2024 11 11
Itās been a minute since Iāve done a proper Life Update and this week will be no different, however, the topic loosely applies. Iām in the early phase of a Pivot to Video, largely spurred by a collapse in demand for commercial photography, but also aided by a lifelong love of video and filmmaking (itās complicated why Iām not already more focused on it). In this phase, Iām spending a lot of time watching youtube videos. I swear, itās productiveā¦ at least to an extent. Film school is what I keep calling it. Realistically, thereās just a lot of new shit that I need to get up to speed on. Of course, Iām well aware that the only way to be successful at this new venture is not by watching videos but by doing it. Every damn day.
Most, if not all, of the credit to my success in commercial photography can be summed up by putting in the work. Spending the time. Consistent focus and dedication.
In my recent film schooling sessions, I came across a channel by DP Luc Forsyth because he did some camera tests I was curious about. Digging deeper into his channel, I watched this video linked below, which so brilliantly summed up these ideas on success within the industry, ideas I already fully agree with and believe in, but ideas I found interesting specifically because he put them in terms of growing his youtube channel as a working DP. This idea of starting a channel is one Iāve been dwelling on for years now, without taking the leap, mostly because I fully understand the challenges involved. Itās frustrating when I post some photos on Threads and they get zero likes. Itās frustrating when I post a blog to give away a print and get zero engagement. Itās likely far more frustrating to spend hours or your life painstakingly crafting and posting videos for them to go completely ignored by the eight or so billion people living in this world.
Luc summed up his growth projections so well and accurately:
1 year of weekly posting = 1,000 subscribers
2 years of weekly posting = 10,000 subscribers
3 years of weekly posting = 100,000 subscribers
This chart is the sole reason I donāt yet have a youtube channel. I know in my bones itās accurate, if not optimistic, and the sheer amount of time, energy, effort and focus required to put towards making a new video each and every week, without fail, is daunting. The idea that committing to this for a full year, after which you may get you a thousand subs is almost comical. But thatās not the reason to do it. Itās for year three. Year ten. Year twenty.
Iām already in my forties so the feeling that itās now or never, the feeling that Iām running short on time is very real and the biggest thing holding me back from going all-in on video. I still love still photography as well and not yet fully convinced I canāt make it work for another twenty years. Anyway, these are the things I am spending a lot of time thinking about lately.
-Clayton
To be great it takes years of consistent dedication. Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga photographed during a portrait shoot for Chicago Magazine at Wrigley Field. Chicago, Illinois. June, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
Itās been a minute since Iāve done a proper Life Update and this week will be no different, however, the topic loosely applies. Iām in the early phase of a Pivot to Video, largely spurred by a collapse in demand for commercial photography, but also aided by a lifelong love of video and filmmaking (itās complicated why Iām not already more focused on it). In this phase, Iām spending a lot of time watching youtube videos. I swear, itās productiveā¦ at least to an extent. Film school is what I keep calling it. Realistically, thereās just a lot of new shit that I need to get up to speed on. Of course, Iām well aware that the only way to be successful at this new venture is not by watching videos but by doing it. Every damn day.
Most, if not all, of the credit to my success in commercial photography can be summed up by putting in the work. Spending the time. Consistent focus and dedication.
In my recent film schooling sessions, I came across a channel by DP Luc Forsyth because he did some camera tests I was curious about. Digging deeper into his channel, I watched this video linked below, which so brilliantly summed up these ideas on success within the industry, ideas I already fully agree with and believe in, but ideas I found interesting specifically because he put them in terms of growing his youtube channel as a working DP. This idea of starting a channel is one Iāve been dwelling on for years now, without taking the leap, mostly because I fully understand the challenges involved. Itās frustrating when I post some photos on Threads and they get zero likes. Itās frustrating when I post a blog to give away a print and get zero engagement. Itās likely far more frustrating to spend hours or your life painstakingly crafting and posting videos for them to go completely ignored by the eight or so billion people living in this world.
