The Boy with The Pylon in his Side

The other night I saw this kid inexplicably traveling with Pylon on the El. What was he doing with that thing? What were his intentions? Teenage boys paired with construction equipment is almost never a good combination. It reminded me of a time in High School when my brother and I, inexplicably, had a road block sign in our bedroom. We thought it was hilarious. What was so cool about this kid though was that he was traveling on Public Transportation with this thing! Jealous of his sense of adventure I pulled my camera out and took some shots and attempted to capture this youthful scene. The kids, man, always will be cooler than an old square like me.

Pylon Boy 1, originally uploaded by Christopher Hiltz.

Pylon Boy 2, originally uploaded by Christopher Hiltz.

Pylon Boy 4, originally uploaded by Christopher Hiltz.

Attitude is Everything

I'm not sure I have the vocabulary to properly describe what the Chicago based band BomBBone sound like, but I can safely say that if you have the opportunity to see them in the future you should probably go. They're a stew of psychedelic-gypsy-waltz-punk who manage to combine Eastern European musical traditions with late 70s American rigor. The band played in Chicago on Saturday night at a place called The Cave, which is in the basement of a Serbian* cultural center. Before the show I asked the Bosnian born front man, Ron Terman, if he'd mind if I took some shots while they played. He told me to 'go nuts.' They did just that on stage, and I attempted to capture the delirium. See the entire set from the night right over here.

17, originally uploaded by Christopher Hiltz.

23, originally uploaded by Christopher Hiltz.

20, originally uploaded by Christopher Hiltz.

*The joint isn't run by Serbian Nationalists, so the Bosninans were safe. Whew!

The Boys in the Band

Generally speaking I don't usually enjoy photographing bands' live shows. Main reason is I think I sort of stink at it. Standing in a photo pit with a gaggle of other photographers all vying for a killer shot, bro and having nerd talk about gear is not how I like to spend a Friday night. But, when it's a friend's band playing at a small club where you don't have some burly brick house asking to see a photo pass, that's a different story. And when the band is as energetic as Noise by Numbers, well Hell, sign me up! Thus was the case on Friday night when the dudes played with Small Brown Bike at the Beat Kitchen here in Chicago. The fella below, Jeff By Numbers, he likes to move around on stage. A lot. A shit ton, even.

13, originally uploaded by Christopher Hiltz.

13, originally uploaded by Christopher Hiltz.

2, originally uploaded by Christopher Hiltz.

There's more Noise on Flickr.

Dark in the Daytime

Temperatures slipping like drunks, the Fourth Season is on its way.
Trees losing their Summer clothes, flashing winter their naked bones.
It's Only the River, it's Only the River...

Ronan, originally uploaded by Christopher Hiltz.

Albany, originally uploaded by Christopher Hiltz.

River, originally uploaded by Christopher Hiltz.

The Opposite Side of the Hand

This past weekend I was fortunate enough to Attend a wedding rather than Photograph one, so HK and I traveled up to the Northwestern Coast of Michigan for the festivities (which were lovely by the way, like Martha-Stewart-Wedding lovely) In between nuptial related events we explored the area of Glen Arbor, climbed on some Sleeping Bears, and drove around Lake Michigan. Growing up in Detroit my family spent our vacations in the Thumb area of the state, so this was my first opportunity to spend any time in these parts. I didn't bring my camera to the wedding but I brought it everywhere else...

Sky Dune Sky, originally uploaded by Christopher Hiltz.

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Tuft, originally uploaded by Christopher Hiltz.

Greater Lake, originally uploaded by Christopher Hiltz.

Gerry, originally uploaded by Christopher Hiltz.

Parimutuel Pictures

I had a preconceived notion of how images of race horses in motion would turn out, thinking I could capture their strength and speed through extended exposure and camera shake, envisioning the effect, impressing myself with the results. I was wrong. Recently I went to Arlington Park for an annual summer outing and took a bunch of shots of said horses. The outcome paralleled my wagers-a bust. Here are a few that are close to what I was going for, and that have an interesting look and feel to them, albeit still not quite right.

Ponies in Motion 1, originally uploaded by Christopher Hiltz.

Ponies in Motion 2, originally uploaded by Christopher Hiltz.

Although I like the idea of planning out shots in advance for a change (this is not one of my strong suits) I realize that just thinking about a shoot for a few minutes doesn't mean that I'm magically going to get the results I'm going for. I should have learned this 1628495 years ago. Better late than never...

Ponies in Motion 3, originally uploaded by Christopher Hiltz.