2025 01 24
Iāve always loved images made at night that feel like daytime. Day for night. This was a wild moon scene we encountered while out comet hunting and it almost looks like a stopped down photo of the sun mid-day.
-Clayton
Moon or sun? Benton Harbor, Michigan. October, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
Iāve always loved images made at night that feel like daytime. Day for night. This was a wild moon scene we encountered while out comet hunting and, upon reflection, it looks like a stopped down photo of the sun mid-day.
-Clayton
2025 01 23
I tried to buy a bar, but it didnāt work out. Maybe next time.
Iām now heading to said bar to blow off some steam and think about how Iām going to light tomorrow morningās portrait subject. And to figure out how to pay the studio rent, which just went up more per month than Iām being paid to take the portrait tomorrow. Photography economics are increasingly challenging.
Cheers!
-Clayton
The bar at McGregorās Blink Bonnie. St Germain, Wisconsin. July, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
I tried to buy a bar, but it didnāt work out. Maybe next time.
Iām now heading to said bar to blow off some steam and think about how Iām going to light tomorrow morningās portrait subject. And to figure out how to pay the studio rent, which just went up more per month than Iām being paid to take the portrait tomorrow. Photography economics are increasingly challenging.
Cheers!
-Clayton
2025 01 22
Train over Red Hot Ranch. Chicago, Illinois. December, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
I havenāt had a glizzy in too long. I dislike that term, but I learned it by eating a dog at the Ranch. I havenāt had a dog in far too long. Maybe tonight is the night.
-Clayton
2025 01 21
This is not a political blog. Stocks are up. Get back to work!
Yesterday was tough. It wasnāt just the immediate pivot through a pen that put our country on an aggressive path (I donāt mind some well-meaning aggression); it wasnāt just the the billionaire tech oligarchy showing up at morning mass, followed by selfies in front of the Capitol, followed by the best seats in the house (as governors waited outside), to watch their guy get sworn in without bothering to touch a bible in the process; it wasnāt the crypto tokens issued solely at the benefit of putting billions of dollars into the hands of Trump and his family ā peanut farms be dammed (āraise those flags, weāre celebratingā)!; it wasnāt just the ease at which Trump crammed in a full day of getting shit done, while his predecessor returned from another vacation, pardoned his entire family, and then flew off into the sunset never to be seen again; it wasnāt just the clear dog whistles, tone adjustment, and rewarding of behavior once seen as unlawful and unwanted ā whatever it takes to make his vision a reality is now fully endorsed and embraced by the Supreme Court through whatever means deemed necessary ā weāre living at the whims of one man, a man who has proven over and over to have a fragile ego and questionable character. Heās our man. Our dear leader, just as he wants it.
Keeping up appearances. Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery, Elwood, Illinois. June, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
This is not a political blog. Stocks are up. Get back to work!
Yesterday was tough. It wasnāt just the immediate pivot through a pen that put our country on an aggressive path (I donāt mind some well-meaning aggression); it wasnāt just the the billionaire tech oligarchy showing up at morning mass, followed by selfies in front of the Capitol, followed by the best seats in the house (as governors waited outside), to watch their guy get sworn in without bothering to touch a bible in the process; it wasnāt the crypto tokens issued solely at the benefit of putting billions of dollars into the hands of Trump and his family ā peanut farms be dammed (āraise those flags, weāre celebratingā)!; it wasnāt just the ease at which Trump crammed in a full day of getting shit done, while his predecessor returned from another vacation, pardoned his entire family, and then flew off into the sunset never to be seen again; it wasnāt just the clear dog whistles, tone adjustment, and rewarding of behavior once seen as unlawful and unwanted ā whatever it takes to make his vision a reality is now fully endorsed and embraced by the Supreme Court through whatever means deemed necessary ā weāre living at the whims of one man, a man who has proven over and over to have a fragile ego and questionable character. Heās our man. Our dear leader, just as he wants it.
Stocks are up. Nothing to see here. Get back to work!
We finally have a real dude (not some Elite) in charge of things and he alone can fix it, as surely he will. All he needs is four more years of madness and everything will be great again.
