I’m excited to share a new little photo project of mine, portions of which were published in this month’s special travel issue of Indianapolis Monthly. I was asked to visit and photograph a number of Chicago’s best restaurants for an article on, well, eating in Chicago! It was a lot of fun to learn about and visit the restaurants on the list, and Jessica and I even took it upon ourselves to try out a few of them. Yum.

The art director wanted the photos to feel natural, as though a tourist of the city had taken them on a trip—a day in the life, so to speak. We also wanted to convince the reader that Chicago was a city worth visiting for more than just its restaurants. I had a blast walking around and shooting all my favorite spots, and with my 35mm Spotmatic! Thrilled about the chance to shoot film for a client job (first time!), I shot about 7 or 8 rolls of 400 speed Kodak film, hoping for at least a couple decent shots… got ‘em!

This project was just a lot of fun. It was the perfect excuse for me to get out and explore certain parts of the city that I wouldn’t have otherwise, and made for an excellent photographic exercise. You can view a number of my favorite shots from the assignment on my website—Check em out!

Did you hear the one about the Chicago real estate agent who purchased a box of negatives from an estate sale, only to discover more than 30,000 stunning photographs from a mysterious photographer? That happened in 2007, and the lucky gentleman John Maloof has been actively scanning, archiving and promoting his treasure since. The photographer’s name was Vivian Maier, a nanny by day and photographer ahead of her time by night.

Since his discovery, John Maloof has received offers from publishers, galleries and documentary film makers all interested in spreading the word of Vivian Maier’s photography. The first American gallery appearance of Maier’s work will be this Friday, in the beautiful city of Chicago at the Chicago Cultural Center. Eighty of Vivian Maier’s finest prints will be on display. Any fans of art, photography, or art history should clear their schedule for Friday night!

Watch the news report below to learn more details to this amazing story. And click here for the exhibition details at the Chicago Cultural Center’s website.

If you’re a designer or creative professional in Chicago, you are obligated to attend [Merge presents] Reply All this Friday at Evil Olive! I can vouch for last year’s party—it was packed with every designer worth buying drinks for. However, this year there has been a number of upgrades: awesome sponsors, prizes, live DJs, original motion design pieces for the event, and guest speakers! People, design events don’t get more official than this.

And on the note of guest speakers, I’ve been graciously asked to be one of them! I’ll be telling an embarrassing story about a design project that went horribly wrong. I get chills just thinking about the Hell I went through producing it. You’ll just have to attend the event to hear all the sloppy details! And with 446 attendees who have already RSVP’d, my palms are already starting to sweat…

If your company’s dumb holiday party is on the same night (like mine is), seriously consider changing your plans. Or bring everyone with you!

Lastly, thank Mig Reyes for doing such a bang up job organizing this beast of a party. He’s the brains behind it all!

The last two weeks have had downtown Chicago all a flutter with the filming of the new Transformers film! Last week they were set up on LaSalle Street, and then moved to the tourist haven, Michigan Ave. This week, they’ve moved the set further along the river, now filming along Wacker (which means closer to my window at work!).

Check out a larger view of the set, here.

Hand-painted letters found on a sign in Uncle Julio’s, an excellent mexican restaurant in Lincoln Park.
7/30/10
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The triangular patterns created in these ceiling lights are lovely! I could spend some time with this… a tasty bit of geometric design inspiration.
6/23/10
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The Bagel
6/11/10
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Exotica window display outside of Macy’s downtown.
June, 2010
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Eileen Fisher window display outside of Macy’s downtown.
June, 2010
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Love the neon letterforms, here. “OPEN” especially.
June, 2010
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One of the best vanity plates I’ve ever seen!
Sometime in early 2010
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Charming neon outside the House of Blues, Chicago.
June, 2010
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First time ever in an Old Navy, I come to find out the mannequins from the hilarious commercials are real! A pleasant surprise.
June, 2010
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They sell snacks in the laundry room—I buy them all.
June, 2010
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Home Depot sign in the paint department. The details escape this photo, but I enjoyed the overlapping color and subtle nuances in the large numbers.
June, 2010
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Believe it or not, these windows are a recent addition to a nearby McDonalds. I would normally walk right by, however I think there is something to be said for the arch-inspired stained glass pattern.
June, 2010
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My office view of the Chicago River, during the Winter. All the broken-up ice in the water is sort of gorgeous!
Winter, 2009
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I was recently given the task to brand the new and exciting Public Media Institute Research Library, which is essentially a large, portable book shelf promoting a wide variety of independently-published artist books, zines and publications. Actually, “a wide variety” is a severe under statement!

A word from Public Media Institute:
The Public Media Institute is pleased to announce the launch of our latest project, the Public Media Institute Research Library – a collection of art, architecture, and design journals; magazines; and other periodicals. Join us at the fair to browse the new issue of Proximity, find out how you can contribute to our library, and view work from artists that contribute to our projects and publications.

If you’re in the Chicago area this weekend, make sure to grab tickets for the NEXT art fair, hosted by the Merchandise Mart, along the Chicago river, and celebrate the debut of the PMI Research Library!

