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Don Cornelius Tribute on Milwaukee Avenue

newberry — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:02:56 +0000

Last night a group of enthusiastic and fabulous Soul Train fans gathered on Milwaukee Avenue in Wicker Park to pay tribute to the show’s host, Don Cornelius, who died yesterday.

Diane Izzo: NYT “Lives They Loved”

newberry — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 07:56:16 +0000

The New York Times published a fascinating, heart-wrenching feature yesterday, called The Lives They Loved. They asked readers to send a photograph of a loved one who died last year; I submitted a picture of my close friend Diane Izzo.

Nordic Thunder places 2nd in world air guitar championship!

newberry — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 05:25:30 +0000

Beer-spewing, shaggy-haired, self-lacerating, leather-skirt-wearing air-guitar maniac Nordic Thunder (aka Justin Howard), who I had the privilege to photograph for this week’s Reader (see my previous post), has made every single American–and particularly Chicagoans–proud to be a member of the same (or similar) species. Congratulations Nordic, YTMND.

The Interrupters for The Observer

newberry — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 22:07:48 +0000

I photographed violence interrupters Ameena Matthews and Cobe Williams for the cover of last Sunday’s London Observer, which also ran in its sister paper The Guardian. Steve James directed a documentary film about the Interrupters which has just recently debuted. You can watch it this month at the Gene Siskel Film Center. (UPDATE: here’s a list of upcoming screenings around the world. The film’s been getting rave reviews.)

Thanks to the friendly staff at CeaseFire for helping coordinate the photo sessions, and to the awesome people I photographed for the story: Ameena, Cobe, Tio, Dee, and Marcus.

Communication Arts photo annual: Juggalos!

newberry — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 18:37:18 +0000

I’m excited that a photograph of mine has been selected by the Communication Arts 2011 jury to appear in their Photography Annual 52. The picture is of Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope, the frontmen of Christian horrorcore rappers Insane Clown Posse, shot for a Jon Ronson story in The Guardian Weekend Magazine. You can see a behind the scenes shot from that session in the archives, here. Below are pics of the Annual, and also a shot I’ve never shown before, of ICP fans outside the Eagle/Rave after the concert they played the night I photographed them.

Diane Izzo rests in peace

newberry — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 04:47:31 +0000

The luminous, witty, and prodigiously talented Diane Izzo died a couple days ago, of complications resulting from brain cancer. I’d been a fan of her music for years, and was lucky to forge a friendship with her, occasionally play in her backup band, and recently to collaborate on a film that she and her husband Marco were producing.

I’m grateful that in the last few years I was able to make several trips to Taos to visit Diane and Marco–ostensibly to work on the film, which was really fun–but even better was spending time talking and laughing with those two, enjoying the profoundly beautiful New Mexico sky and mountains, and meeting their many remarkable friends.

Diane was a great inspiration to me. The planet won’t be the same without her.

Update: Jim and Greg weigh in.

Riptide’s Marie Wuczynski has died

newberry — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 04:57:47 +0000

Sad news from Bucktown: according to Chicagoist and the Tribune, Marie of the Riptide Lounge has died. I shot the portrait above back in 1991, when she was gracious enough to let me photograph her for my portfolio. Armitage Avenue will never be the same.

From the Trib article:

The ebullient queen of Marie’s Rip Tide Lounge on Armitage Avenue, known for her towering pouf of whitish-blonde hair and bawdy sense of humor, danced and sang along to tunes from the old-time jukebox into the wee hours, entertaining an ever-changing late-night crowd.

“That was Marie,” said Leo Zak, a bartender at the Riptide. “She made you feel like you belonged,”

Mrs. Wuczynski, 88, died of heart failure Monday, Feb. 7, at her home one flight above the tavern, said longtime friend and co-worker Tina Congenie.

Mrs. Wuczynski was working at the Armitage Avenue bar when she bought the building in 1961.

Homeland Security says OK to photograph federal buildings

newberry — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 04:31:32 +0000

Since 9/11 many photographers have complained about being harassed while photographing buildings (federal and otherwise) in the U.S., and now there appears to be vindication for them: the excellent Lens blog from the NYT has published a document from Homeland Security stating explicitly that it’s legal for photographers to photograph public buildings in public spaces.

On a related note, I was surprised about this legal finding from last August—apparently property releases aren’t always needed after all, when photographs of buildings are used in advertisements (as long as trademarks aren’t visible). (I’m no lawyer though, so be sure to consult one if you’re selling pictures of buildings for ad use. Here’s an attorney specializing in photography-related issues.)

Update: Rohn Engh over at Black Star Rising is adamant that when selling a photograph of a person for editorial (as opposed to advertising use, or some kind of product endorsement) use, a model release is not needed. Here’s the post.

Black & Gold film trailer

newberry — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 17:37:41 +0000

The trailer for “Black & Gold,” directed by Diane Izzo and Marco Zas, and shot by me, is now online. More about the film at its new site.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZGs_aWxG_Q

Vegaz Taelor promo shoot

newberry — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 21:55:12 +0000

Been really busy–I just finished moving my studio to the Little Village neighborhood on Chicago’s south side, and have been working a lot: last month I shot a doozy of an assignment for the Guardian‘s Sunday magazine (which I’ll post once it’s published); I’ve been photographing regularly for the Reader; shot promo pics for Claire Massey; took pictures for Lula and Nightwood restaurants; and last weekend I took production stills on the set of Jim Sikora’s film “I’ll Die Tomorrow” as well as shooting video for Plush and My Gold Mask. Also did the camera work for “Cousins,” a short film by Mike Finch that debuts tonight at Webster Place.

Here’s a photo from an assignment I had a couple weeks ago, shooting promo shots for recording artist Vegaz Taelor. His mom, Cheryl Lynette did a fantastic job as stylist and wardrobe designer. Vegaz, Cheryl, and the models were all really fun to work with. (Update: Vegaz’s father, B. Murphy, is also a talented and prolific musician who has performed with many outfits including Chocolate Syrup, The Osmonds, and The Platters.)