Most people I know are choosing to ignore the news and actively avoid learning about what is now happening. I get it, itās the clear best choice for maintaining your own sanity and keeping your house in order. Touching this madness in any way only leads to trouble. I made the decision to take it all in yesterday, to give myself a sense of whatās to come, and it left my brain hurt and heart confused. I get the outrage that led to this. I get the frustrations that led to this. I get the contempt for the Democratic Party that led to this. What I donāt understand, and what terrifies me, is how quickly we are ditching norms, scrapping laws, and enabling Trumpās darkest impulses ā weāre no longer hiding the executive orders from him, weāre stacking them up high and signing them in front of a live studio audience! Rile up the base and blame anything that goes wrong (as it will) on the opposition, the immigrants, them.
The Democratic Party is almost silent in response. The big guy who wears shorts to work is apparently switching sides this week. He likes to win, too, and thereās a feeling like the level-headed centrists and liberals will never win again. We have rolled over and are playing dead as the system now allows us almost no safeguards in opposition. Even a simple old blog post like this one feels kind of dangerous, like Iām about to be put on some list. Maybe I shouldāve voted Trump to at least have that on my file.
How far into the darkest we go before voters take notice, if voting is still a thing after the dust settles, I do not know. But I fear we can only fight crazy with even-more-crazy and weāre now on a long and steady path towards madness.
This is not a political blog. Stocks are up. Get back to work!
-Clayton
2025 01 20
Smoke at last sun. Chicago, Illinois. December, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
-Clayton
2025 01 19
Today, Sunday, is a day of relaxation. Tomorrow, Monday, begins the Trump Two Point Oh Era. Over the weekend, he launched a shitcoin which made him one of the worldās richest people in a matter of hours, while clearly plotting with TikTok to give him a quick PR win with the kids.
All of this is going on while millions of people like myself make a calculated effort to pay as little attention as possible to all of this because we know itās inevitable, unstoppable, and will only drive us slowly insane if we do. Everything is wrong; everything is right. God is dead and the aliens are here. Stay sane out there. Hereās Tom with the weather.
-Clayton
Chicago, Illinois. January, 2025. Ā© Clayton Hauck
Today, Sunday, is a day of relaxation. Tomorrow, Monday, begins the Trump Two Point Oh Era. Over the weekend, he launched a shitcoin which made him one of the worldās richest people in a matter of hours, while clearly plotting with TikTok to give him a quick PR win with the kids.
All of this is going on while millions of people like myself make a calculated effort to pay as little attention as possible to all of this because we know itās inevitable, unstoppable, and will only drive us slowly insane if we do. Everything is wrong; everything is right. God is dead and the aliens are here. Stay sane out there. Hereās Tom with the weather.
-Clayton
2025 01 18
This morning, I decided on a whim to start posting images I made for my new creative resolution to the socials (and this here blog) as I make them, in an effort to motivate me to make stronger images. Itāll be a process, no doubt, but weāll see where it takes us!
This image was from a short session on a dreary afternoon day in which I spent most of the time figuring out how the focus works on my new Ricoh GRiii (not to be confused with my old Ricoh GRiiix with the dirty sensor).
-Clayton
Man on ladder. Chicago, Illinois. January, 2025. Ā© Clayton Hauck
This morning, I decided on a whim to start posting images I made for my new creative resolution to the socials (and this here blog) as I make them, in an effort to motivate me to make stronger images. Itāll be a process, no doubt, but weāll see where it takes us!
This image was from a short session on a dreary afternoon day in which I spent most of the time figuring out how the focus works on my new Ricoh GRiii (not to be confused with my old Ricoh GRiiix with the dirty sensor).
-Clayton
2025 01 17
Iāve been quite distracted the last few weeks by contemplating and pursuing an endeavor that now seems clear wonāt happen. Meetings, discussions, reading, digesting youtube videos, all leading to a mostly self-imposed dead end. When you look at it like that, itās daunting. The right way to view it, I think, is to view the journey as beneficial progress that ultimately leads to something else down the road. Itās not the end of the line. Or, perhaps it is the end of this line, but the city is full of streets filled with opportunities and adventure. Already, this dead end has placed me at the start of a new road. Maybe this one has an outlet, maybe it doesnāt. Time will tell.
The challenge I have is figuring out how much time to spend traveling. You gotta know when to pick a destination and live in it for a while.
Do not enter. Greensburg, Pennsylvania. August, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
Iāve been quite distracted the last few weeks by contemplating and pursuing an endeavor that now seems clear wonāt happen. Meetings, discussions, reading, digesting youtube videos, all leading to a mostly self-imposed dead end. When you look at it like that, itās daunting. The right way to view it, I think, is to view the journey as beneficial progress that ultimately leads to something else down the road. Itās not the end of the line. Or, perhaps it is the end of this line, but the city is full of streets filled with opportunities and adventure. Already, this dead end has placed me at the start of a new road. Maybe this one has an outlet, maybe it doesnāt. Time will tell.
