Results tagged “photography”

                     

In this day and age of replica retro and manufactured memories, it's easy to lose sight of true nostalgia, surrounding ourselves instead with disposable memories and instant gratification. Which is why, when, a true gem from the past finds it's way to us, we're confronted with a real look at our past. One such event happened to John Maloof, who came across Vivian Maier's photography at an estate sale, and knew he had to share this unknown photographer's talents.

                   

Today we're going to run some more photos of Chicago Gourmet that we didn't run in our recap of the festival yesterday. It's a combination of chef shots, action shots from demos and seminars, and good ol' food pr0n. Enjoy and, if you have photos of the event on flickr, be sure to tag them with "chicagoist" so that they show up on the "Chicagoist Photos" pool..

                

Now this is how a food and wine festival should operate!

Craigslist is good for a lot of things. We all know that finding hookers is just the tip of the iceberg of what Craig and his list has to offer. For example, our unfertilized eggs could be worth thousands of dollars, numerous gentlemens' establishments would love for us to come dance for them, and we had no idea where we could get a free pile of dirt and some coat hangers, but CL comes through time and time again. Despite the recession easing a bit, times are still tough. But there are still places and people in Chicago that are more than willing to give you money! All you have to do is...well, there's some pretty bizarre stuff out there. An example:

         

On Saturday, Chicagoist decided to play tourist and take some photos of life in the Loop. Our favorite subject of the day was this man (pictured), who with CD player in hand and dance moves in motion turned a N. Michigan Ave. median strip into his own stage from which to entertain pedestrians and traffic. We don't know your name or your mission, Mr. Dancer, but your moxie makes you our new hero.

Cinephiles are sexy. And we ain't just sayin' that 'cause we are one. The Chicago International Film Festival is looking for one attractive girl and one hot guy for their new poster. Photographer Victor Skrebneski has posed Sharon Stone and Dolph Lundgren for previous CIFF posters (as well as differently-sexy Bette Davis and Orson Welles); the two winners of the "Search For Sexy" contest will join their ranks. Think you've got what it takes? Head over to theWit Hotel on Wednesday morning at 10, and wear a two-piece bathing suit (for women) or a Speedo-type bathing suit (for men) under your clothes. Download an application before you go.

          

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Spiaggia (aka President and Mrs. Obama's favorite restaurant) gets the food pr0n treatment over at Menupages Grub Street Chicago today with a series of Stolpman-level photos from Carolina Bolado. The photo essay is also running to commemorate chef Sarah Grueneberg's one-year anniversary as Tony Mantuano's chef de cuisine. [Grub Street Chi]

              

A little over a year ago, if you had a subscription to the Chicago Tribune, you would have come across a nine-page spread in the Sunday Magazine (you can see a PDF of it here). That nine page spread, published as a photo portfolio was a rare glimpse into the world of Chicago's the South Side nightclub scene, 1965-76. It was as much a visual document of the music and culture scenes in the city as it was about how a passion for photography and music brought photographer Michael Abramson and musician Corky Siegel to know Pepper's and Perv's House.

We’re kicking ourselves for waiting so long to see the Cultural Center’s exhibition of works by Chicago-based photographer Jed Fielding—Look at me: Photographs from Mexico City. The exhibit, which closes on Tuesday, July 7, displays Fielding’s candid portraits which intimately examine facial features and gestures of blind children, affirmatively stripping away self-consciousness while celebrating their lives and confronting the concept of “disability”. The photos were taken at children’s schools for the blind in Mexico City, in collaboration with the children, their parents, as well as teachers.

We are looking to you, dear reader, to let us know where you'd like us to visit for our Food Pr0n series. Any restaurants in particular have you curious? Comment below or Twitter lstolpman. Here's a reminder of where we've been:

                

We paid a visit to one sixtyblue (1400 W. Randolph) to see some of the new menu items by Chef Michael McDonald. Chef McDonald has worked under Jean Joho at Everest as chef de cuisine and most recently as executive chef at C (the Charlie Trotter restaurant in Los Cabos, Mexico) and executive chef of Restaurant Charlie, Trotter's seafood restaurant in Las Vegas. one sixtyblue offers $5 wood-fired pizzas on Friday evenings. You can stay informed of their specials via their Facebook page.

             

The food and drink staff here are huge fans of Schwa. Part of the reason is the space is so small that the attention diners receive is very personal. It's standard at Schwa to have chef Michael Carlson bringing the dishes to you and responding to your approval of the food with a simple reply: "Word." As a BYOB place, we've also been able to pair a few wines listing at under $10 with the meal.

