2024 08 30

Another day. Another ordinary house photo. Or is it? Chicago, Illinois. July, 2024. © Clayton Hauck

I’m standing in a cheap motel room outside of Pittsburgh with the clock ticking yet again dangerously close to missing a day of posting to this here blog. I’m amazed by how economic we’ll call it American hotel designs have become in a never-ending race towards maximizing profitability. Floors and walls seemingly made of cardboard and shower towels becoming so small they have nearly disappeared completely. But for simply sleeping eight or so hours, I’ll put up with all of this as long as the room is cheap, clean, and the bed is somewhat comfortable.

On my drive out here from Baltimore, I was reminded of a photo project I’d been wanting to do, which I never will do, due to it requiring a ridiculous amount of time to execute with likely underwhelming results. The idea is cute, though! While driving, my car’s navigation will often show me businesses that are located within residential neighborhoods. Usually they are expected (Haircuts by Jenn, Remarkable Wedding DJ Stan, etc), however, sometimes they are hilariously grand (International Shipping Inc, Global Finance Consulting, etc). I thought it would be fun to photograph these wildly ambitious corporate headquarters to create a series of images of mostly modest houses juxtaposed with the grand legal names. But the years of time it would take to compile this project is depressing when you consider Ai could build you similar-looking results in approximately ten seconds.

Side note: I drove past Baltimore Photo Space on my way out of town after an amazing taco dinner at Clavel and peered into the window with lustful eyes. Sadly, an actual visit to BPS will need to wait until who-knows-whenever I can get my ass back to Baltimore and be there on a Saturday morning.

-Clayton

2024 08 28

Quant house. Atlanta, Georgia. May, 2024. © Clayton Hauck

Squarespace just sent me an email saying that prices are going up. Immediately, then, the whole gallery page got fucked up because of bad hotel wifi. I’m starting to think that doing a big blog website on the squarespace platform was a bad idea, esp if this project continues for a number of years. I’ll be stuck! My big idea was to get off of social media and create a website I could control myself, however, I likely made a poor decision in choosing the convenience of the squarespace platform over the freedom of doing it myself on my own server with my own back end, Wordpress, or whatever.

You live, and you learn, and sometimes you forget and need to re-learn. But usually all of your money eventually ends up in the hands of the tech companies.

I’ll get back to posts with more purpose asap! Busy photographing on the beach and boardwark the next two days… going to be an exhausting shoot… need to use that sunscreen! Will get more into that, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh once I have a bit more downtime. Maybe.

-Clayton

2024 08 25

Bird on roof. Does he, too, enjoy a nice sunset? Chicago, Illinois. July, 2024. © Clayton Hauck

I’m sitting at a bar in Pittsburgh eating a breakfast burrito, attempting to get a quick post up. Anytime I’m in Pittsburgh, I wonder why I don’t live in Pittsburgh. It’s an incredible place for a guy like me. What this means, exactly, deserves a longer post. My last night in Cleveland (I crashed a party at BurkleHagen) deserves a longer post, too. I’ll get to it. Maybe.

I liked this image because I’d thought the bird had a worm in his mouth. When I went to edit it, I zoomed in and realized it’s just a gull and now I like the image much less.

I suspect this is why I don’t actually live in Pittsburgh. But you don’t know until you zoom in and see all the detail, which is hard to do on just a few quick visits.

Next stop: Baltimore

-Clayton

2024 08 18

An ordinary house, on a street, in Chicago, Illinois. July, 2024. © Clayton Hauck

Listening to Daniel Johnston right now. Going to attempt some free writing.

