2025 07 02
Dollar General. Dixon, Illinois. June, 2025. © Clayton Hauck
Some great nuggets in this talk with Tim Carpenter and Jason Lee. Photography is showing how you make sense of the world. Heidegger said: it’s not what we know about the world that’s really ourselves, it’s our habits and our inclinations, and the way we move through it; that’s who we really are.
When I pulled into the parking lot (reluctantly, as I loathe Dollar General) to buy some cups, this scene got me incredibly excited. I snapped a few frames out my window with the trusty Ricoh, and here we are, discussing it on the internet a week later.
Will it work as well in b/w? Likely not. Luckily I’m a color junkie.
-Clayton
2025 07 01
Dead plant. Chicago, Illinois. June, 2025. © Clayton Hauck
While out doing yard work this morning, I was pondering the idea of time, and how it’s so beneficial to work on tasks with the figurative wind at your back. It took me hours to give our yard a minimal dose of needed water, as I aim to help the plants I wish to thrive grow as big as they can in the time they have. Had Mother Nature decided to do the job for me, it would have been completed in mere minutes without my assistance. This may be an obvious observation, but lately I’m using this analogy quite a lot in my own life. As my list of tasks grows larger than possible to accomplish as one person, I can either choose triage or expand my capabilities through the help of others. Neglect is, of course, also an option. Like this plant, parts of my life will wither and die, with likely undesired weeds taking their place.
The garden is life. Everything can be compared to the garden.
-Clayton
2025 06 29
The bar at W.C Harlan, Baltimore, Maryland. September, 2024. © Clayton Hauck
I’ll be honest, I’m still dreaming and scheming of opening a bar. While this is no longer a main motivation of mine, there is still a somewhat realistic chance it will happen, though on a much smaller scale than previously attempted.
-Clayton
2025 06 28
Moonlight through bare trees. Chicago, Illinois. March, 2025. © Clayton Hauck
Take more photos of people! Nobody wants to look at the moon!
I get it, I get it.
Another Paulie B banger popped into my feed today, with photographer Andrew McEnaney, and it really inspired me to get more people into my personal work. It’s a work in progress, I swear! But it’s coming. Until then, you can enjoy the moon photos. Or not, that’s up to you.
-Clayton
2025 06 27
Another Busted Car. Chicago, Illinois. May, 2025. © Clayton Hauck
As I post another Busted Car image to this here blog (content!), I’m reminded of this banger Noah Kalina post from a few days back.
-Clayton
2025 06 26
Another Mr Peepers. Chicago, Illinois. May, 2025. © Clayton Hauck
It’s been too long since a Mr Peepers has made an appearance on this here blog.
-Clayton
2025 06 25
I’m Looking Through You by Tim Davis. Chicago, Illinois. August, 2024. © Clayton Hauck
Photobook Review: I’m Looking Through You by Tim Davis (Aperture)
Tim Davis is a guy who can write as well as he can make captivating images. Not only that, his style — vivid and humorous — comes through seamlessly in both forms. Definitively Tim Davis. Yes, that Tim Davis.
It was while wandering Expo (circa 2024. Yeah, I’m slow) over the summer that I stumbled upon the Aperture photobook store. Lustfully, I approached the booth with plans to fill a bag full of books, costs be dammed. I’ve been obsessing over Chicago’s lack of a good, dedicated photobook shop so was determined to take in the scenery fully, while contemplating the effort it might take to create a space like it myself somewhere in this barren town. While scanning the titles, one stood out from the pack, with its marbled colorful edge, bold colors, and the name of a photographer I was vaguely familiar with.
Tim Davis has a sense of humor very much in line with my own, as was apparent immediately through a quick flip through his book titled I’m Looking Through You. Into the bag it went! And home it sat on a shelf. For a few months, without being opened. I’m a busy important guy!
When I eventually found the time to crack it open and take it in, I was met with a dizzying succession of remarkable photos. To be quite honest, I was rather annoyed by how seemingly easy it is for Tim to grab such punchy human moments. Either that, or the man spends every waking hour canvassing the streets of the LA Area with his camera. His photos, good yet attainable, give you the sense that you, too, could be experiencing these moments if only you knew the right places to go.
Even the pictures I don’t really like — two dudes wrestling on the floor — make sense and become hilarious once you take everything in, words included.
But then there are the good ones! All-time classic images. Hilarious and relentless. The image made over the shoulder of someone in a cafe, fresh cup of coffee, peeping into his computer screen which shows a blank video project timeline — it’s an image that, for me, sums up the creative process. It’s how I feel sitting here with an empty Notes page staring back at me. And it’s amazing to see it visualized so perfectly in a photograph.
Giddy with joy, I even snapped a few photos of the images inside the book with my phone camera; a genuine stamp of approval from myself, a fellow competent photographer, as I bank images into my mental Things to Copy folder inside of my brain.