Luc summed up his growth projections so well and accurately:
1 year of weekly posting = 1,000 subscribers
2 years of weekly posting = 10,000 subscribers
3 years of weekly posting = 100,000 subscribers
This chart is the sole reason I donāt yet have a youtube channel. I know in my bones itās accurate, if not optimistic, and the sheer amount of time, energy, effort and focus required to put towards making a new video each and every week, without fail, is daunting. The idea that committing to this for a full year, after which you may get you a thousand subs is almost comical. But thatās not the reason to do it. Itās for year three. Year ten. Year twenty.
Iām already in my forties so the feeling that itās now or never, the feeling that Iām running short on time is very real and the biggest thing holding me back from going all-in on video. I still love still photography as well and not yet fully convinced I canāt make it work for another twenty years. Anyway, these are the things I am spending a lot of time thinking about lately.
-Clayton
2024 07 29
This image is myself, stuck inside all day as the world passes on by me today. This is not to say Iāve had a bad day, itās actually been a great day! But here I am scrambling to get a post up before the day ends, as Iāve been frantically designing and printing a new commercial photography portfolio all day today before the deadline hits tomorrow. Fingers crossed, Iāll make it in time ā currently have thirteen of twenty-one spreads printed. Then Iāll need to punch and bind and pray it all fits together so that my agent can take it into an ad agency for a few people to casually flip thru and more likely completely ignore (while, yes, I sound like a negative nancy about this, Iām actually quite happy to be making a new book and feel like I should have done this years ago / plan to keep it updated moving forward even though itās rare we bring printed books out into the world these days).
This image did not make it into the portfolio. But a future zine, it very well may!
-Clayton
Yet another My Peepers. Chicago, Illinois. March, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
This image is myself, stuck inside all day as the world passes on by me today. This is not to say Iāve had a bad day, itās actually been a great day! But here I am scrambling to get a post up before the day ends, as Iāve been frantically designing and printing a new commercial photography portfolio all day today before the deadline hits tomorrow. Fingers crossed, Iāll make it in time ā currently have thirteen of twenty-one spreads printed. Then Iāll need to punch and bind and pray it all fits together so that my agent can take it into an ad agency for a few people to casually flip thru and more likely completely ignore (while, yes, I sound like a negative nancy about this, Iām actually quite happy to be making a new book and feel like I should have done this years ago / plan to keep it updated moving forward even though itās rare we bring printed books out into the world these days).
This image did not make it into the portfolio. But a future zine, it very well may!
-Clayton
2024 07 21
Itās Sunday. Nobody is here on Sunday. Itās a ghost town. That said, the internet is forever so I canāt just say whatever I want to say without eventually hearing about it from someone. A big part of why Iām doing this blog is to push myself more out of my comfort zone. To not hold back. To re-acquaint myself with the feeling of putting my art out into the world for everyone to judge. Sure, itās not going to be a banger photo every day. Sure, Iām going to sound like a maniac on occasion. Iām not perfect.
I scroll through the gallery page and what stands out to me is that thereās not enough people in my images. Likely, Iām holding back when Iām out making photos. Iāve got a bigger post with further elaboration on all of this hopefully in the works.
If you want some distraction this Sunday and are at all interested in Chicago music history, check out the video below which just popped into my feed. Itās a tour of the city with DJ Terry Hunter stopping by all the historic locations in town. Youtube is incredibleā¦ still donāt fully understand why Iām blogging and not youtubing. One of these days.
-Clayton
Allison at Maplewood, modelling for my first roll of film in a decade. Chicago, Illinois. March, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
Itās Sunday. Nobody is here on Sunday. Itās a ghost town. That said, the internet is forever so I canāt just say whatever I want to say without eventually hearing about it from someone. A big part of why Iām doing this blog is to push myself more out of my comfort zone. To not hold back. To re-acquaint myself with the feeling of putting my art out into the world for everyone to judge. Sure, itās not going to be a banger photo every day. Sure, Iām going to sound like a maniac on occasion. Iām not perfect.
I scroll through the gallery page and what stands out to me is that thereās not enough people in my images. Likely, Iām holding back when Iām out making photos. Iāve got a bigger post with further elaboration on all of this hopefully in the works.
If you want some distraction this Sunday and are at all interested in Chicago music history, check out the video below which just popped into my feed. Itās a tour of the city with DJ Terry Hunter stopping by all the historic locations in town. Youtube is incredibleā¦ still donāt fully understand why Iām blogging and not youtubing. One of these days.
