2025 12 11
Visitor parking; spaces open! Chicago, Illinois. January, 2025. ยฉ Clayton Hauck
Another update on the โChina Situation,โ as I will now refer to it. If unfamiliar, please see: 2025 11 07; 2025 11 24
The trend remains! An even higher percentage of this here blogโs traffic is now originating in China (or my momโs infected computer). Up from a previous high of 70%, China now accounts for over 83% (!) of all visitors. At this pace, by the end of the year we suspect nine of every ten visitors to be Chinese (bots). By early next year, the figure might be at 100% or even 110%, assuming theyโve figured out how to mathematically make this possible.
My new theory is that the bots are infiltrating every detail of this blog in an effort to (finally) get me to sign up for a TikTok account. It wonโt work.
Instead, I think once the 100% threshold is inevitably reached, I will sell all of my photography equipment and get that juicy $80k/year salary job pushing carts at Costco that Iโve been dreaming about. While the Costco parking lot is perhaps my most dreaded place on Earth, I welcome the new life challenge.
-Clayton ๅกๅ้ฆๅ
2025 08 03
Meijer in an unknown location, but likely Indiana. November, 2022. ยฉ Clayton Hauck
If youโre paying attention, you mightโve noticed some images in recent days which were made back in late 2022. Iโve been digging through work made with my Ricoh (most of the images on this here blog are from one of my two Ricohs) in an effort to print some kind of zine/booklet situation. What, exactly, it will be is still unclear, however, it will definitely be a showcase of my personal photography and writing.
Unrelatedly, today my sister texted me a photo of the two booklets I made a decade prior. Those were less-so my own work and instead featured various things Iโd read over the past year, which I wanted to share with friends. This time, Iโll be sharing my own work instead of stealing things from others and reproducing them. One regret is not doing this sooner. Another regret is not continuing the tradition of printing things, whatever they may be, and sharing them with friends. I guess Iโve got some time to make up for and friends to make.
-Clayton
2025 07 02
Dollar General. Dixon, Illinois. June, 2025. ยฉ 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: itโs not what we know about the world thatโs really ourselves, itโs our habits and our inclinations, and the way we move through it; thatโs 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 Iโm a color junkie.
-Clayton