12/24/09
Boy, it's been a while since I blogged.
As I was sitting here at my computer, I thought it might be interesting to take a photo and kind of sum up my year. Here goes....
This was my first full year in my new house. I learned more about home ownership than I ever thought possible. As a result of having a home, I got a dog during the last week of February named Wrigley, a 6 year old retired racing Greyhound. It's really amazing how quickly you become attached to your dog. It was definitely a lifestyle change for me, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.
The company I work for is doing very well. Despite being in a recession, we grew by about 10% and we acquired another window company that was going out of business. In this economy where you have businesses closing up shop all over the place, we grew in size and in sales. I am very fortunate to work for such a good company.
My photography grew in leaps and bounds this year. I was in my first show back in July, and I took first place for Emerging Artist. It was (and probably still is) my best accomplishment for my photography to this day. Also, I just received an e-mail that my photograph "The Lone Passenger" was the overall runner-up in the 2009 CMAP (Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning) Photo Contest. I also had a few people e-mail me this year asking me to use different photos for different kinds of articles, blogs, etc. It was all a new experience to me, and I am always honored when someone asks to use one of my photos.
So... I could go on here, but I think that I will keep this short and sweet, and wrap it up here. 2009 was a good year, here's hoping that 2010 will be just as good if not better.
And to all of my friends and family that have supported my photography this year, I am very grateful for each and every one of you. Thank you for all of your support and feedback - you all are what inspire me to keep on pushing the button. Thank you. |
|
Be the first to post a comment.
|
10/16/09So what is it that you think of when you hear about Gary, Indiana? Do you think of a city with a high crime rate? Do you think of an economically depressed city? Do you think of the Jackson 5? Well, when I think about Gary, Indiana, I think of photo opportunities.
Sure, Gary is some of those things I listed above. Sure, it has high crime. Yes, it is economically depressed. Yes, there are a lot of abandoned buildings. But I think that Gary sometimes gets a bad rap. I've been there twice now, both times to take photos of abandoned buildings. Some walking was required on both these trips, and most of the people you meet on the street are very friendly. And it does appear that Gary is making an effort to make the town better. I saw several structures that were torn down, or being torn down. They truly are trying to bring new life into the city, which it desperately needs.
But I also see Gary in a different way. There's something about abandoned buildings that strikes me, and Gary is a great place to see abandoned buildings. One of them is the Palace Theater. Not sure how long it has been abandoned, but I'm guessing 30+ years.
The other popular destination for urban explorers is the old Gary Methodist Church. Again, I am not sure how long it has been abandoned, but I am guessing 30+ years.
Indeed it is sad to see these wonderful buildings in such a state of deterioration, but to me, it is also beautiful. I have always been fascinated with how nature tends to reclaim these once-great structures.
|
|
1 comment | Post comment
 | Thank you for this, Mike. I am drawn to abandoned homes, and think they're beautiful and sad...especially when you see the nail-holes on the mantel where children hung their stockings. You've taken some beautiful pictures. They are bleak, but say something profound about the passage of time and fleeting beauty. | -- Lynne Vogt, 10/16/09
|
|
9/27/09
Today truly marks the end of an era. After 81 years of operation, Kiddieland Amusement Park in Melrose Park, Illinois has closed for good.
Growing up in Oak Park, IL only minutes away from Kiddieland, my Father went here when he was a kid. Then, he took me and my brother here countless times when we were kids. And someday I had hoped to take my children here. But it's all a memory now.
Located at the corner of North and First Avenues directly across from Maywood Park Racetrack (another Chicago icon) Kiddieland was truly one of the last few surviving "old school" amusement parks left in existence. The Little Dipper roller coaster was the very first roller coaster I went on when I was all of 7 years old, and I can't tell you how many times I rode on that train. I remember that the train was always the last thing we would do before heading home.
My brother and I took my Dad here for one last time on Father's Day 2009 just for nostalgia purposes. I think my Dad and I had more fun than my brother did, but it kind of felt like for just that day it was OK to act like a kid again. I went back one other time after that, which is the same day I snapped the picture at the top of this blog entry. That's Bob Stuvee driving the steam engine, a Kiddieland employee for nearly three decades. He and I actually got to chat for a while after I snapped this shot. Such a nice guy... he seemed sad it was closing.