-Clayton
2024 07 09
Too busy to blog. Relearning how to be a photographer. Busy drinking all the worldās best coffees. Busy planning a wedding; relearning how to make film photos; learning how to make all of the cocktails; thinking of opening a bar. Busy coming up with new ways of making money. Too busy to blog.
-Clayton
Kimball Arts Center. Chicago, Illinois. March, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
Too busy to blog. Relearning how to be a photographer. Busy drinking all the worldās best coffees, scheming and dreaming. Busy planning a wedding; doing my morning pages; relearning how to make film photos; learning how to make all of the cocktails; thinking of opening a bar. Busy coming up with new ways of making money. Too busy to blog.
-Clayton
2024 05 10
Someone posted that Steve Albini had more effect on Chicago than most mayors do, and thatās probably true. I never knew Steve, never met him, was aware of his existence and importance but vastly under-appreciated it until yesterday, when he sadly died far too soon. The entirety of my social feeds were flooded with Albini stories and memories, which was a joy to take in.
Albini most recently lived in the Ravenswood Gardens neighborhood. He told the Columbia College blog āIn the Loopā why he stayed in Chicago in a 2017 interview:
āThereās not a lot of bloodthirsty competition in Chicago. In places like New York and L.A. the cost of living is so high and the the notion of āindustryā is much more cemented. In L.A. there is a pop music industry, in New York there is a pop music industry, and thereās competition to be part of that. The competition to beat other people to the brass ring or whatever, and I never get that feeling in Chicago.ā
I loved this take about why Steve chose to stay in Chicago after finding fame in recording massively successful rock albums and I think it helps summarize why Chicagoans hold Steve in such high regard. He was a complex figure who did not take bullshit from anyone and was not afraid to call people out for anything he deemed wrong, which is not a personality type that tends to do well within the power structures of big time America among the coastal elites.
If you, like me, were not well versed in Albini and his brain, do yourself a favor and dig into him some more. Listen to his albums. Read some of his thoughts.
This Baffler piece, for example, written in 1993 is an epic takedown of the extreme power structures which built up around mainstream music, designed to suck as much money out of the artists as it possibly could. His writing style is direct, strong, and punchy! š
The official Nirvana twitter account posted the 4-page letter he wrote to the band before recording In Utero with them and itās an incredible read illustrating a wonderful piece of history. Check it out via the tweet linked below.
Rest in noise, Steve. Thanks for being you.
-Clayton
Old van that sits by my house collecting parking tickets. Chicago, Illinois. March, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
Someone posted that Steve Albini had more effect on Chicago than most mayors do, and thatās probably true. I never knew Steve, never met him, was aware of his existence and importance but vastly under-appreciated it until yesterday, when he sadly died far too soon. The entirety of my social feeds were flooded with Albini stories and memories, which was a joy to take in.
Albini most recently lived in the Ravenswood Gardens neighborhood. He told the Columbia College blog āIn the Loopā why he stayed in Chicago in a 2017 interview:
āThereās not a lot of bloodthirsty competition in Chicago. In places like New York and L.A. the cost of living is so high and the the notion of āindustryā is much more cemented. In L.A. there is a pop music industry, in New York there is a pop music industry, and thereās competition to be part of that. The competition to beat other people to the brass ring or whatever, and I never get that feeling in Chicago.ā
I loved this take about why Steve chose to stay in Chicago after finding fame in recording massively successful rock albums and I think it helps summarize why Chicagoans hold Steve in such high regard. He was a complex figure who did not take bullshit from anyone and was not afraid to call people out for anything he deemed wrong, which is not a personality type that tends to do well within the power structures of big time America among the coastal elites.
If you, like me, were not well versed in Albini and his brain, do yourself a favor and dig into him some more. Listen to his albums. Read some of his thoughts.
This Baffler piece, for example, written in 1993 is an epic takedown of the extreme power structures which built up around mainstream music, designed to suck as much money out of the artists as it possibly could. His writing style is direct, strong, and punchy! š
The official Nirvana twitter account posted the 4-page letter he wrote to the band before recording In Utero with them and itās an incredible read illustrating a wonderful piece of history. Check it out via the tweet linked below.