Tim mentioned his relocation to Los Angeles in search of fresh subject matter, along with his confident declaration that he knows how to make a good photo (“I know how to wrestle or squeeze significance out of almost any situation”). In some sick way, this confidence in his competence weighs things down a bit too much. We become overwhelmed by the zany, grasping for a baseline reality. All of life can’t be this fantastical, can it? Am I just not looking carefully enough? (Are the back to back tree images put in there to give us mere mortals a breather, Tim?). It’s the writing that rounds everything out and makes the whole thing make sense. Much like his photos, Tim’s writing style is one that makes me jealous in its ease of style and humor.
Since beginning to write this review roughly one year ago, I now have a photobook shop (kind of!). Here’s a blurb from my pop-up shop, Realm:
If you enjoy street photography or humor in art form, this book is a must buy. Great for yourself; great as a gift; or great as a special leave-behind on a public bus seat, for our generous customers looking to spread a little more joy through a world in serious need of becoming a bit less serious. This book is everything we love about photobooks.
(Editor’s note: Realm does not currently stock this title, which is a shame. We’re working to remedy this situation!)
Addendum
Robert Adams wrote:
Probably the best way to know what photographers think about their work, beyond consulting the internal evidence in that work, is to read or listen to what they say about pictures made by colleagues to precursors whom they admire. It is as close as photographers usually want to come to talking about their own intentions.
Yes. This is a book I very much wish had my name on the cover. Bravo, Tim Davis.
-Clayton
2025 06 24
Yard bags. Pekin, Illinois. March, 2025. © Clayton Hauck
If the shot isn’t interesting enough, just add a peace sign.
This snap spoke to me today because part of the reason I fell so behind on posting was: yard work. It’s that time of the year when all of the things which had been rumbling below the surface exploded upward once we got one of those much-needed rain showers. Our yard was transformed, seemingly overnight, from a respectable space to a showcase of weeds and invasive garden auditioners.
One fun takeaway from having a yard, that I think of often, is how plants are a lot like people. They all have different styles and sensibilities; some move fast while others take their time. The strategies for survival are as varied as the personality types of people. I like thinking about how all of us living things are kind of the same, yet so very different.
-Clayton
2025 06 23
Another day, another busted car. Chicago, Illinois. September, 2024. © Clayton Hauck
This is one of my favorite Busted Cars. I know I keep saying it, but I really do think a zine is needed to house these images. If only I’d been neatly organizing them on my hard drives. I need to get on the cloud or whatever y’all are using to search your image libraries these days.
-Clayton
2025 06 22
Open. Be Back Tuesday. Dixon, Illinois. May, 2025. © Clayton Hauck
It’s wild how quickly time moves on once you de-prioritize something from your life.
-Clayton
2025 06 21
Mike enjoys a brew. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. July 2024. © Clayton Hauck
It is the weekend.
-Clayton
2025 06 20
I see you (me). Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. September, 2024. © Clayton Hauck
Today (yesterday), I hosted an art photography show at my studio, some of which was my own work. We also hosted our photobook popup shop (Realm) at the event. While still photography-related, both of these ventures are still quite new to me. Earlier in the day, we met with two of Chicago’s most well-connected art photography people and I found myself feeling quite intimidated, if I’m being honest.
Anyway, this piece by Cate Hall entitled How to be more agentic was sent to me a few days ago by my pal Jack and it touches on a lot of the things I have going on in my life currently. It’s a quick read and well worth your time (and it only took me a week to get through it because, well, I’m grinding too hard for my own good).
-Clayton
2025 06 19
On the road, Ill Wandering. Rushville, Illinois. March, 2025. © Clayton Hauck
Here’s another image I printed for the show I’m hosting this Friday. This frame was a bit of a happy accident as a scrambled to capture the full moon while driving, but it’s the motion blur that makes it work. I will say, I prefer the color version of this with its beautiful and moody end-of-day light, however, I pushed myself to further explore black & white conversions for this show, since all of the images from David Catalano are without color and I didn’t want to stand out. Even though I typically prefer color, I do also love b/w and want to get better at processing images with tones I am happy with. Then, printing is a whole ‘nother challenge!
-Clayton
2025 06 18
House in spring. Mt Sterling, Illinois. March, 2025. © Clayton Hauck
I printed some recent Ill Wandering images in black & white, this one included, for a photography show this Friday, June 20th, at my studio. If you’re one of the three people who will see this post and are free that night, it would be swell if you could swing on through! There will be drinks and snacks, along with photos from two other photographers and our Realm photobook popup shop. In a way, it’s kind of like my own art photography coming out party, or at least that’s what it feels like.
More info about the event can be found here.
