2025 09 30
Mysterious house. Chicago, Illinois. October, 2024. © Clayton Hauck
I’m not entirely sure why, but most times I pass this house I feel an urge to make a photo of it.
-Clayton
2025 09 29
Dead mall. Chicagoland. October, 2024. © Clayton Hauck
My buddy who I haven’t spoken with in a while just asked what’s new?
My reply: Everything, kind of. Working my ass off trying to learn some new skills and invent some new revenue sources in a world where soon most visuals will be instantly generated by machines run on electricity that I subsidize.
Yeah, that kinda sums up my mood these days. I’m working nonstop, all of the time, in a seemingly fleeting attempt to keep my lifestyle afloat. I’m not sure it will work but I keep telling myself that if it does come to a worst case scenario, I will have plenty of company.
-Clayton
2025 09 27
Map of the outlying area of Dixon, Illinois. © Clayton Hauck
I love maps. Previously, I mentioned my recent obsession with Open Front, a free online game in the style of the civ series. This game continues to fill gaps in my daily productivity. Now, a new game is about the drop which has me very concerned: Subway Builder. While I haven’t yet played it, I can already tell I will be spending many brain hours building train networks around the world. Good luck future productivity.
-Clayton
2025 09 26
Solo cloud. Somewhere west of Chicago, Illinois. August, 2025. © Clayton Hauck
In designing my new zine project, I wanted the size to be Goldilocks; not too large but also not too small. I like the idea of letting the images shine on their own, and printing too small can remove some of the magic, in my opinion. That said, going bigger gets expensive and becomes a hassle to ship and handle. I settled on 8” x 10” vertical layout, despite the fact that I would’ve preferred a less wide (ie: an even smaller) form. The two factors that led me to compromise, in a sense, were: a) I much prefer horizontal images and get triggered by how much I’m almost forced to shoot vertical these days because of the cell phone. The winder aspect ratio allows for more room for horizontal images; and b) the added room on the page allows for some creativity in layout design. While the aim is to keep things relatively simple, I love the fact that zines are lower stakes productions and you can have a bit more fun with them. My goal is to partner with designers on future issues and explore more possibilities.
This image will likely get printed in a future zine. Be on the lookout for it in the year 2027. Seriously though, the “visual journal” zines I will be producing will be running a few years behind when I actually made the images. They gotta cook, slow!
You can pre-order my first zine drop and snag a free (8x10) print in the precess here.
-Clayton
2025 09 25
Pointing at Stuff, now in zine form! Chicago, Illinois. September, 2025. © Clayton Hauck
Have you heard? Print is back! I’ve decided to take this here blog, or at least a new incarnation of it, and make it a printed book. You can now pre-order the first edition over on our photobook shop Realm. The process of making this (while not yet finished) has been thoroughly enjoyable and the aim is to put out two of these per year moving forward. Any pre-orders also get a signed print. It’s a so good you should probably drop everything and go pre-order your copy immediately!
I’ll get into more detail about the book in the coming days or weeks. I’ve got a lot of writing on the back-burner these days…
-Clayton
2025 09 24
Another day, another Happy Barn. Kingdom, Illinois. July, 2025. © Clayton Hauck
Prevously, see: 2025 06 16
-Clayton
2025 09 23
Bare tree in summer. Franklin Grove, Illinois. August, 2025. © Clayton Hauck
-Clayton
2025 09 22
No Parking. Ashland, Wisconsin. July, 2025. © Clayton Hauck
It’s a bit surreal to spend a weekend with friends, bopping around Chicago and falling in love with the place all over again, only to open up your social media on Monday morning to read about how the president is pledging to “save” your city after Charlie Kirk pleaded with him to do so. I grew up in the same area as Kirk and attended the same high school as he did. I’ve lived in Chicagoland all of my life and love it now as much as I ever have. Obviously, we all have our opinions and perspectives on the world (and yes, of course there are issues here), but the stark juxtaposition between what I’m seeing with my own eyes vs. what I’m hearing from outraged folks on the internet… and running our country… is maybe more concerning than anything I’ve yet to encounter in my life. An administration with total immunity to enact whatever policies it wants, choosing my own hometown to make an example out of, is not at all a pleasing thought, esp when you consider the perspective they choosing to view us by — the enemy — whom Trump admittedly hates.
Last week I had a dream about a missile flying overhead and exploding at a nearby but safe-for-me distance. It gave me the feeling that, while there are big issues happening around us, we are still relatively safe to carry on with our lives. It was still someone else’s problem. Then, an ominous motorcycle drone rounded the corner, clearly seeking us, perhaps for a new missile target. As I was startled awake, I couldn’t help but feel for the millions of people currently living in these exact conditions on a daily basis in Gaza, Ukraine, or elsewhere. Then I wondered if we might soon have to learn how to live with the bombs ourselves here in Chicago.
-Clayton
2025 09 21
MP shows off his battle scars. Chicago, Illinois. July, 2025. © Clayton Hauck
We’ve now done 11 Realm popups. It has become a real job quicker than I’d imagined. It doesn’t help that my partner is out of the country this month, leaving me with much of the work to handle myself. I don’t mind it, but am starting to notice myself falling behind on things I’d previously been on top of, like updating this here blog.
I’m due to get some more thoughts out and writing helps me do that. Aiming to get a post about my portraits project up this week, and perhaps another one on the bookshop if I can find the time.
-Clayton
2025 09 20
A walk on the beach. Benton Harbor, Michigan. October, 2024. © Clayton Hauck
I continue to get excited for sweater weather, but the beach weather just won’t quit these days. Eighty degrees this weekend; eighty degrees next weekend. It might finally be time to move to Canada, eh?
-Clayton
2025 09 17
Some of my photos hanging on the wall. Chicago, Illinois. June, 2025. © Clayton Hauck
I continue to be behind on so many things. Clearly, this is because I am doing (or at least attempting to do) far too many things. One of the big things I need to do is catch up on editing my Illinois Wandering personal images I’ve made this year. Perhaps even more importantly, I need to send out all of the photos I’ve made of people on the road whom I told I would send photos to. I’m convinced this is creating some kind of cosmic jam that is preventing me from moving forward on a number of things. Sorry, everyone. I will send you those images I promised you soon.
-Clayton
2025 09 14
Allison. Chicago, Illinois. July, 2025. © Clayton Hauck
Today is the one-year anniversary of our wedding. Off to celebrate, a bit!
-Clayton
2025 09 13
Neon art. Chicago, Illinois. May, 2025. © Clayton Hauck
I have a friend who is having weird thoughts. I’m beginning to get concerned. He wants to be an artist, he says. He’s doing all sorts of things that don’t make any logical sense. He wiped his social media clear of all normal photos. No selfies, no family, no friends. People are calling him, asking him what’s the meaning of all this. To this, he calmly explains himself, but this only gets the people even more riled up and angry. I think a wellness check is in order. Maybe he’s got a couple screws loose. I think I need to distance myself from him; to claim I never met the fella.
-Clayton
2025 09 11
Bay Theater. Ashland, Wisconsin. July, 2025. © Clayton Hauck
Seeking Stephen Shore. Didn’t find him, but got the book.
-Clayton