I grew up in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, seeing the skyscrapers off in the distance. I seem to move around a lot, but always near that big ol city, never expecting to actually live in it. Then I had a bit of a breakdown and ended up homeless on the southside of Chicago. I never lived on the street as I was given a bus pass to Pacific Garden mission and stayed there for almost two years. All of that is a long story and just might be a big part of my journaling here. Upon graduation I bought a Galaxy s2 phone and set out exploring and taking pictures in the alleys. Most photographers I noticed take pictures of the pretty buildings and skyline, but I wanted to record the stuff most people never saw. Chicago has 1,900 miles of alleys and in the last 4 years I've explored around 600 of them, taking pictures of the rusty beat up stuff, odd almost organic growth, graffiti and garage murals and artwork in out of the way places.It's really been a treasure hunt, good exercise and a calming escape away from the crowds for me.
I also do wild abstract computer graphics, been known to photobomb tourists at the Chicago bean, record videos of the subway buskers and build giant Lego spaceships. Oh, I used to build cages for tigers and lions and once was a bouncer at a church.
How long are these intros supposed to be?
That's all for now, nice to meet you soon!