-Clayton
2025 06 17
Blink Bonnie. St Germain, Wisconsin. July, 2024. © Clayton Hauck
Dreaming of vacation as I’m three days behind on posting to this here blog…
-Clayton
2025 06 16
A happy barn! Kingdom, Illinois. May, 2025. © Clayton Hauck
At least, that’s how I see it (as a happy barn).
I’m going to be spending a lot of time in Kingdom, Illinois in the coming years. More on this another day. In fact, likely much more on this many more days…
-Clayton
2025 06 15
Sun sets on the flatland. Thawville, Illinois. June, 2024. © Clayton Hauck
Now that I’ve been at my Illinois Project for over a year (granted, actual shooting time has been quite minimal as I’m mostly busy fighting the fight in the big city), I’m starting to get a better sense of what it is I’m looking to do. Early images, such as this one made a year ago, while nice, are too pulled back. I’m not a landscape photographer, but I was finding myself making lots of landscape photos. I need to get in the action and find the vibes!
Yesterday, at our third Realm photobook shop popup, while surrounded by some of the best art photobooks on the market, I met a local photographer. He showed me some of what he’s been working on and I immediately found myself lost in the feelings of inadequacy. This guy’s work is very good and surely he’s well on his way to publishing a meaningful book. While that in itself is great, immediately comparing myself to him and focusing on my shortcomings is not a productive reaction. Part of what makes art great is that we all have different perspectives on the world. It’s what makes us stand out. Trying to make my images look more like his, or someone else’s, is not the right approach, in my humble opinion.
That said, there are definitely productive takeaways that can be had from these tough interactions! Two quick ones:
1) Shoot less like an editorial photogrpaher and more like an artist. I’ve been a working photographer for nearly two decades and my brain has been trained to give the client what they want. Whether it’s a large commercial project or small editorial assignment, I’m a people pleaser at the end of the day. The trouble with this is when I’m out making work for myself, I’m finding myself shooting as if I’m on assignment. I am, in a sense, on a self-assignment but I default to shooting around a scene to get all of the angles and then spending a ton of time pouring over the selects, toning & adjusting, which is very time consuming.
2) Stop comparing myself to others. I’m not the next Ansel Adams and never will be, nor do I want to be! Many people will have better work than me. It is what it is and, instead of getting jealous, I should focus on the things I can control myself. Perhaps this is an obvious one but I think it’s important to remind myself of this regularly!
I’m considering a new section on this here blog with all of my Ill Wandering posts. If it does ever turn into something (a book, likely), it would be nice to have all of these thoughts nearly organized to look back on (and probably laugh at). If that’s something you would be interested in, let me know below!
-Clayton
2025 06 14
Weekend beers. Old Schlitz sign. Gardner, Illinois. June, 2024. © Clayton Hauck
I’m still trying to figure out what to post, what not to post, from my Illinois Wanderings. I’m still trying to figure out what the project even is. This is not a bad thing, it’s the whole reason I started this here blog. To feel things out; to figure things out. What is working and what isn’t working.
-Clayton
2025 06 13
Main Street, minus the character. Canton, Illinois. March, 2025. © Clayton Hauck
Today, something I wrote for my See You Soon studio newsletter that just went out. If you want in on that action, you can sign up over yonder!
As the space continues to evolve, I myself can feel an evolution happening within me. It only makes sense, considering the world around us is changing in ways beyond our control. The commercial photography landscape, too, is unrecognizable compared to what it was when I got my start in it just over a decade ago. Difficulties aside, I continue to see all the changes as a positive (because you gotta stay positive!).
One big example of why I’m seeing the glass as half full is that I’ve had time to focus on areas of photography that have gone neglected for the last ten years, namely: Art!
Earlier this month, we said goodbye to a dear friend, Don’t Fret. While his passing is one that I am continuing to process, there are two immediate and actionable takeaways for me: (first, an obvious one) we have limited time on this planet; (second, a less obvious one) make shit happen; don’t fret.
Don’t Fret the artist was great at translating his endless flow of thoughts & ideas into the artwork he scattered throughout our fair city. My own personal final memories of my friend (…let’s make this about me!) will always be with regret — I hesitated to act. We’d begun filming a documentary about his life and his art, but due to my own perfectionism or hesitancy or whatever, we didn’t get nearly as much shot as hindsight could’ve allowed.
So for that reason, I am now entering my Don’t Fret Era. To sum it up: I’m focusing on the Art and Making Shit Happen. All of my photography obsessions which have been shoved into the closet because they aren’t commercial or sellable are now what I’m focusing on — the fact that Chicago does not have a photobook shop, a fact that has bugged me for years, is now my number one target.
On that note, and I swear we’ll wrap it up here, I would love it if you check out what we’re up to both here at the space and at the hopefully-soon-to-be new home of Realm, our collective answer to fill the hearts of Chicago’s photography obsessed.
-Clayton