The reason for the closure of the park seems trivial to me... one set of family members own the land that park sits on, and another set of family members own the park itself. It's a damn shame they couldn't come to some sort of an agreement to keep the park open at least a few more years. But I guess that all good things must come to an end, and today truly marks the end of an era.
|
|
1 comment | Post comment
 | It is indeed a shame about Kiddieland closing. Some of my best memories are of there with your Grandfather and of course when I had you and Kevin there as little kids. The thing about Kiddieland that amazed me was how clean they kept it all these years. Although on Father's day I did notice a little neglect here and there, but overall it was still very well preserved. | -- Mike Brown Sr., 9/28/09
|
|
9/15/09
So I have noticed that lately I have been on a real train kick. I look at my Flickr page, and the first three pages are almost completely filled with train photos. Between Michigan City, Indiana where the South Shore Line is still street-running, and the Chicago Loop, I have been to a lot of places over the last few weeks to photograph trains.
My love of trains dates back to when I was a little kid. I grew up in Downers Grove, IL, just 4 blocks North of the very busy Burlington Northern Railway, now BNSF. Nicknamed "The Racetrack" due to it's high volume of both freight and passenger train traffic, it is the perfect place for a kid who adores trains to grow up. I remember watching the old Burlington Northern passenger trains roar through Downers Grove with my Dad, just like in the photo at the top of the blog entry. Here, my Dad and I sit at our favorite spot just West of Forest Avenue, a mere 6 blocks from the house where I grew up, watching an old Burlington Northern E-9 pass by us.
I guess that as I got older, I became a little less interested in them. When I was a little kid, I was infatuated with them, but as I grew into my teens, I became less interested. Then, when I became interested in photography, it sort of renewed my interest in them. I started noticing things about trains that I had not noticed before. I have to say that photography and trains go together like peanut butter and jelly. And I have had the chance to meet other railroad photographers that are very talented.
I had someone ask me not too long ago "What's your all time best train photo?" Well, it was really hard for me to figure that out, but I am pretty sure it's the one listed below. Enjoy.
|
|
1 comment | Post comment
 | Yea, just something about trains!! I miss those BN E's. I was actually on the final run when they ran triple-headed. I need to find those photos!!! Good stuff Mike, keep it up! | -- Chuck, 9/15/09
|
|
8/27/09
The South Shore Line is one of the last few surviving interurban lines in the country. In a nutshell, interurban means electric railroad. The line runs 7 days a week from Chicago's Millenium Station to South Bend, Indiana. But what makes train line so unique, is the fact that there is an approximately 2 mile stretch of tracks that run through Michigan City, Indiana right down the middle of the street.
Up until this July, I had never seen the South Shore in person. Last month I got to not only see it for the first time in person, but I got to ride it. The South Shore definetely has an "old school" feel to it. Even the ticket stub you get from the conductor looks like something right out of the old days. So, this past Sunday my brother and I set out for Michigan City to get some pictures of it running down the middle of 11th Street.
Ah yes... street running. This is the only stretch of the whole line that is still street running. And there have been talks over the years to permanently relocate the tracks off of the street, lifting speed restrictions and removing safety hazards (like idiot drivers who don't know how to share the road with a train). Heading out to Michigan City, I really just expected to get a few shots, spend some time at the Michigan City Outlet Mall, and then head home. As my brother and I stood at the corner of Washington and 11th Streets, we saw our first train. Bound for Chicago, it slowly made it's way west down 11th Street blaring it's horn. A horn like I had never heard before, and for some reason it just brought a big smile to my face as I clicked away with my camera. The whole street rumbled underneath us as it slowly rolled on by, along with the sounds of screeching metal. I was constantly clicking my camera for at least 30 seconds until the train rounded a curve and left our sight. I put down my camera and my brother and I looked at each other and just smiled and said that it was so cool. We were both just amazed that this piece of history was still working today, and it's a shame that someday soon it will be just a memory. We stayed for another few hours, watched a few more trains come on by, and then headed home to Illinois.
I'm glad I got pictures of it when I did, and hopefully I will make it back there someday soon. Someday, it will all be a memory.
|
|
Be the first to post a comment.
|
8/17/09 | Someone asked me recently how I got into photography. Well, I guess that's a good question.
