2026 02 03: My B/W Era, an Update

Snowy courtyard scene. Chicago, Illinois. January, 2026. © Clayton Hauck

Previously, I wrote about being inspired by Matt Black and an urge to further explore b/w photography, among other things (see: 2024 02 20). Below is an update to the original post, as inspired to make over on my new Substack page (no worries — this here blog remains my main focus).

2024 02 20:

Friend and fellow photographer Jack Garland recently posted this great short feature on photographer Matt Black which got me inspired in a number of ways.

Preface: the main reason for this post was to share the piece, which is linked below, so skip ahead and watch that unless you want to also read me rambling about myself for the remainder. It is my therapy session (blog), after all.

Feeling at a crossroads in my own career due to the business of commercial photography being in a confused state, with AI on the rise, less work and lower budgets generally, and becoming older myself, I spend a lot of time scheming on what I should be focusing my time on. This isn’t a very efficient way to get things done, all the thinking, that is, but I tend to go all-in on things once I decide it’s the way to go so it is perhaps smart to think a bit before jumping into the deep end.

In no particular order, some thoughts that struck me while watching the video were:

1. I should shoot more black & white. I’m always so drawn to color but it’s probably best to expand my horizons and experiment more.

2. Traveling and photographing is something I really, really love and maybe should make this more of my focus. It’s a compromise though in many ways (time consuming, being away from people, expensive, no guaranteed success) so I always resist dedicating more time to it and taking it seriously.

3. Traveling the entire state of Illinois might be a fun compromise and interesting challenge. Maybe a good photo book project I can put a few years’ effort into while not being too far from home. It would greatly aide in my eventual run for governor as well (kidding).

4. Maybe it’s time to cut the commercial work off for a while and figure out what most resonates with me as a person. Live as an artist. Make work solely for myself.

5. Do more video work just like this video piece. It was really well done and exactly the kind of thing that inspired me to become a photographer from the start.

6. Take the wandering-man-with-camera video angle many people are doing on youtube to much success but elevating it a bit, getting deeper and more artistic with it.

7. Write more, like Matt in the video. Write about what I’m experiencing. Maybe this is where I’m already heading with this post? Maybe it becomes part of a photo book project? Maybe the writing becomes the work?

8. Get more invested into the world of art photography and open a photo book store. It’s an idea I’ve been stewing on for a while now and one I still like. Creating a home for photography-obsessed people such as myself seems like a smart move in many ways, though also a bit of a vague business model and perhaps less sustainable financially, with the potential of sucking up all my time in the process.

Clearly, lots of thinking going on in the old brain of mine. I thought it would be nice to get some of the thoughts down on paper and toss them into the world. Surely I will expand on some of them in the coming weeks, months, or years.

…

Fast forward to today, it’s interesting to look back on what was going through my head two years ago. In many ways, I’m in the same mindset now as I was then, however, I’ve also made significant progress on a few of those ideas.

The motivating force for making this post was that I’m currently in a bit of a black/white phase, as a contemplated back then (point one). It’s been fun and I like how it’s training me to visualize scenes in a different way than I would normally. Perhaps I’ll make a zine of the work down the road… but really, it has me seeing more potential for more thought-out and focused black/white projects.

Traveling (point two) remains my favorite thing to do when time allows. Having just returned from a job down in Louisville, I was able to put one day into my abstract Illinois Wandering project (point three), which led to a few decent images and even more grand ideas. I haven’t yet been able to figure out how to make this practice make money, though perhaps in time the images that are made from the trips will pay off in various ways. Photography as a job is always an abstract journey! While previously the commercial jobs were paying the bills, lately they have been few and far between (point four). It’s stressful financially but has allowed me to explore my own artistic impulses, which is rewarding in other ways.

While you might think the lack of jobs has allowed me huge amounts of free time, the exact opposite has been true, as I’m forced to fill in the gaps with other money-making endeavors (really, it’s mostly me scrambling to make enough money to cover my studio rent each month, which is a significant use of my time). Pivoting my career towards video (point five) and/or becoming a “Creative Agency” has been a serious consideration, but one that I’ve resisted and made a point to avoid if at all possible.

My longer term outlook on the creative field has me continually looking towards art instead of commerce, which likely goes against most peoples’ logic. I see too many headwinds to continue solely down the path of commercial photography without going crazy in the near future. I’d rather scrape by doing things I much rather enjoy.

Another takeaway from my recent working road trip was the discovery of the Cement City podcast, which I’m quite obsessed with. It’s a shining example of the sort of art I would choose to make in a magic-wand-waving scenario. Doing long term projects with audio, video (point six), and still images is something I could easily spend the rest of my days obsessing over if I didn’t have to worry about the mortgage and car payments. Does the world need more of this content? I guess that’s the bigger question, but I like to think my perspective is what makes all of this worth my time and gives value to the world. Maybe it’s wishful thinking, maybe it’s not.

Having said all of this, writing (point seven) remains something I aim to improve upon. While the goal is not to make money from writing directly (have no fear, I doubt I’ll ever go paid on here), I continue to think good writing is maybe the best skill one can have this day ‘n age. Not the I’ll-automate-some-text sort of writing, but communicating. Telling a story. The more I do these posts, the better I’ll get at realizing a bullet-point list/response of my own thoughts from two years ago is not the sort of gripping content that will hook people’s attention. Ho hum.

So there you have it, two years of my Creative Life summed up quickly. It’s daunting to me how time-consuming these big idea projects tend to be. If I get around to doing even a quarter of the projects I’ve saved in my notes, it’ll take me well into my later years.

-Clayton

PS - be sure to check out my new bookshop, Realm Books (point eight)! We carry some of the finest photobooks and zines you will ever lay your eyes upon! Seriously, though, it’s been remarkably inspiring to have access to such amazing books and I’m excited to see where the shop takes us in the years ahead.