I feel like my photographic style is a lot like Daniel Johnston’s music in the sense that we don’t really know what we’re doing, we’re not too polished, we’re operating on feel, and we embrace mistakes. Sometimes the mistakes are better than the intentions. I’ll often go into an assignment and just set lights up and allow my intuition to take over. I’ve always wished I could play music, but I can’t, or at least I’ve never tried to seriously, but I imagine a good musician approaches performing like this… they just sort of know what to do. It’s intuitive. Dave Grohl was on an SNL rerun last night and all I could think about was how he seemed like a guy playing a rock star. The music felt performative and forced. The songs were good, sure, but it ain’t Nirvana. Imagine, however, being the guy who has to live up to Nirvana your whole life. With that head of hair, I’d probably be doing exactly what Dave Grolh is doing.

I was given drugs once and told to give them a chance. I ended up listening to Daniel Johsnton the entire night. On repeat, over and over and over again. I didn’t sleep. I couldn’t sleep. The sun came up and I got myself out of bed and walked down to the bar and wondered what had just happened. The intangibles in life are what I’m attracted to. Why does this shadow look interesting on the alley wall? Why are all of the best artists the ones that mostly go unnoticed by the rest of us? David Dondero and Lydia Davis and Bobby Conn and John Bellows and Tim Davis and Tim Kreider and Storm Jameson and Blaze Foley and a million other amazing artists largely being ignored by the rest of the world.

I (this post is clearly about me) once told my good friend I “wanted to be remembered” which he found insane. His interpretation was like on a George Washington level. My intention was like on a Dan Deacon level. Like if you know you know. The best of the best in a very specific category. I’ll never forget some of those Dan Deacon sets I witnessed a bunch of years ago. They will stick with me until the day I die like my body odor funk and receding hairline. My wish is to create art that sticks in people’s brains and has any sort of impact. Music and writing seem like the best ways to get there, but I’m a visual guy so photography is where I’ve landed. I’m still figuring this shit out but my instinct right now is to toss my laptop against the wall in protest of whatever-the-fuck I’m even talking about so I should leave it at that, crack a cold one, and calm down.

-Clayton

2024 08 14

Man, woman, dog. It’s the dog days of political summer. Wilmette, Illinois. June, 2024. © Clayton Hauck

This is not a politics blog.

I did have some thoughts while out on a run this morning that I wanted to put into words. Previously, my thinking was that, post-disaster-presidential-debate, there was no way both candidates would be on the ballot come November (see: 2024 06 28). Well, after some likely strong-arming by Democratic leadership behind the scenes, Biden did step aside, remarkably. This, obviously, changed the entire dynamic of the race in ways most of us likely did not expect. While the dust is still settling, it seems clear that Trump no longer seems like the clear favorite in the upcoming election.

All that said, I just wanted to get a dated, on-the-record prediction: that I now think it’s somewhat unlikely that Trump remains on the ticket himself. It’s still far from a guaranteed outcome, but I’d give it healthy odds: say, 5:1.

The most interesting outcome would be to see Trump take some kind of back-room plea deal and step aside to let Nikki Haley run atop the ticket (legalities of this may be dubious but surely they’d find a way), but I doubt the Grand Old Party would allow a woman to step into the role as they likely see having a man up there against a woman as their clear advantage. Time will tell. Crazier things have happened. We still may be stuck with the orange guy for another four plus years. I’m not getting too excited just yet.

This is not a politics blog.

-Clayton

2024 08 01

A break in the clouds through a reflection in the window of a house. Chicago, Illinois. April, 2024. © Clayton Hauck

I can’t believe it’s August. This year has just flown by, I think likely due to the fact that we’re still planning a wedding that’s going down in about a month and a half now. I can only hope time will slow back down once the wedding is behind us, but likely this won’t be the case.

I had been thinking that work was slow this year but I think it was largely a mirage and I’ve kind of been busier than ever. Previously, I’d have fewer large jobs with more downtime in between the shoots. Lately it has been more small jobs and a feeling of constant hustle. I’m also reworking my career a bit to focus more on video, which is time consuming in itself, while also contemplating a fully new and different endeavor on top of it all. It’s no surprise my hairs have been rapidly desaturating lately.

