Happy Birthday Uncle Sam!

Wow, I didn't get anything for Uncle Sam on his birthday this year, but crazy enough, he got me something!

Man, I REALLY appreciate it!
I wonder if that seems like a good thing to start off a 4th of July for most enforcement officers. 8:36 in the morning on the 4th, anyone update their stickers on their plates in the past 3 days? Nope! TICKET TIME! My roommates said basically the whole block was ticketed. Happy Independence Day!

Why don't we move on then...

Lately, due to the work schedule taking over my life, I've been limited to a certain degree with photography. In order to photograph, I basically need to be bringing a camera to work and home from work and then to another job, and back from that, etc., which allows for time only in between non-photograph-able situations. I think it sounds bad, but I'm learning to deal with it and care less about the outcome of an image (which I am enjoying). I was talking with my friend Victor last night about giving people what they want when you photograph, and he put it as "sometimes I'll give them what they want and keep what I want for me." He was speaking in terms of printing style, however I think it can be applied in both situations. And lately, due to the limiting time to photograph, I barely have time to make that decision of constructing something likeable for someone else, and the image ends up being really only a quick decision for my own eye. I guess I'm training myself to care less about the image and photograph more or less on instinct and interest. It may not result in anything beneficial besides a self-satisfying image, but I'm okay with that. It's fun. Victor's been doing something of the same recently with his polaroids, take some time to check them out, they're glorious. He refers to them as "just breathing," an accurate description, I think. I feel like this is a way of learning or practicing for the more serious things I'll do later on. I'm just photographing in different situations now, to use what I learn from them to make a more cohesive, formulated body of work in the future.

To save two dollars for the train, and get exercise?.. Trevor and I have been walking to school a lot lately which proves to be a prime time for easygoing photography.

^Nice posture!

The evening skies this summer have been fastastic.^Someone left their shirt at Lake Michigan.

Arriving at work at the studio.
On the way home from the studio.

A visit with my dad and brother in the suburbs, I think we were talking about money."Whatever, dad."

Caitlin at Pizza Hut (TMax3200 expiring in 1998 = not really 3200 speed film and very thin negatives.)

Elise on the table in the darkroom.

Girls making plans to go to Europe. On the bus, going to Victor's.

Trev figuring out how to use Windows XP, Mac OSX, and Linux on the same laptop.

John next to the window at his cousin's birthday party.

Rachel in the grass.

Gina in the mirror.

Me in the elevator.

Happy 4th!