Amazing photos by amazing people, doing amazing things with their work!

Conservation photography has always been something that I have loved the idea of. I didn’t realize there was a whole movement of it! I would love to get into a job where I could utilize my photography for conservation purposes!

Here are a few of the photos I took during Martin Mundt’s reading on Friday, February 3rd! The first Friday Symposium at Stella Espresso!

Martin Mundt

Martin Mundt

http://www.worldpressphoto.org/photo/2012carstenpeternas2-cl?gallery=2634

Someday, I’ll have the opportunity to take photos like these. Someday.

On October 28th I had the privilege of attending the Chicago Premier of a wonderful, local, queer film, Jamie and Jessie Are Not Together. Director Wendy Jo Carlton happens to be a regular at Stella, the coffee shop I work at. She spent hours in the shop staying caffeinated while working on the movie, so she invited all of us baristas to premier night. Knowing I am also a photographer, she invited me to bring along my camera.

The premier was at the Gene Siskel Film Center in downtown Chicago. The 8:15pm showing had many of the cast and crew in attendance and sold out days before the actual show! Luckily I had ordered my ticket online long in advance. My boyfriend, Andy and I went down to the pre-party at the Downtown Bar and Lounge. From the bar we hopped in the first limo to the theater. There were three limo trips after ours, each time with more and more predominately involved cast and crew members.

After our limo arrived at the Gene Siskel Theater, we waited for the rest of the groups to arrive. Primarily for the final limo, with the two lead actresses and the director, Wendy, inside.

After everyone arrived there was a bustling of photo taking.

Everyone was already seemed to be having a wonderful time! Once some photos were taken outside, everyone headed in to the theater. There were then formal photos taken in front of a backdrop inside, while everyone else claimed their tickets at will-call and milled around socializing. After a short time, people began to file into the theater itself to find seats.

The movie was fantastic! It’s hard to believe they made such a quality film on such a small budget! Beautiful cinematography paired with believable, genuine acting, I think made the biggest impact. Even Andy thoroughly enjoyed the movie, and he’s not much for romantic comedies, let alone musicals! I highly recommend this movie to all, queer or straight. It’s a heartfelt, realistic take on the confusion we all face when it comes to relationships. If you don’t believe me just read some of the reviews, including one great (3 out of 4 star) rating by Roger Ebert!

After the film screening came a Q&A with cast and crew. Wendy gave a shout out to Emma, Liv and I, the three Stella’s girls that made it out to the showing. We were all a little surprised and embarrassed since all we did was make coffee! It was really nice of her though, it made us feel like we were actually some how a part of the movie. After the Q&A session, most everyone walked back to the Downtown Bar and Lounge for food and drinks. Emma, Liv and friend, Andy and I ended up walking most of the way with Wendy and Anne. Anne is the co-producer and a lot of the inspiration behind the movie. She was a regular at Stella when her and Wendy used to be roommates, and before she moved away. It was lot of fun to hang out with everyone from work, outside of work. I hope to do it again. It was a wonderful night.

Starved Rock is such a beautiful place! Bugs, Animals, Plants… and Waterfalls!!

We camped over night. We ended up with a wonderful camp site toward the back of the loop. We set up our two tents, one for Andy and I, one for Christian and Lauren. We arrived later in the day so after setting up camp we went out to buy firewood, which we found conveniently at a local farm, being sold out of a garage. The farmer was also selling some other basics, like bug spray, citronella candles, and to Christian and Lauren’s delight, s’mores. I can’t eat s’mores. Darn you chocolate being in everything!! After gathering supplies we returned to our site to make dinner. I made Andy and I bush pasties in the fire and Lauren made hamburgers shaped like hot dogs for her and Christian. We only had hot dog buns being the reason behind the funny shaped burgers. After dinner we stayed up a bit talking, and laying in the road near the porta potties (which didn’t smell!) watching the amazingly clear sky. Andy and I spent a lot more time just watching the sky than the girls. I don’t think they had the patients or appreciation for just laying still in the quiet. Perhaps, why neither of them had seen shooting stars before! I saw probably around 15 or 20 shooting stars that night… as well as several sailing satellites! It’s amazing how many stars you can see when you’re that far out of the city. You could even see the Milky Way! So beautiful.