-Clayton

2024 07 11

My attempt at real estate photography. Do I have what it takes? Chicago, Illinois. May, 2024. © Clayton Hauck

The birds are telling me to make the damn picture!

Let me explain, before you call to get me sectioned (does the US have a term for this? mental institutions no longer exist here).

Even me, someone who makes an insane amount of photos, often struggles with not “getting the shot”. Lately, I’ve noticed an odd phenomenon where I’ll have a split second instinct to grab my camera from my pocket and make a specific image, but a slight moment of hesitancy or laziness happens. In this moment, appearing in “the frame” as my eye sees it, birds will suddenly appear perfectly positioned into what this image would have been had I picked up the camera and made the photo. I swear to you, this has happened an incredible amount of times in the last few weeks, to the point where I’m starting to wonder if the birds are trying to tell me something.

I love thinking about coincidence. At an early age, I would walk to school and so often, as I’d be passing a driveway, a car would be trying to pull into the driveway right as I crossed. For a while, I thought I was magnetic to cars or cursed or something, but being the smart kid I was, realized it was merely a coincidence. I’d walk past hundreds of driveways a week without a car approaching, it was just that the times when it did happen, those moments would stand out while all the others would be immediately forgotten. Okay, so I wasn’t cursed afterall.

Flash forward to today. Yes, I acknowledge birds are plentiful in my lived environment and there’s a high likelihood that these birds are just on their way to innocent bird business. But I’m not seeing it that way. I’m seeing this as a clear message from an entity I can’t begin to understand telling me I need to quit the over-thinking. Quit the hesitation. Cut the laziness, grab the damn camera, and make the photo your eyes are telling you to make, in the moment it happens.

If I don’t write back tomorrow, it’s likely because I’m in prison (America’s version of mental hospitals), where I’ll be making images of birds with my mind.

-Clayton

2024 06 10

Mr Peepers. Nashville, Tennessee. April, 2024. © Clayton Hauck

It’s another Monday Life Update. Not too much to report on this week, which is fine. It’s a bit more healthy compared to my more frantic update last week, which even had my mom worried about my mental health. Sure, I still to have quite a lot on my mind, but perhaps it’s a bit more focused, namely:

• We began production on a documentary film project. It’s still very early days and this project may or may not go anywhere (managing expectations), but we do have quite a lot of ideas on where to take it and we do now have one day of filming in the can, as they (used) to say. I still need to watch the footage and grade myself. Still learning new gear and how to record sound, etc.

• Still planning this wedding. Eleven tables are scheduled to be delivered any minute now. We spent the weekend figuring out our registry list. It won’t end until September.

• I picked up a Murakami book (After Dark) at a used sale while out getting coffee because a) I’ve been meaning to read more of him and b) I’m legitimately considering the idea of opening a bar, which he is (perhaps weirdly) someone I reference in my brain whenever this idea pops up. The writing is good and reminds me that I need to read more print, as I’ve been doing Audiobooks almost exclusively lately, often while running. Plus I’d love to go to Japan but don’t see that happening in real life soon, so at least I can take a trip in my head.

• Speaking of running: I had a crazy idea that I wanted to hit a marathon-length run before my September wedding date. Considering I am not in fantastic physical shape currently, this idea is quite unrealistic. I’ve scaled back my ambition to a half marathon.

• I’m being reminded how time consuming and involved video post production is. This was literally my job after college and I strayed from it for this exact reason. I need to discover a healthy and balanced relationship between shooting, which I love, and editing, which I feel like I can only either obsessively dive into or completely shun. It’s a work-in-progress.

• Lastly, this bar situation I’ve been subtly mentioning. Opening a bar has long been an idea which I’ve thought about. In my older years, the idea has faded as the realization of how much damn hard work it would be has taken hold. When you’re younger, you think of the upsides more than the darker realities. When you’re older, the time consumed doing the bullshit required tends to make you have second thoughts about everything.