One
day back in 2005, I was sitting at my desk at work surfing the
internet. I stumbled across some 80's movie trivia website, and it had
a page about the movie "The Blues Brothers." It had a list of trivia
facts about the movie, and one of those facts stated that the iconic
mall chase scene was filmed at a now-abandoned mall in Harvey,
Illinois. It also stated that it was still standing. It had a link to a
website called deadmalls.com which had photographs of the mall. And
from the moment I viewed those photos, it changed the way I viewed the
world. In a very short amount of time, I became obsessed with Dixie Square Mall.
I made my first trip to the mall with a friend of mine and my brother
in May 2005, and I am pretty sure that this is the first photo I ever
took there. Now, nearly 4 years later and over a dozen trips out here,
I have hundreds of photos of this place.
But ever since my first
visit to Dixie Square, a passion was born - my passion for photography.
I started out taking a lot of pictures of abandoned buildings. From
abandoned shopping malls, to abandoned Jewel stores, I explored it all.
Over the years, my love of trains has come through in my photography. I
am also starting to do more portraits. In the last 4 years, my
photography has grown in leaps and bounds. And to think.... it all
started with an abandoned shopping mall. |
|
5 comments | Read all | Post comment
 | Indeed it does Paul.... indeed it does. 4 years ago. Where did the time go? | -- Michael C. Brown, Jr., 8/20/09
|
| Ok....good enough. But bear in mind that while your taking it into consideration, I am only concerned primarily for YOUR safety and well being, that is from my heart. | -- Mike Brown Sr., 8/19/09
|
|
8/17/09 | OK, so most people will look at this photo and think that it's just
your typical train shot. Maybe it's composed a little differently than
your typical "wedge" shot, and the lighting is great, but it's just a
train, right? To someone that's not a train geek, yes. To a train geek
like myself, it's not just any ol' train.
The locomotive at the
head of this westbound train headed to Elgin, IL is none other that
Metra #611, one of two remaining EMD F40C locomotives left in
existence. Originally built for service only in Chicago on the
Milwaukee Road lines, the EMD F40C is a 6-axle diesel locomotive built
by General Motors Electro-Motive Division in 1974. There were only 15
of these units ever built. They are unique to other types of Metra
locomotives because of 2 main reasons: they are 6-axle vs. 4-axle, and
they have these very shiny stainless steel panels on the sides. From
1974 until about 2005 these F40Cs chugged along the Milwaukee Road
Lines which originate at Chicago's Union Station and terminate in Elgin
and Fox Lake. In 2005 all but 2 units were scrapped and replacement
locomotives were brought in. Metra decided to replace all 15 F40Cs
(numbered 600-614) but kept #611 and #614 as back-up units.
In
2009, some of the other Metra locomotives were also starting to show
their age, so they were sent off to be rebuilt. Metra then made the
decision to bring the two remaining F40Cs, the oldest locomotives in
the fleet, back into service.
OK - history lesson over now. So
knowing that there are only two of these type of locomotives left in
existence, I have to get my shots when I can. Nobody is really sure how
long these units will stick around. So today, I set out for
Bensenville. I decided to try and get a shot of one of these F40Cs from
the Route 83 bridge. I got to Bensenville around 430pm, right at the
beginning of rush hour. I parked my car, and started walking towards
the bridge. There was only a sidewalk on the east side of the bridge,
which was great for catching west bound trains. There's only one
problem - there's an 8' chain-link fence. And the traffic noise was
awful. 6 lanes of cars, trucks, semis blowing by me at 55 MPH, not to
mention the planes roaring overhead taking off from O'Hare.
The
weather was partly sunny at best. The skies were pretty much clear to
the east, but to the west there were giant clouds that kept blocking my
sunlight. After about 40 minutes, 4 trains had gone underneath me, and
each time it was cloudy. And there were no signs of an F40C anywhere.
After almost an hour, I was getting ready to call it a day, when I saw
the headlight of a west bound train rounding the curve about 2 miles
down the tracks. I looked behind me at the sun, and it was behind a
cloud, but the cloud was moving pretty quick. I didn't think I was
lucky enough to have the sun come out at exactly the same time as the
train was approaching the bridge, so I really thought nothing of it. I
waited, and I waited, and I waited. 5 minutes later, the train was
about 3/4 mile away from the bridge. I had my camera ready, but I knew
that the lighting would be horrible. Then, without warning, the sun
came bursting out from behind the cloud at just the right time, and at
that moment, I saw the numbers on the front of the locomotive - 611. It
was an F40C!!! My waiting paid off big time!!!