The challenge I have is figuring out how much time to spend traveling. You gotta know when to pick a destination and live in it for a while.
-Clayton
2025 01 16
āWe are creatures of sense and meaning who dwell in a universe devoid of sense and meaning.ā - Keith Ansell-Pearson
This quote seemed appropriate today, the day we lost the great David Lynch. I read it last night in photographer Tim Carpenterās book, which I just cracked and am aiming to finish before I take his online course on writing next week that Filter Photo is organizing.
Donāt forget to leave a little room for magic.
-Clayton
Teeth magic. Chicago, Illinois. December, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
āWe are creatures of sense and meaning who dwell in a universe devoid of sense and meaning.ā - Keith Ansell-Pearson
This quote seemed appropriate today, the day we lost the great David Lynch. I read it last night in photographer Tim Carpenterās book, which I just cracked and am aiming to finish before I take his online course on writing next week that Filter Photo is organizing.
Donāt forget to leave a little room for magic (and to floss).
-Clayton
2025 01 15
Yesterday, some events went down that were quite eye opening for me. At this point, itās rather well known how dangerous social media can be for our psychology, but that doesnāt stop most of us from using it all day, every day. I had a friend hit what Iād call rock bottom (he will disagree, of course), and it gave me some newfound urgency towards keeping better track of my own social media habits and usage.
Thereās a link to an article below by Kyla Scanlon, which I also happened to read the same morning, which is quite brilliant and the the closest thing to required reading that I can think of in these wild times. While I somewhat disagree with Kyla on the point of TikTok specifically (I am in favor of a full ban without Chinese reciprocity), she is incredibly poignant in her thoughts and views on this countriesā use of social media broadly.
āThe problem is that itās an addiction. We are addicted to being informed, which makes complete sense, because we are little animals. If the rabbit could know exactly what danger it could or will face, it would be all over RabbitTok. Our little brains love knowing exactly what is up, and we love being nosy. These platforms haven't created these desires - they've just monetized them with unprecedented efficiency. But itās making us inhumane.ā
Lone tree. Somewhere outside Woodstock, Illinois. December, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
Yesterday, some events went down that were quite eye opening for me. At this point, itās rather well known how dangerous social media can be for our psychology, but that doesnāt stop most of us from using it all day, every day. I had a friend hit what Iād call rock bottom (he will disagree, of course), and it gave me some newfound urgency towards keeping better track of my own social media habits and usage.
Thereās a link to an article below by Kyla Scanlon, which I also happened to read the same morning, which is quite brilliant and the the closest thing to required reading that I can think of in these wild times. While I somewhat disagree with Kyla on the point of TikTok specifically (I am in favor of a full ban without Chinese reciprocity), she is incredibly poignant in her thoughts and views on this countriesā use of social media broadly.
āThe problem is that itās an addiction. We are addicted to being informed, which makes complete sense, because we are little animals. If the rabbit could know exactly what danger it could or will face, it would be all over RabbitTok. Our little brains love knowing exactly what is up, and we love being nosy. These platforms haven't created these desires - they've just monetized them with unprecedented efficiency. But itās making us inhumane.ā
I read that passage and was like, yeah, she got me. She got us.
I highly urge you to check out her article here. And to limit your social media usage. Blogs are so much cooler, after all.
-Clayton
2025 01 14
Becoming an Event Space Owner in 2025
If youāve been to my studio space, dubbed See You Soon, youāve seen the stylish kitchen, bar, and fancy office partitions. Itās a dream urban loft space, and I often tell people I live thereā¦ I just donāt sleep there. Iām there a lot. The decision to open a studio space in the waning days of Covid lockdowns is one that was life changing for myself in many ways. Looking back, it was a time of excitement and optimism! The world was reopening; my commercial photography business was thriving; and I was betting on myself in a big way. It just made a lot of sense.
The room felt so good to me that I also decided to invest a huge amount of my own money into shaping the space into something I would be proud of, in the hopes of turning it into a more public-facing business not only open to photo and video production but also dinners, events, and gatherings of all shapes and forms.
Soon after opening, we had the exciting new mayoral candidate host a campaign event in our space and it was jam packed full of people, including multiple Congresswomen and a half dozen Alderpersons. Things were looking up! Things were exciting!