Come morning, we woke up to rolling thunder and pouring rain. It echoed and echoed through the canyons and it sounded amazing! We found out our tent leaked. Which kind of sucked, but we just put ponchos on and went for a walk. I think Andy and I walked for over an hour. We saw wild turkeys and a lot of the campground, including the summer camp/group camping areas. After several hours of hoping the rain would let up, and it still coming down full force, we decided to cook breakfast in the rain. We started up a fire, I had the foresight to put the wood in the car when it started to thunder and sprinkle at 9am. After five hours of non-stop down pour with continuous thunder, we decided we were going to have to pack up the tents in the rain. Check out was at 3pm and it was 1:30pm. Just as we were finishing up pack up it stopped raining… go figure. So after a stop by the bathrooms for a change into dry clothes and shoes, we decided to stop and go for a hike. At least that way our whole trip wouldn’t be a waste.

Boy was it worth it! See the photos above, because words can never explain the beauty of the waterfall filled canyons in the lush Midwest forests that are Starved Rock. Who knew Illinois had more than farms and prairies.

We made it to 6 Flags Great America last weekend, then yesterday she started up, clanked a little then stalled out before Andy got out of the parking lot. At least she choice the least expensive place to have died. Though an awful weekend to die. We were supposed to drive out to the pumpkin patch with the corn maze tomorrow! There is no way to get there with out a car, so we are city bound once more. Unfortunately this means no beautiful fall photos. I was really excited to shoot. Bummer.

Fingers crossed she gets fixed. There are so many reasons I need her.

I will still be gracing my regulars at Stella with my latte making skills, but only two days a week now. I will also be bringing my latte skills to The Growling Rabbit – A Cafe.

The Growling Rabbit is a new Cafe in Rogers Park, Chicago. It is attached to Sweet Attila’s – A Bake Shop. So you really can’t loose. Fresh house made soups, salads, sandwiches, and select hot entrees currently including cottage pie and homemade mac and cheese or fresh baked goods! I’m excited to be working somewhere with fresh in house made food, good coffee,  seasonal offerings, that is involved in the farmers market on Glenwood, and with coworkers! So far everyone I’ve met there, seems really cool and most of them live here in Rogers Park. I’m ready for this new adventure.

I’m still job hunting though. I really still want that illusive photography job. Local entertainment press, online zines… Come on little town newspaper, you know you want me!!

I have a Groupon for the Chicago Botanic Gardens, I can’t wait to go! I also, really really really want to go dumpstering again, before it’s too cold. I miss going out at least once a week.

The Glenwood Ave Arts Fest is still the best art fest I’ve been to in Chicago. I have been to a lot of the free festivals too! What makes the Glenwood Festival better, for me at least, is the diversity and variety of options it offers. This year, I watched the performance of a traditional Uzbekistan wedding dance, a bluegrass band, a ska band, and a magic circus band, among many other performances!

As for the art available for purchase and to view, there was everything from your typical beaded jewelry and crochet baby hats to “say what you REALLY mean” cards and air plant terrariums. I may be a little bias toward the ‘say what you really mean’ cards, since my friends at Iron Woman Cards are the ones to make them. The cards really are hilarious though.

The Glenwood festival offers more than just artists sitting at booths, there are also open studios!  Local artists invite you into their work spaces to see finished and in-progress works. These works vary from paintings and drawings to elaborate sculptures and multimedia exhibitions.  There is also the B1E sculpture garden. The garden is there year round, but spruced up with new sights for the festival.

Evil Squirrel Comic shop had illustrator Brian J. Crowley, in house painting mini paintings for a dollar each. The shop also had a variety of specials on all things comic, from books to collector items.

The local shops offer a variety of foods, JB Alberto’s pizzeria had a separate stand out on the street serving up pizza by the slice. All of the restaurants along the streets had their doors open, and specials running. Red Line Tap had a 312 Tap truck with a few choices of beer. You’re actually allowed to wander the festival and sip your beer at the Glenwood Arts festival, unlike most Chicago festivals who don’t allow drinks on the streets.

I really enjoyed watching Deal’s Gone Bad (local Ska band, gone national) and Environmental Encroachment play. I even bought an EE shirt and CD. I have seen them play three times now, and always love it. Deal’s Gone Bad I had only seen once before, they opened for my Michigan Ska love Mustard Plug awhile ago. They were excellent! Unfortunately my local favorites the Mudflapps played at the same time as EE, so I only caught their last song, but they play in the neighborhood frequently, so hopefully I can catch them again soon when I don’t have to work super early the next morning!

For more photos check out my slide show on Time Out Chicago dot com!!