The shot turned out exactly how I wanted it to. Sometimes you get lucky. I guess today was my day.
|
|
Be the first to post a comment.
|
8/17/09
Part of the reason I started this blog was because I enjoy talking about my photos. Here's one from my past.
Let's
go back to December 26, 2008. The whole month of December had been very
cold, but on this particular day the temperature climbed all the way up
to 50 degrees! I remember it like it was yesterday... it was cloudy and
foggy all day, but at least it was 50 degrees! That night, I was having
coffee with my Mom and stepdad at Caribou Coffee in downtown Downers
Grove. It was getting kind of late, and the fog was getting really
thick - I just knew I had to be out taking pictures. So, I bid them
farewell, and walked across the street to the 1930s-era Chicago,
Burlington & Quincy Railroad station which is used today by Metra.
Looking down the tracks, visibility was probably less than 1/8th of a
mile. I mean, this fog was thick! However, the serchlight signals down
at Forest Avenue were showing a green board on the west bound track, so
I set up my tripod and waited for a train to come. And I waited. And I
waited. And I waited some more. After 35 minutes, and the signals still
displaying a green board, I decided to pack it up and call it a night.
It was 9:09 p.m. All of the sudden, literally out of nowhere, this
individual appeared. Almost like he (I'm assuming it was a he - I guess
it could have been a she) was sent by the photography Gods from above,
there he was. He stood still, silent and smoking a cigarette. I quickly
snapped a few shots, and left. I'm not even sure if he saw me standing
there, even though I was only about 50 yards away. Despite the fact
that I didn't get to see a train that night, it turned out pretty good.
In fact, it's probably one of the best photos I have ever taken.
Sometimes, the best shots are the ones you never intended to take. |
|
Be the first to post a comment.
|
8/17/09
I know, I know..... the title is kinda lame. But sometimes I have a
hard time coming up with creative titles for my photos - other times
it's easy.
This one is not particularly one of my favorite self
portraits. In fact, it's probably not even in my top ten. But it turned
out halfway decent, so I figured I would post it here.
While
driving home from a friend's house late on a Sunday night, I was kind
of reflecting on a few things in my life. As I was driving, I drove
right underneath a pedestrian bridge that spans at least a 1/4 mile
over Route 59 in southern Naperville. The photographer in me saw a
photo< I just wasn't sure where. So I found a place to park, and set
up my tripod. I stood there for at least 15 minutes before I took the
shot, taking it all in. The noise of the traffic, the hum of the red
chinese take-out sign, and the power lines strewn high above my head. I
just let it all soak in for a good 15 minutes. Then, I fired off about
10 exposures. This was the result.
|
|
Be the first to post a comment.
|
8/17/09I was sitting in front of my new 24" Viewsonic monitor tonight, when I
got a phone call from my Aunt Susie around 830pm. She said that they
sky was an awesome shade of pink, and that I just had to photograph it.
I didn't have a whole lot of time to get set up for a real good shot,
and I'm not 100% satisfied with this, but I think it turned out pretty
good. No edit, no crop.
|
|
Be the first to post a comment.
|
8/17/09Well, I guess that this is the beginning of this blog. This blog was
actually inspired by a friend of mine who has a photo blog, so I
figured I would start one too.
I got started in photography about 4 years ago. Bored at work one day while surfing the internet, I stumbled across a website
that had pictures of Dixie Square Mall. Dixie Square Mall is an
abandoned shopping mall that closed in 1979, then was rented out for 8
weeks by John Landis for the iconc mall chase scene in the 1980 cult
classic "The Blues Brothers." It has been abandoned ever since. After
viewing the pictures some 4 years ago, I nearly became obsessed with
the place. About 3 months later, I made my first trip out to the mall
with some friends. Ever since then, I had a new found fascination with
abandoned buildings. I would go to abandoned buildings and take
pictures then put them into an album. A friend finally turned me onto
Flickr, which is where I post my stuff today.
Fast forward to
today - I am now a pretty serious photographer. I was just in my first
art show this weekend, and took first place as an emerging artist. I am
creating this blog because I enjoy talking about my photography, and I
always love it when people ask me "how did you do that" or "where did
you take this shot?" That's what this blog is all about.
The
photo at the bottom of this blog is me at the above mentioned art
show. The two gentlemen next to me were my very first customers. Never
before that day had I sold a photo to someone for their own personal
use. Who knows... their purchase of my photos may have launched my
photography habit into a whole new direction.
|
|
Be the first to post a comment.
|
|
