2024 11 22
Yesterday, I had too many of these bad boys (cocktails) in what was the final night of a wild stretch of eight straight days of working every waking hour. Three big events and five days full of portrait sessions. Today, I enjoyed sleeping in while mending my hangover. I actually attempted to get a post up last night but fell asleep with the laptop in my arms. Yeah, I think itās time I give myself some well-needed rest. Hopefully part of that rest will be to get a bit more focus into this here blog. Itās not work if you love doing it, right??!
-Clayton
Blurry cocktail at Bryantās. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. July, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
Yesterday, I had too many of these bad boys (cocktails) in what was the final night of a wild stretch of eight straight days of working every waking hour. Three big events and five days full of portrait sessions. Today, I enjoyed sleeping in while mending my hangover. I actually attempted to get a post up last night but fell asleep with the laptop in my arms. Yeah, I think itās time I give myself some well-needed rest. Hopefully part of that rest will be to get a bit more focus into this here blog. Itās not work if you love doing it, right??!
-Clayton
2024 11 20
Dearest blog, I remain busy. Too busy to spend time with you. I wake, walk to the studio, make photos, edit photos, think about photos, invoice for photos, plan future events, then walk home, eat supper, and sleep. This has been my life the past five days. Tomorrow, there are no more new photos, so I will begin to catch up on other stuff and spend more time with you, dear blog.
-Clayton
Fellow photographer Carlos Javier Ortiz, out working. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. July, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
Dearest blog, I remain busy. Too busy to spend time with you. I wake, walk to the studio, make photos, edit photos, think about photos, invoice for photos, plan future events, then walk home, eat supper, and sleep. This has been my life the past five days. Tomorrow, there are no more new photos, so I will begin to catch up on other stuff and spend more time with you, dear blog.
-Clayton
2024 11 14
This is how I feel lately. Doing too much, canāt catch up, feeling like not much makes sense. I am, however, excited for a five-day run of studio portrait dates Iāll be setting up starting tomorrow night. Oh yeah, had a big post about that in the works too. Perhaps I will finally get it posted.
-Clayton
Self portrait. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. July, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
This is how I feel lately. Doing too much, canāt catch up, feeling like not much makes sense. I am, however, excited for a five-day run of studio portrait dates Iāll be setting up starting tomorrow night. Thereās a new petzval lens heading my way that Iāll be attempting to work into the process, as well. Oh yeah, thereās also a big post about that in the works too. Perhaps I will finally get it posted.
-Clayton
2024 11 05
Itās election day. Please make sure you vote! I wonāt get into the politics beyond this, aside to say this will be a historic day in American history, regardless the outcome.
Be safe, be kind, and good luck to all.
-Clayton
Trump fan on the roll during the RNC in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. July, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
Itās election day. Please make sure you vote! While far from a perfect candidate, I think Kamala is the clear choice for the top job. I wonāt get into the politics beyond this, aside to say this will be a historic day in American, regardless the outcome.
Be safe, be kind, and good luck to all.
-Clayton
2024 10 28
Recently I stumbled upon a tweet that really resonated with me. Someone had posted some clips of basketball games in Europe, with wildly enthusiastic fans, loud chanting, dancing, yelling, etc. The poster was wondering why NBA games in the US have nowhere near the same level of enthusiasm. Youād think that the worldās premiere league, in the country basketball was invented, being played by the worldās best players, would inspire fans to raise their level of enthusiasm to match. Brilliantly, someone responded with the most eloquently-simple reply that completely summed up the sole reason crowds in the US are often tame: a screen shot of ticket prices for an NBA game; each seat costing hundreds, if not thousands of dollars.
Back in 2016, I was fortunate enough to be a dedicated Cubs fan. That season, I attended a few dozen games at Wrigley Field (including game five!) and the atmosphere was usually incredible. Of course, the Cubs went on to win the World Series to conclude their storybook season. I recall a few days after they beat Cleveland, while coming off a massive life hangover with Trump winning the election to become president, I had a realization that really cheered me up. The Cubs roster was young and all of the contracts had many years remaining on them. The idea that the Cubs might be a new baseball dynasty, providing me with entertaining ball for years to come, really cheered me up.
As it played out, the Cubs did not maintain their level of excellence and the team ownership pulled their games from television (unless you subscribed to their own service), so I was no longer even able to watch games. I havenāt been much of a Cubs fan since then, but I bring all of this up because perhaps the even bigger reason I lost interest in maintaining my fandom was that going to games was no longer fun! After the team won their first Series in a century, the tickets become hot. Everyone wanted to hang out at Wrigley to watch the lovable no-longer-losers. As a result, ticket prices went way up. Ownership was thrilled and making tons of money, surely. Vast sections of the stadium, once open to anyone, got roped off and turned into special-access sections at elevated prices. All of this change severely rubbed off on the vibe inside the stadium. You could clearly feel it, if you were paying attention, as many people filling the seats no longer were. The wild enthusiasm from the previous season was severely muted and the team struggled to win games.
This idea that expensive things are obviously better is something that I have rejected, thankfully, my entire life. In fact, expensive things are often far worse than whatever you can grab in the discount bin. While my concept of how and why money ruins things is still quite vague and undefined, I do think it goes a long way in explaining why this country, specifically, is going through some shit right now (to put it lightly). Too many people have far too much money. And this is not to say I think socialism is the answer, because I donāt. But clearly you canāt buy taste and right now weāve got thousands of people out there thinking their money can buy whatever influence they want it to without realizing it doesnāt quite work like that.