        

Had so much fun doing some food pr0n with Rachelle Bowden at the Publican that we decided take an encore bow. "Chicagoist Prime" contacted Marcus and me the other day and asked if we wanted to run some photos of a dinner she was going to that night. You don't turn down good photos and you always find a way to accommodate the founding editor of this here site when necessary. "We've never done anything regarding May St. Market," Rachelle said. Sad to say that's true, as I've long been a fan of Alex Cheswick's cooking.

Articles of Faith, an exhibit of Jordano's color photographs currently on display at the Chicago Cultural Center, focuses on the interiors and select patrons of some of these churches while raising questions about the ideas of private vs. public space and what it means to "belong" to a place. No Starbucks or mechanized holy water dispensers in any of Jordano's shots: Instead, you'll find walls covered with photos of church patrons and their families, and personal touches -- a well-worn "prophet rug," a hand-made sign blessing all visitors -- underscoring the very private nature of these otherwise public meeting places and community gathering spaces.

Earlier this month, Ravenswood photographer Brian Ulrich received a special letter in his mailbox: No, not a rhyme-y poem from his mom (that's what we receive in our mailbox), but a note stating that he had won a Guggenheim Fellowship in Photography -- the same prize bestowed upon such shutter-snapping legends as Edward Weston, Ansel Adams, Diane Arbus and -- it's worth noting -- a slew of Chicagoans. Ulrich, who is an adjunct professor at Columbia College and part-time prof at the Art Institute, will use the fellowship to continue his Copia project, which examines Americans' relationship to consumption and, when completed, will comprise a decade of work. Recently we chatted with Ulrich about photography, economics and big-box aesthetics.

Of course you’ve seen Shepard Fairey’s “Hope” design on posters, buttons, the cover of Time Magazine, even as a bad tattoo. But Fairey isn’t the only independent artist who was compelled to create in support of then President-elect Barack Obama’s campaign. Now you can see more than 100 works (prints, posters, photos, and videos) from artists, designers, and the Obama ‘08 campaign at Officially Unofficial - Inspired Art for Obama,” opening April 1 at the Chicago Tourism Center.

        

Alright, maybe we did tweet some of it ourselves, but bunch at the Publican lived up to the short-notice hype yesterday. Today we're pleased to present photos of some of the dishes on the menu, captured in their fresh-from-the-kitchen glory by none other than Rachelle "Chicagoist Prime" Bowden.

This Saturday, design collective The Post Family and Sonnenzimmer invite you to crash the Family Room for a viewing of Swiss photographer Ester Vonplon’s “Waiting out the Rain." The exhibit chronicles Vonplon's harrowing tribute to Roma Culture in modern Kosovo. Her photos, both black/white and polaroids, will hang alongside pics taken by Roma children who participated in her photography workshops at a youth center in the war-torn region.

There's the kind of food pr0n that Stolpman and others embrace, with beautiful shots of carefully crafted dishes. I like to call that "culinary erotica." Then there's the food photography equivalent of Hustler's "Beaver Hunt," with a little bit of snuff film added, for good measure.

Comedy

Readings

“Most of my assignments started in the kitchen. It’s where people like to talk. Then I find out who they really are.” - Penny de los Santos

600 S. Michigan Ave., Ferguson Lecture Hall, 10/23 @ 6 p.m., Free

                  

We made our way to Kohan to capture some of its food and drink for your eyes. While known for its sushi and teppan grill dishes, it also serves authentic Korean food, as well. Martinis are $5 (1/2 price!) all day Friday and Saturday. [Previous Chicagoist coverage of Kohan: 1, 2]

Christopher Hiltz earns his bread and Nutella as an events photographer. But in his free time, he gets more experimental, using extended exposure and camera shakes to transform his shots of everyday objects into abstract expressionist pieces. On Saturday, September 20, Hiltz's first solo exhibition, "Everyday Ago," opens at Believe Inn, the cozy Bucktown Gallery run by ITSOK mastermind Sighn and Multi-Polar Projects. As part of the action, Hiltz will deposit around 100 of his photographs -- framed, and free for the taking -- around the neighborhood. 6-10 p.m.

Recently Chicagoist stopped by the Chicago Cultural Center to check out Life as a Legend: Marilyn Monroe, the collection of 300 photos and works documenting the tragic bombshell's icon status and ineffable glamor. Organized by Artoma in Hamburg, Germany, and circulated by International Arts & Artists, the exhibit has passed through six countries before stopping at the CCC, where it remains until September 21.

What a cool pinhole shot of downtown.

These vintage Stereoviews from the 1933 World's Fair are mesmerizing.

              

We recently had friends in town and decided to take advantage of Marche's fixed price menu on Monday and Wednesday nights ($28.95 for a three course meal). Photos taken by our much more talented photography friend, Chris Lynch, AKA "LynchSeattle".