The One of a Kind Show happens only twice a year in Chicago. Hundreds of artists, craftspeople, jewelers, nuns selling handmade baked goods, glassblowers, psychedelic shoemakers and even photographers had flown in like swallows to Capistrano to display and sell their wares. Buyers eyed tiny knickknacks and ten thousand dollar wall displays in a colorful indoor street fair full of two and three dimensional eye candy. Their attention was on the merchandise, not on a smallish, silver haired photographer threading her way through this indoor bazaar, with a large camera and a passion for street photography.
What does it say about you when you decide you must record the crush of this scene? And that it’s worth the effort to lug a medium format camera to capture the detail? It shows me something about being an artist and knowing what artists go through to create art. Why do it? Does anyone who must create art have a good answer?
I am so passionate about street photography, creating and preserving the banal and extravagant images of everyday life. Seriously. I love creating these images. For years I have been shooting with classic street photography cameras. Hanging around my neck, my smaller Leica M’s and Q’s feel like a natural extension of my eyes and my passion.
Clearly, it’s more of a physical decision to record the street with a medium format camera. But it’s also more evidence that artists will overcome inconvenience for their art. Medium format is less convenient, but the story it records is rich and detailed; closer to an artist’s impossible drive to capture and tell the full story. What does this say about considering medium format street photography in the digital age of smaller cameras? For me its blazing a new trail. But if you have that need to create art, wanting to blaze a new trail and set yourself apart from the crowd should be old news.
As artists, we are emotionally attached to our work. It’s personal and driven by our vision. We are passionate about our craft. As a woman in her sixth decade of life, what would I impart to my younger self? What can I suggest to you? BLAZE YOUR OWN TRAIL. Follow your gut. Mine led me to Medium Street. Your path may lead you there as well
Short Stories on Medium Street
Walk and watch. There are small plays all around you on Medium Street, if you learn to see like a street photographer.
Dark Shadows on Medium Street
What better holiday than Halloween to discuss dark photography. An evening dining al fresco. A rainy night stroll. A walk down a
Walking With Vivian
What is street photography? Depends on who you ask! It’s a metaphor, it’s a memory, it’s a frozen moment, it’s a document
Old Friends and a New Lens on Medium Street
Sweaters? Dark mornings? How did that happen!? Chicago is grudgingly surrendering its idyllic 2024 Summer. As the smell of pumpkin spice crowds
Just Breathe On Medium Street
Electric fusion of Mexican Latino rhythms, tacos, tiny magical alebrije dogs and frogs, carved from wood and whimsically painted. Families in flag
Artistic Skinship on Medium Street
Twice a year Chicago hosts the largest “Call to Arms” in the country. The Villain Arts Chicago Tattoo Festival fills a cavernous
Dog Days of Summer
Dogs, dogs, dogs. You meet many interesting people during photo walks and dogs are some of the most interesting “people” that you
A Multi-Cultural Medium
Chicago is a tapestry of cultures and every summer they celebrate in the street. Every weekend, festivals honor neighborhoods, foods, authentic dress,
The Museum Is the Medium
Street photography belongs in the museum, and not just in frames, hung on the walls. Museums are temples of art, color, geometry