David Dondero was playing at my house, my house. Chicago, Illinois. September, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
Becoming an Event Space Owner in 2025
If youāve been to my studio space, dubbed See You Soon, youāve seen the stylish kitchen, bar, fancy office partitions, and disco bathroom. Itās a dream urban loft space, and I often tell people I live thereā¦ I just donāt sleep there. Iām there a lot. The decision to open a studio space in the waning days of Covid lockdowns is one that was life changing for myself in many ways. Looking back, it was a time of excitement and optimism! The world was reopening; my commercial photography business was thriving; and I was betting on myself in a big way. It just made a lot of sense.
The room felt so good to me that I also decided to invest a huge amount of my own money into shaping the space into something I would be proud of, in the hopes of turning it into a more public-facing business not only open to photo and video production but also dinners, events, and gatherings of all shapes and forms.
Soon after opening, we had the exciting new mayoral candidate host a campaign event in our space and it was jam packed full of people, including multiple Congresswomen and a half dozen Alderpersons. Things were looking up! Things were exciting!
Then reality struck.
Itās been about three years now since weāve been paying rent on the studio space, and I can easily say itās been the most challenging endeavor of my life. Almost immediately after opening, work slowed to a halt and our industry hit a downturn which still hasnāt quite managed to correct itself (and feels like it may never do so for a number of reasons we wonāt get into now). On top of that, our newly-renovated building was reassessed by the city and our tax payments more than doubled, increasing our rent by far more than we had anticipated. Then, the few studio bookings we did manage to get each seemed to have disaster strike (broken elevator, mouse infestation, parking lot problems, etc), likely turning people off from renting our space again in the future. More problems occurred, such as a deteriorating wall that needed extensive repairs, and now thereās a growing homeless encampment directly out the windows with an otherwise beautiful view of The 606.
It quickly became clear to me that making the space work as a photo studio alone would be impossible and I needed to focus quite a lot more on opening up the space for other uses.
Since opening, weāve done a huge amount of events that Iāve been proud of. Last week, we hosted the Chicago Bulls. Last year, I got married in the space! Weāve done multiple holiday markets featuring dozens of super talented artists and makers, art shows and artist talks, dozens of dinner events full of amazingly talented people, and even some live music including an all-time favorite artist of mine, David Dondero. I have no shortage of ideas on things we can host and organize, and itās been that spark of reconnecting with something I previously loved to do which has been super fulfilling. The creative juices are flowing. Bringing people together in real life has been a breath of fresh air for me. Iāve found that even while going through the most challenging phase of my career ā Iāve been the most happy. Less social media and more in-person socializing. Do I need an expensive studio space in order to make that happen? No, but itās been very motivating for me in many ways and the new connections Iāve made as a result are worth so much to me.
In December, the studio had an ambitious schedule that was tough for me to navigate. In part, itās a sign that Iām on the right track and it has me hopeful to be in a more sustainable place financially this year. But also, it made me realize that I either need to scale back my personal ambitious for the space or find a more sustainable path forward, specifically, involving other people. This is perhaps my strongest conviction this year ā in order to make my dreams become a reality, I will need to partner with, trust, and lean on others.
During an event one night last month while the studio was packed full of people, I had a wave of happiness wash over me, thinking that I was helping provide culture to the city. I put myself in the shoes of my own self twenty years ago and imagined how cool it wouldāve been to go to the place I now call my own. I want to build on this feeling and continue to shape the place into something that gives back in whatever small ways it is able to and provides a space for people to explore their own curiosities. Of course, all these dreams and ideas require time, which takes away from other creative projects I hope to focus on. As always, tās a tradeoff, but one I think is worth serious consideration. I imagine a life in which my sole job is to plan and host various events and it sounds quite fulfilling and exciting, even when factoring in the constant floor mopping required.
All that said, if youāve got a fun idea but need a space to make it happen, donāt hesitate to reach out. Letās talk. Letās make some magic happen this year! The world is crazy enough and the distraction is good.
-Clayton
This is one entry in a multi-part series of self-exploration and contemplation-out-loud in advance of the new calendar year. Some of this may happen; none of this may happen.
For the complete list of posts, see 2024 12 25.
2025 01 13
Iām going to print some zines this year. Iād been planning to do a zine of my Busted Car photos, but since Nathan Pearce just put one out, Iāll probably skip that idea.
Creativity is hard!