Rest in noise, Steve. Thanks for being you.
-Clayton
2024 05 06
Are you familiar with @paulie.bās āWalkie Talkieā series on YouTube? If youāre not, you should be!
https://www.pointingatstuff.com/2024/2024-05-06
Bart Simpson caught in the act at Slappy Curb. Chicago, Illinois. March, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
Caught this video over the weekend and had so many wonderful thoughts about it. Per the rules, we must discuss and share the link here. Iāll preface by saying this channel, by Paulie B, is fantastic and highly worth digging into for anyone even remotely interested in photography and definitely for anyone interested in street photography. The "walkie talkieā series has him tagging along with various street photographers and getting a peek into their process while an interview plays out alongside.
This specific episode featured a photographer I was not previously familiar with named Trevor Wisecup. His enthusiasm for the craft, perspective on life, and positive energy were all refreshing, inspiring, and had me wanting to pick up my camera and hit the streets. In general, the video reminded me of my younger self while also serving to push my current self a bit harder in the sense that, as you get older, sometimes you start to overthink things or self-doubt a bit more, or generally just lose the insane drive your younger self mightāve had.
As a lifelong Chicagoan, whenever I see videos like this I immediately regret not living in NYC. While making work of this nature is definitely possible here in Chicago (shoutout Vivian Maier) youāre going to need to put in twice as much time to get half the results as you will in a place like NYC which simply has the density of humanity needed to provide consistantly amazing street moments. Paulie B himself previously lived in Chicago and has since relocated to NYC. All this to say: I shouldnāt allow this one challenge to stop me from producing any work! Perhaps it could even allow me to think outside the box and make something more unique to me. I have ideas, they just need to be manifested, which can only happen once you leave the house. Thanks to Paulie for the endless inspiration to do just that (once I finish watching his channel, of course).
-Clayton
2024 05 03
Iāve returned from my big job in Atlanta and catching up on things. Maybe Iāll write more about photographing big production assignments sometime. Itās a fairly fascinating job. We took over an $800,000,000 airplane for the day, brought 40 people and a dozen trucks filled with endless stuff onto the busy airport tarmac, placed our āsunā lights onto a giant lift platform to get them high into the sky, and then ran through seven scenarios as if we were enjoying a flight 30,000 ft in the sky when in fact we were safely down on earth. While everything is being faked, I pride myself on making everything feel as real and authentic (creative director buzz word alert!) as we possibly can.
Speaking of creative directors on big production assignments: this is Zach skateboarding at Slappy Curb outside my See You Soon studio. We met last year on a big production job and one fun fact about him is he does not have any social media accounts. How amazing is that?!?
-Clayton
Slappy Curb in late afternoon sunlight. Chicago, Illinois. March, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
Iāve returned from my big job in Atlanta and am catching up on things. Maybe Iāll write more about photographing big production assignments sometime. Itās a fairly fascinating job. We took over an $800,000,000 airplane for the day, brought 40 people and a dozen trucks filled with endless stuff onto the busy airport tarmac, placed our āsunā lights onto a giant lift platform to get them high into the sky, and then ran through seven scenarios as if we were enjoying a flight 30,000 ft in the sky when in fact we were safely down on earth. While everything is being faked, I pride myself on making everything feel as real and authentic (creative director buzz word alert!) as we possibly can.
Speaking of creative directors on big production assignments: this is Zach skateboarding at Slappy Curb outside my See You Soon studio. We met last year on a big production assignment and one fun fact about Zach is he does not have any social media accounts. How amazing is that?!?
Image made from my first roll off teh Contax T2. I tried pre-focusing on the pavement, anticipating where heād end up, which worked a bit but didnāt quite nail it. The fun thing about shooting film is these imperfections often only enhance the image, anyway.
-Clayton
2024 04 23
Running late today. Hereās a picture of our neighborās dog from my first roll of film.
Itās interesting to think of who might have previously owned this used Contax T2 camera I am now using and what adventures they had with it. What moments they captured with it.
-Clayton
Roo the dog looks up at me as I figure out how to use my Contax T2. Chicago, Illinois. March, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
Running late today. Hereās a picture of our neighborās dog from my first roll of film.