TYPEFORCE : The Annual Chicago Show of Emerging Typographic Allstars

Co-Prosperity Sphere
3219 S Morgan St in Bridgeport [Chicago]

Opening: Friday, February 26, 2010
Runs through: March 14, 2010

Allstars Include:
Jeremiah Chiu, Renata Graw, David Weik, Billy Baumann, Matthew Hoffman, Chris Eichenseer, Chad Kouri, Ryan Thurwell, Luke Williams, Tnop, Andy Luce, John Pobojewski, Darren McPherson, Lora Fosberg, Margot Harrington, Greg Calvert, Aaron Pedersen, Duncan MacKenzie, Will Miller, Nick Adam, Damian Abraham

Brought to you by Public Media Institute and Firebelly Design

Sponsored by AIGA Chicago, Graphic Arts Studio, Unisource Paper & I Shoot Rockstars

“The FROM THE POCKET project features the iPhone Photography (iphoneography) of Chicago-based photographer, Jeremy Edwards. All of the images featured on this site were captured using Apple’s second-generation iPhone and Apple’s iPhone 3Gs cameras. Images were processed using various iPhone photography applications only. The project is described as a tri-hybrid of genres: ordinary, intimate, and street.”

For me, Jeremy Edward’s FROM THE POCKET effort is a lovely demonstration of what you are capable of doing with what you already have.

It’s not really a piece for my portfolio website. Well, not yet at least. It’s an ongoing long term project, that is, if the act of teaching yourself a new trade could be considered as such.

Just shy of three years ago, I went in on a Nikon D80 with my dad. It was Summer 2007, he was about to take his annual trip to aide a Haitian community, and I was looking forward to my Fall semester where a sort-of-photography class was waiting for me. I say sort-of because although it qualified as a graphic design course, we needed to own a digital camera for the duration. I figured it was a great opportunity to get a relatively decent DSLR to make the most of my work — something that could outlive merely one semester at MICA. Plus, being able to share it with my dad cut the cost in half!

This is my Norwegian friend and co-worker, Hallvard Fjeldbraaten. He’s an excellent copy writer by trade, and photographer by hobby. I caught him snapping some photos of the Chicago river from the window, with his Asahi Pentax Spotmatic. This led to our immediate discussion about his camera, which led to my handling and inspection of said camera, which led to my now-frequented ebay account… Well, these days me and my formerly-government-owned Honeywell Spotmatic are doing just fine!

Yes, I said Honeywell — for those of you who think it’s the second rate version of Asahi’s model. Although it sort of is, specifically it’s just the American version. The way I see it, a manual camera like this is just a box that houses the film. Less deserving of a feud over image quality, than most DSLRs are today.

Ah, and here’s a shot of the Chicago river in early Fall, for sake of my visual narrative.

My experience with my Nikon D80 has given me a lot of leverage with manual settings, and I think I’d lend thanks to that previous knowledge for giving me only a few over exposed images from my first couple rolls of film. I’ve been using my Spotmatic to document my new life in Chicago as well as shooting a few special projects along the way. I’ve been exploring different brands of film, as well as a variety of speeds. I’m still trying to harmonize with Ilford, not giving up hope just yet — it just seems to me that so far, Kodak truly has given me the richest blacks and agreeable exposures.

On that note, I have only shot a few rolls of color film and those were mostly in the beginning. I quickly decided that the combination of color film and this old camera only lead to aged and de-saturated images. Although I can see the nostalgic value that appeals to a lot of people, these photos still leave me wanting more in the way of contrast; light moments are so quickly blown out and feel very hot in comparison to an otherwise bland image. I will say, there were a couple color photos that came out okay, but until I get sick of grayscale, grayscale wins!

In terms of those couple color photos, here is a small batch from the holidays in Venice Beach, Florida in December 2009. These were taken at my aunt’s beach house and along the water nearby.

I didn’t pack any film with me before I left for Tampa, because the security x-ray procedure at airports can ruin undeveloped film. So I was banking on a local CVS to supply me with some Kodak for the visit. Sure enough, I found a 3-pack of Kodak HD color film.

HD?

Yea, weird… but I bought a pack out of sheer curiosity. What turned out to be even weirder was the way that the color blue reacted to direct sunlight. The images I’m sharing are all scanned from the film and entirely untouched in Photoshop. The following two, blew (pun!) me away when I saw the developed prints; they’re obviously not what I was aiming for, but in a weird SoCal punk sort of way, I really like them!

How Ed Templeton of me, right?

I have found that I’ve taken far less photos with my Nikon ever since I got into the Spotmatic. For a beginner I think it’s more fun; the adventure, the uncertainty, the unexpected results. I’ve been talking with a close friend about a collaborative effort involving black and white photography. That will be the true test — how do I hold up under pressure of a job? With the Nikon it was no big deal, but things are a little bit more of a puzzle now. But puzzles are fun!

I think I might make it a regular feature on the blog to share my newest photos. Perhaps a weekly edition — a daily routine might be too aggressive for me, afterall I’m a firm believer of quality over quantity.

I’ll wrap up with what I believe to be one of the best images I’ve ever produced. Frankly, I don’t know what I love more about it; the near perfect exposure, the elegant and intimate composition, or the fact that I’m going to marry the beautiful girl in the photo.