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

2025 06 12

Summer storms are the best. Chicago, Illinois. May, 2025. © Clayton Hauck

Lately, as I struggle to check all the things off of my daily mental to-do list, I’ve been finding myself walking around the house saying, “One thing at a time!”

Really, it’s a dozen things at a time, but if I just tell myself one thing at a time, perhaps I will eventually listen?

-Clayton

2025 06 11

Haley and Allison. Chicago, Illinois. May, 2025. © Clayton Hauck

Short one today, as I am knee deep in tasks. Taking a moment to appreciate these two lovely people I have in my life. As I get older, it becomes increasingly clear just how necessary it is to have loving and supporting people in your life. It’s something I neglected for years, as I spent far too much time focused on myself and advancing my own interests. Sure, I’m still full of interests and realistically take on more than I can handle, but if it wasn’t for these two, who knows how damaged my brain would be at this point.

-Clayton

2025 06 10

A glance back in time. Pontiac, Illinois. June, 2024. © Clayton Hauck

I was sent this video (below) and told to watch it, after seeing it pop into my feed and deciding not to (I follow Smarter Every Day but am trying my best to cut down on my youtube time lately). I’m glad it did seep into my brain (thanks Dave!). Honestly, the video resonates with me in so many ways I’m not even sure where to begin. Instead, I will only suggest you give it a watch yourself and see what you take away from it (it’s entertaining, too!).

The one thing I will relate it to here is my ongoing “Ill Wandering” photo project. While out exploring the state, I encounter so many places that clearly feel lost to time. This idea that America has declined, or at the very least changed beyond recognition, is real for so many people. I won’t even begin to get into the complexities here, but will say it’s something I spend a lot of time pondering and hopefully even more time documenting in the months and years ahead.

Oh! Also, I will be showing a few images from the series, for the first time ever, on June 20th during a photography show at my studio… just need to figure out which ones, which is always the hard part for me.

-Clayton

2025 06 09

Buddy, the dog. Chicago, Illinois. 2025. © Clayton Hauck

This will not become a dog blog; this will not become a dog blog; this will not become a dog blog.

That said, we have a dog now! Or, at least, we are co-parenting a dog now. Buddy, the dog. He’s the best. He’s a weirdo. And surely I will be making many more photos of the dude. But I promise not to post any of them here. Unless they’re too good not to, of course.

-Clayton

2025 06 08

Business, man. Chicago, Illinois. April, 2025. © Clayton Hauck

Today, Sunday, I was supposed to work but decided to take the day off, still exhausted from the shoot that wrapped the day prior. Making photos for a living has evolved quite dramatically in the twenty-odd years I’ve been doing it. Things move much faster and expectations are far higher, these days.

One quick story I’m reminded of that made me laugh:

My friend, and fellow commercial photographer, decided to capture his son’s prom night through well-lit portraits. He grabbed a bunch of his equipment from the studio, brought it home and set it up, and made a bunch of photos as the kids were getting ready to head out for the night. The kids then expected him to send them the photos immediately, surely so they could post them to social media, as people do. My friend, however, does not work that way. These photos had to first go off to his retoucher for touch-ups and processing before they could be considered finished. A week, maybe two weeks, then you can see the images, kids!

It’s both interesting and depressing to consider how value of images is lost, often immediately, by the inevitable passing of time. Like a new car driving off the lot, the photos you made last night that had everyone so excited, are often forgotten next day.

Last week, I had a stylist email me asking to see images from a campaign we shot a decade ago (!). My first thought was to laugh about how little value those images must have now. It was the largest budget for any production in my entire career, but after ten years, surely all of those images have met their end — replaced by cheaper images from nicer cameras, right? To my surprise, the stylist emailed back with some screen grabs she pulled off the client’s website, still proudly showing our decade-old images.

-Clayton

2025 06 07

The moon over White Pines Forest State Park, Oregon, Illinois. May, 2025. © Clayton Hauck

On Saturday mornings, my routine is to watch my rocket show after waking up. I put on my glasses, stumble downstairs, grab some cold brew and see what sort of wild adventures humans are up to this week. The show is a weekly youtube production by Marcus House which succinctly recaps whatever space exploration news happened during the week. This new hyper-focused DIY sort of media is one of the reasons I continue to be obsessed with youtube and spend far too much time consuming it.

Anyway, if you’re like me and find space exploration fascinating, check out Marcus’ channel.

-Clayton

2025 06 06

Beer and a shot. Sportsman’s, Chicago, Illinois. February, 2025. © Clayton Hauck

Friday is for beers (even though I’m posting this on Monday, because I was busy working over the weekend, so treating today as a “working weekend day” to allow myself some mental and physical recovery — that all makes sense, right?).

This photo is special because they handed me this High Life and the label was applied upside-down, which made me feel like I won some kind of Golden Ticket For Alcoholics to tour the Wonka brewery factory.

-Clayton

2025 06 05

Church. Chicago, Illinois. May, 2025. © Clayton Hauck

Now that we have a Chicago Pope, I’m thinking of being Catholic again. I think I’ve taken enough photos of this church over the years to be forgiven for my sins.

-Clayton

2025 06 04

I am fashion! Chicago, Illinois. April, 2025. © Clayton Hauck

It’s cute to make this declaration in a nondescript storefront off Western Avenue across from the Shell station. But people gotta dream, and I commend them for it! I’ve got a dozen or so dreams cooking up right now myself and surely a few of them feel as silly to others as this one does to me.

Keep dreamin’

-Clayton