't blame you one bit, Bobby.