08/19/08

More Than Meets the Eye

The cover for the August issue features a colorful image of famous Chicago architectural landmarks. At first glance, it looks like a collage of photos or illustrations of the buildings. Little do you know, that's a set of miniature paper models made from the Build Your Own Chicago postcards, by local designer Matt Bergstrom.

For those of us who don't read the cover photo credits (on page 10 of the August issue), this...

Posted at 04:12 PM in Behind the Scenes | Permalink | Comments (0)

08/04/08

Inside the Lolla Photo Pit

Just when you thought Snap had died a quiet, lonely death, we come back with the vengeance of a fat kid in line for ice cream on a hot day at Lollapalooza.

Brittney, the other half of Snap, is off on some beach in Mexico for her honeymoon, after a lovely (and genuinely fun) wedding two weekends ago. Me, sullen and lonely for my blogging partner, I trolled Grant Park for three days in the heat with heavy equipment on my shoulders, all to bring you photos from Lollapalooza...

Posted at 06:17 PM in Behind the Scenes | Permalink | Comments (2)

06/04/08

Day of Pigs

Many photo editors get to travel to the likes of Paris and Milan for glamorous fashion shoots. Given the local nature of this magazine, I find that most of my travels for work often are decidedly unglamorous. In early April, I donned pigtails, galoshes, and my "I Support Organic Farmers" T-shirt and headed out to a farm near LaGrange, Indiana. Photographer Kevin Banna, his assistants Bjorn Kavanaugh and Stevie Rischow, and I spent a day with farmer Greg Gunthorp and his pigs (See "Hello, Beautiful!" from our June issue)...

Posted at 04:01 PM in Behind the Scenes | Permalink | Comments (3)

05/09/08

Tulip Time

Spring! Sunshine! Tulips! All three are so fleeting around these parts, so we take time to appreciate these two sweet photos that capture recent lovely moments in our downtown. Check out the vibrant colors in the shot by Flickr's kellyhafermann, and admire the amazing angle and lighting captured by jeanneg...

Posted at 04:11 PM in Not Yo Mama's Kodachrome | Permalink | Comments (0)

04/18/08

Shooting Miss Maya Sinstress

Photographer Lisa Predko shot our April cover story, "Who Makes What," in early February. There was snow on the ground, frozen nosehairs in our nostrils, and bitterness in our hearts. Winter seems like like a distant memory now, but we feel we must share these photos with you.

Check out our behind-the-scenes look at the photoshoot for Miss Maya Sinstress, a fetish diva whom we interviewed for the salaries article. She brought with her several latex costumes, various fierce whips, and a bottle of lube (you'll see why in the photos)...

Posted at 05:19 PM in Behind the Scenes | Permalink | Comments (0)

04/10/08

Pretty, Dilapidated Stuff

Local photog and friend of historical landmarks Carey Primeau has a knack for making crumbling walls and piles of garbage look beautiful (as displayed in our February roundup of Flickr greats with the haunting photo of a deserted classroom from Chicago's Jacob Riis Elementary School).

Primeau recently expanded beyond Chicago's disregarded treasures and traveled through Europe visiting abandoned buildings destined to be forgotten by history...

Posted at 12:46 PM in Not Yo Mama's Kodachrome | Permalink | Comments (0)

04/01/08

At Least They Got Fukudome's Jersey Right

No, folks, this typo is not an April Fools' Day joke. The sculptor of the new Ernie Banks statue at Wrigley Field, unveiled Monday, really had no idea. We can't tell if Flickr user kellyhafermann was just catching a reflection or if she noticed the error, but we thank her for this timely shot, uploaded today.

In case you, like sculptor Lou Cella, haven't the faintest idea, the typo is a missing apostrophe. Be sure to check out other shots of the statue by Kelly...

Posted at 07:18 PM in Not Yo Mama's Kodachrome | Permalink | Comments (5)

03/27/08

Spring? Ha!

It's cold, snowy, dark, gloomy and depressing out. And yet, it really could be worse. Thanks to Flickr's chaosgurlpink for a reminder of the winter past—with just enough sunshine to help us look to the warm weather ahead of us. True spring weather is just around the corner ... right? ...

Posted at 12:56 PM in Not Yo Mama's Kodachrome | Permalink | Comments (1)

03/20/08

Because My Alma Mater Will Never Be Invited to the Big Dance

What is it about March Madness that makes a person hum the CBS tournament jingle and wave his or her index fingers rather violently in the air? Wait, maybe that's just me.

But seriously, the most exciting sports event in the world is finally here. I've filled out my bracket and paid my $5 (times are rough). Now I'm bracing myself for the least productive month of the year. I'm kidding. Hello, boss who might be reading this!

Anyway, long ago, I accepted the fact that the Northwestern Wildcats, in their flamboyant purple uniforms and glorious futility, will never...

Posted at 12:50 PM in Not Yo Mama's Kodachrome | Permalink | Comments (2)

03/19/08

Selling Pots on the El

This colorful snapshot, by Flickr's katherine of chicago is perfectly bright and cheery—with just the perfect amount of surreal—for this not-yet-spring day in March.

The unique shot of the Merchandize Mart El platform is part of a set in her account called "THIS is Chicago," which has everything from the Eye Can See Indian to abandoned furniture in cramped Chicago alleyways...

Posted at 03:52 PM in Not Yo Mama's Kodachrome | Permalink | Comments (0)