-Clayton
Busted car, creative decoration. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. July, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
Recently I stumbled upon a tweet that really resonated with me. Someone had posted some clips of basketball games in Europe, with wildly enthusiastic fans, loud chanting, dancing, yelling, etc. The poster was wondering why NBA games in the US have nowhere near the same level of enthusiasm. Youād think that the worldās premiere league, in the country basketball was invented, being played by the worldās best players, would inspire fans to raise their level of enthusiasm to match. Brilliantly, someone responded with the most eloquently-simple reply that completely summed up the sole reason crowds in the US are often tame: a screen shot of ticket prices for an NBA game; each seat costing hundreds, if not thousands of dollars.
Back in 2016, I was fortunate enough to be a dedicated Cubs fan. That season, I attended a few dozen games at Wrigley Field (including the game five!) and the atmosphere was usually incredible. Of course, the Cubs went on to win the World Series to conclude their storybook season. I recall a few days after they beat Cleveland, while coming off a massive life hangover with Trump winning the election to become president, I had a realization that really cheered me up. The Cubs roster was young and all of the contracts had many years remaining on them. The idea that the Cubs might be a new baseball dynasty, providing me with entertaining ball for years to come, really cheered me up.
As it played out, the Cubs did not maintain their level of excellence and the team ownership pulled their games from television (unless you subscribed to their own service), so I was no longer even able to watch games. I havenāt been much of a Cubs fan since then, but I bring all of this up because perhaps the even bigger reason I lost interest in maintaining my fandom was that going to games was no longer fun! After the team won their first Series in a century, the tickets become hot. Everyone wanted to hang out at Wrigley to watch the lovable no-longer-losers. As a result, ticket prices went way up. Ownership was thrilled and making tons of money, surely. Vast sections of the stadium, once open to anyone, got roped off and turned into special-access sections at elevated prices. All of this change severely rubbed off on the vibe inside the stadium. You could clearly feel it, if you were paying attention, as many people filling the seats no longer were. The wild enthusiasm from the previous season was severely muted and the team struggled to win games.
This idea that expensive things are obviously better is something that I have rejected, thankfully, my entire life. In fact, expensive things are often far worse than whatever you can grab in the discount bin. While my concept of how and why money ruins things is still quite vague and undefined, I do think it goes a long way in explaining why this country, specifically, is going through some shit right now (to put it lightly). Too many people have far too much money. And this is not to say I think socialism is the answer, because I donāt. But clearly you canāt buy taste and right now weāve got thousands of people out there thinking their money can buy whatever influence they want it to without realizing it doesnāt quite work like that.
So many of us are clinging to our cash, willing to overlook whatever traces of morals we have left after decades of excess, in a desperate attempt to continue to attend bland sporting events.
-Clayton
2024 10 09
This morning, I was reading the newsletter of one of my favorite photographers, delivered conveniently to my inbox, and the last line hit me as being very nice. Spoiler alert, the line is this: Maybe the real adventure isn't in escaping to breathtaking vistas, but in finding wonder in the places everyone else is trying to leave behind.
I love the sentiment. Maybe one day I will deliver profound insights directly to your inbox. Until then, you have to come to this here blog to find whatever it is Iām putting down.
Oh yeah, you can find Noahās newsletter here.
-Clayton
Artist's rendering of what photographer Noah Kalina might look like. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. July, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
This morning, I was reading the newsletter of one of my favorite photographers, delivered conveniently to my inbox, and the last line hit me as being very nice. Spoiler alert, the line is this: Maybe the real adventure isn't in escaping to breathtaking vistas, but in finding wonder in the places everyone else is trying to leave behind.
Being a midwest boy for life, I love the sentiment. Maybe one day I will deliver profound insights directly to your inbox. Until then, you have to come to this here blog to find whatever it is Iām putting down.
Oh yeah, you can find Noahās newsletter here.
-Clayton
2024 10 07
The clock just struck midnight and I havenāt posted yet today (yesterday). Been a busy boy, still.
Itās been a minute since Iāve posted a Busted Carā¢ļø and this might be my favorite one yet! This was photographed while briefly in downtown Milwaukee on our way home from vacation in the Northwoods. The RNC was happening and this is probably the best photo I made in the few hours we spent in the hellscape that it was.
On a semi-related note, I canāt believe the election is right around the corner. Fuck.
-Clayton
Another busted car. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. July, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
The clock just struck midnight and I havenāt posted yet today (yesterday). Been a busy boy, still.
Itās been a minute since Iāve posted a Busted Carā¢ļø and this might be my favorite one yet! This was photographed while briefly in downtown Milwaukee on our way home from vacation in the Northwoods. The RNC was happening and this is probably the best photo I made in the few hours we spent in the hellscape that it was.
On a semi-related note, I canāt believe the election is right around the corner. Fuck.
-Clayton
2024 09 29
Up against the deadline, yet again. Iād love for this space to be a bit more photo-centric, to give me a break from writing something each and every day, even though that was sort of the reason for doing this in the first place. Maybe we take the website in a new direction next year. I was thinking wordpress might be the move, however, apparently wordpress is a mess these days as well. The internet is really losing its charm, isnāt it? I miss the days of pageview counters and blogrolls and animated gifs. Simpler times.
Iāll get back to posting things maybe worth reading one of these daysā¦
-Clayton
A night scene. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. July, 2024. Ā© Clayton Hauck
Up against the deadline, yet again. Iād love for this space to be a bit more photo-centric, to give me a break from writing something each and every day, even though that was sort of the reason for doing this in the first place. Maybe we take the website in a new direction next year. I was thinking wordpress might be the move, however, apparently wordpress is a mess these days as well. The internet is really losing its charm, isnāt it? I miss the days of pageview counters and blogrolls and animated gifs. Simpler times.
Iāll get back to posting things maybe worth reading one of these daysā¦
-Clayton