Itās interesting to think of who might have previously owned this used Contax T2 camera I am now using and what adventures they had with it. What moments they captured with it.
-Clayton
2024 04 20
Itās beer oāclock for me. Iāve been running nonstop lately and need a day or two (will get one, at least, since Iām working Sunday).
Anyway, nobody cares about my grind. Itās just nice to be workingā¦ Hereās another film scan from my first roll of film in a decade or so. Itās nice to be back to the film game, even if itās just a few frames here and there. Maybe Iāll make it a bigger part of my work. Maybe I wonāt. Weāll see. My only regret is not sticking with it and then shunning it even more when it became cool. I still feeling like Iām trend chasing but what can you do?
Enjoy.
-Clayton
Dan drinks a delicious Maplewood beer. Chicago, Illinois. March, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
Itās beer oāclock for me. Iāve been running nonstop lately and need a day or two (will get one, at least, since Iām working Sunday).
Anyway, nobody cares about my grind. Itās just nice to be workingā¦ and I havenāt had a chance to bank some juicy blog posts in a while.
Hereās another film scan from my first roll of film in a decade or so. Itās nice to be back to the film game, even if itās just a few frames here and there. Maybe Iāll make it a bigger part of my work. Maybe I wonāt. Weāll see. My only regret is not sticking with it and then shunning it even more when it became cool. I still feeling like Iām trend chasing but what can you do?
Enjoy.
-Clayton
2024 04 19
āItās not my job to create meaning, but to charge the air so that meaning can occur.ā
Todd Hido is a smart guy, in addition to being a great photographer. Per my rule of writing about any youtube video I appreciate, below is a new Willem Verbeeck video that covers a lot of ground and is very much worth your time if you at all enjoy photography.
Todd has been someone I repeatedly turn to via various internet videos to distill info and wisdom about how the world of fine art photography works, as I contemplate a potential future book project or two of my own. While gathering enough ego and energy to take on a book project is rather daunting, one of Hidoās observations in the video is that photobooks have evolved into (he argues) the best way to discover new photographers these days. It used to be youād put in your time and maybe one day a publisher would decide you are worth of investment into a book, however, these days anyone can make a book relatively affordably. All that said, getting anyone to buy it is another can of worms entirely.
On the topic of Todd Hido and photobooks, I just purchased his Intimate Distance book at the aperture booth at Expo and excited to dig into it. If anyone reading this wants to stop by my studio sometime and discuss photobooks, hit me up! Working on making the first photobook club meetup a reality and itād be cool if it was more than myself talking into a mirror about how inspiring Some Say Ice is to me.
Another fitting takeaway from the video: How long does it take to make a project of photographs? Longer than you think. And itās important to let things steep for a while.
-Clayton
Neighborhood construction scene image made on film; my first roll in at least a decade! Contax T2 Kodak Gold. Chicago, Illinois. March, 2023. Ā© Clayton Hauck
āItās not my job to create meaning, but to charge the air so that meaning can occur.ā
Todd Hido is a smart guy, in addition to being a great photographer. Per my rule of writing about any youtube video I appreciate, below is a new Willem Verbeeck video that covers a lot of ground and is very much worth your time if you at all enjoy photography.
Todd has been someone I repeatedly turn to via various internet videos to distill info and wisdom about how the world of fine art photography works, as I contemplate a potential future book project or two of my own. While gathering enough ego and energy to take on a book project is rather daunting, one of Hidoās observations in the video is that photobooks have evolved into (he argues) the best way to discover new photographers these days. It used to be youād put in your time and maybe one day a publisher would decide you are worthy of investment into a book, however, these days anyone can make a book relatively affordably. All that said, getting anyone to buy it is another can of worms entirely.
On the topic of Todd Hido and photobooks, I just purchased his Intimate Distance book at the aperture booth at Expo and am excited to dig into it. If anyone reading this wants to stop by my studio sometime and discuss photobooks, hit me up! Working on making the first photobook club meetup a reality and itād be cool if it was more than myself talking into a mirror about how inspiring Some Say Ice is to me.
Another fitting takeaway from the video: How long does it take to make a project of photographs? āLonger than you think. And itās important to let things steep for a while,ā says Hido, which is proving to be a completely accurate assessment.
-Clayton