  What’s crazy, though, is that my industry is in a bit of turmoil lately and most people I talk to have been siding with the idea of opening a bar over the idea of being a photographer. I’d been thinking I was greedy to even have these thoughts, but the amount of people who share my views, and have encouraged them, has been quite eye opening. I feel like a longer post about the state of commercial photography is in order. It’s complicated and complex, but the overall vibe on the streets these days is not a healthy one and something needs to change.

-Clayton

2024 01 27

Steubenville, Ohio. November, 2023. © Clayton Hauck

Be the Mysterious Artist.

I am not the mysterious artist. I am the oversharing, throw it all against the wall and see what sticks, just happy to be here artist. I’m not sure I’ll ever be the mysterious artist but I do see the appeal. Anyway, enjoy the daily photo!

-Clayton

PS in college I worked at a local video store and, as the youngest employee at the store (that was 85% porn), I was always intimidated by what the other employees liked or listened to. Don’t get me wrong, my Employee Picks section was pretty fire, but in terms of music I’d typically let the others lead the way. One guy would listen to Tom Waits a lot and this track always stuck out to me as being so moody and cool.

2024 01 23

The Florida Tropical House. Beverly Shores, Indiana. February, 2022. © Clayton Hauck

Back in early 2022 I worked on a really fun piece for the Wall Street Journal which sent me down to Beverly Shores, Indiana to photograph some of the wild houses they have that were originally built for the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair. The Florida Tropical House, pictured here, is now on the market and available to rent for $2.5million (it’s on National Park property so residents to these unique houses can only lease, not own them).

More images from my WSJ assignment here 📸

Zillow listing for The Florida House here

Link to WSJ piece here (paywalled)

-Clayton

2024 01 10

House with police lights. December, 2023. Chicago. ©Clayton Hauck

Clayton, what’s your secret to Photography Success?

You have to go to where the people are… BLOGS!

While I may be Old & Irrelevant now, photographing my neighbor’s house while police cart away someone across the street, I used to be Young & Relevant. Back then, I would also go out at night to photograph other Young & Relevant people and post those pictures on a photo blog called everyoneisfamous.com.

Am I, here, attempting to relive & duplicate my past successes by doing the same thing all over again in a slightly different approach?

Yup!

Will it work the same way?

Nope!

Have a nice day.

-Clayton

2024 01 09

Composited image of house on street in Chicago. December, 2023. © Clayton Hauck

Enter: Artificial Intelligence

Surely, I’m going to talk about AI quite a lot here in the weeks ahead. It’s a subject that takes up a lot of my brain space yet still don’t quite know what to think of it all. One real world result has already been an attempt to diversify my income away from strictly photogrpahy, as I do feel relatively pessimistic my job will still be around in a few years time.

Imagineers!

I moved to rebrand “photographers” to “imagineers,” largely because I wanted to be an Imagineer when I was a kid. Seriously, though, humanities’ relationship to The Image has been evolving drastically over the last few decades and there’s no telling where it will be in two decades more. My hunch, is that we’re fucked.

So how does AI relate to this image?

I like this photo! It does lack a little bit of detail, some humanity perhaps, to really make it sparkle, but it’s nice. Part of why I like it is a bit behind-the-scenes.

Firstly, the image was made with a ~20mp digitial RicohGR3x, however, it is stitched together from 4-5 captures (pano-style), thus giving it resolution and perspective that isn’t typical (and kind of looks a bit more like a wider lensed-medium format camera, partly because of the square crop).

Secondly, I used the Adobe “generative fill” aka AI to extend the top and bottom portions of the frame, as there was no information there. While this is a boring example of what’s possible with AI, the texture on the street doesn’t exist in real life and was a choice made mostly by the computers based on thousands or millions of other images and then partially by me, in choosing one of three I most liked.

Soon, 100% of images will be fully generated by AI and humanity will live in peace.

Enjoy!

-Clayton