Brad Pitt and I share the exact same birthday (month, day, year) outside of that, our stories diverge considerably. Mr. Pitt went on to become an internationally famous superstar, while I have led the much more interesting life of the starving artist. I come from a long line of storytellers (whose gift for gab stretches back through the mists of time to our native Ireland) and professional malcontents who were seemingly born to create something in the arts, be it music, writing, sculpture, painting, or photography. I started writing at age 12 with a screenplay with my cousin Ryan about a planet where everyone looked like Elton John entitled "Don't I Know You?" More screenplays followed, several of which received epic Super-8 production with budgets that sometimes ran up to $10. A few even had sound!  More writing followed: songs, poems, short stories, numerous unfinished novels, etc.. Somewhere in there was an attempt at being a rock star...
Still living at home, at age 22, my father dropped an elderly Nikromatt 35-mm film camera into my lap, in the hopes that I would "make a go of it" as a photojournalist. That didn't happen, but I did develop an abiding love of photography that along with writing and archival work have been among the chief passions of my life. When it comes to my photography, I try to be as creative as possible while at the same time striving for a documentary/archival quality. The only set rules I adhere to, when it comes to making pictures are: 1.) Try not to make the picture blurry, and 2.) Don't drop the camera.
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Comments (9)
Chipka
WOW...I remember that day! I still had the Czech Republic oozing out of my pores! It was chilly and wet. I like this quite a lot, it's not every day I see myself in a gallery that isn't my own! Great quality to the picture, you've caught the typical grunge-gray of Chicago, and I love the little splashes of color, and yeah...I was about to make a beeline to Walgreens as there was a can of Arizona "Sweet Tea" with my name on it. Great shot, and I love the on-the-fly feel of it. This looks like a high sneak factor shot, but I think it was just me being oblivious, as I often am.
elfin14doaks
LOL, great capture of Chip!
beachzz
OMG, there he is--the infamous Chipka!!! You got him perfectly--I love this shot, right to my faves!!
auntietk
Yay! :D claps wildly It is SO good to see Chip "in the flesh" as it were. Thank you so much for taking this shot and for sharing it with us. He's such "good people" and I'm way happy to see this!
MrsRatbag
Great candid shot of the man behind the stories!
nikolais
love the atmo of the moment!
durleybeachbum
Fab pic...a favourite for me too, to be able to see the 'voice', and get the feel of the place!
Annihilator-6
Gesturing with a cigarette... Now that's classy!
anahata.c
great comments! The man behind the stories! Terrific shot, and you got the surrounding chicago neighborhood—on a gray rainy day—perfectly. More fine chicago capture. And it's great to see the legendary Chip pointing, pontificating, creating, or just thinking about a tea. (I never heard of the stuff, but then there's a lot I don't know...) Fine portrait of your friend—who I think everyone is thrilled to see—and a fine capture of the hazy rainy cold chicago around him. Terrific. I have to stop for now—I have a million galleries yet to say hello to, lest they all decide I can go f. myself! But Ill be back. I'll be on RR once a week for a bit; (still recovering & work to catch up on)...but I'll be back for sure. A pleasure, as always. I love this gallery.