-Clayton
Another busted car. Chicago, Illinois. December 2025. Ā© Clayton Hauck
Iām going to print some zines this year. Iād been planning to do a zine of my Busted Car photos, but since Nathan Pearce just put one out, Iāll probably skip that idea.
Creativity is hard!
-Clayton
2025 01 12
Observing the light. Kimball Arts Center. Chicago, Illinois. October, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
2025 01 11
This year, Iām going to make a bumper sticker of this sign. Maybe Iāll make a whole damn bumper sticker shop if I can find the timeā¦
-Clayton
Costumers Parking. Chicago, Illinois. December, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
This year, Iām going to make a bumper sticker of this sign. Maybe Iāll make a whole damn bumper sticker shop if I can find the timeā¦
-Clayton
2025 01 10
āPhotography is about light, but photography without love is nothing.ā - Photographer John White (via Chicago Magazine)
-Clayton
For the love of the game. Slappy Curb. Chicago, Illinois. November, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
āPhotography is about light, but photography without love is nothing.ā - Photographer John White (via Chicago Magazine)
-Clayton
2025 01 08
Not dead! Chicago, Illinois. November, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
Iāve had local news coverage from LA on in the background all day today. Itās such a devastating, surreal, grim situation out there. Not sure what else to say about it aside from wish the best of luck for the safety of everyone out there. Fire is terrifying itself but fire mixed with intense wind is something else completely. Nothing you can do but pray. I canāt stop wondering how this started and thinking that it couldāve been one person that sparked the madness, whether maliciously or accidentally, which led to so much loss.
-Clayton
2025 01 07
This morning, I woke up to the news that Getty Images was merging with Shutterstock. I then logged onto Threads and saw outrage from a photographer about how the companies now have a monopoly and that we photographers should not allow this to happen!
Fast forward to the end of the day. Out of curiosity, I checked the stock prices to see what the market thinks of this soon-to-be photography monopoly. Well, at first they loved it! Prices of both companies soared. Then, the market took a moment to think about why these two companies that dominate the photography world decided to merge into one mega company, and the frantic buying turned into frantic selling.
Getty was up an impressive 89% (!) in early trading today before ending the day up a more modest 17%.
Shutterstock was up 48% in early trading today before ending the day up a more modest 14%.
My immediate takeaway this morning was not that this newly-created mega company was going to kill the photography industry but that it was a necessary hail mary by two companies that see the writing on the wall. If they donāt do something, they will die. If they do do something, they will still probably die. Ai is inevitable and itās depressing, to say the least, as someone who makes a living from making photos.
All this said, I donāt think photography is done. Hell, there will still even be quite a few people making a dang good living from photography for years to come. But the industry as a whole is in for a rough time and companies with market caps in the billions will no soon longer exist if their entire business depends on selling photography.
Good night, and good luck.
Nowā¦ back to the webinar Iām currently taking (along with three dozen other people!) on how to print photo zines. Yes, there is likely more demand than ever for making photos, which is cool! Itās the getting paid for making photos that will continue to get more challenging.
-Clayton
A town without people. Old Shawneetown, Illinois. April, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
This morning, I woke up to the news that Getty Images was merging with Shutterstock. I then logged onto Threads and saw outrage from a photographer about how the companies now have a monopoly and that we photographers should not allow this to happen!
Fast forward to the end of the day. Out of curiosity, I checked the stock prices to see what the market thinks of this soon-to-be photography monopoly. Well, at first they loved it! Prices of both companies soared. Then, the market took a moment to think about why these two companies that dominate the photography world decided to merge into one mega company, and the frantic buying turned into frantic selling.
Getty was up an impressive 89% (!) in early trading today before ending the day up a more modest 17%.
Shutterstock was up 48% in early trading today before ending the day up a more modest 14%.
My immediate takeaway this morning was not that this newly-created mega company was going to kill the photography industry but that it was a necessary hail mary by two companies that see the writing on the wall. If they donāt do something, they will die. If they do do something, they will still probably die. Ai is inevitable and itās depressing, to say the least, as someone who makes a living from making photos.
All this said, I donāt think photography is done. Hell, there will still even be quite a few people making a dang good living from photography for years to come. But the industry as a whole is in for a rough time and companies with market caps in the billions will no soon longer exist if their entire business depends on selling photography.
Good night, and good luck.
Nowā¦ back to the webinar Iām currently taking (along with three dozen other people!) on how to print photo zines. Yes, there is likely more demand than ever for making photos, which is cool! Itās the getting paid for making photos that will continue to get more challenging.
-Clayton