2024 02 15

Abandoned roller coaster. Williams Grove, Pennsylvania. November, 2023. © Clayton Hauck

As a young guy, I was obsessed with roller coasters. I’d spend hours drawing and designing them, hours more building them virtually in Roller Coaster Tycoon, and in my spare time beyond this, would travel the country riding them with my fellow coaster nerd friends. At one coaster nerd meetup event, I made a friend named Jack who remains one of my best buds to this day. While we don’t spend nearly as much time obsessing over amusement attractions these days, we still have similar viewpoints on many things, so when I saw his IG story summarizing his thoughts on last night’s Super Bowl festivities, it really hit me. I found myself in a bad mood after the game and wasn’t really sure why but his post made it make some sense.

Reposted without permission via @JackIsFun on Instagram:

“Anyone else a little revolted by the Super Bowl? Obviously nonstop ads for junk food and soda, crass commercialization of everything to create want and profit off middle and lower class Americans, plus pure BS from the NFL and advertisers about mental health when they are part of the problem by pushing all this junk, consumption, chasing status, etc. And, of course, it’s in Las Vegas.

THEN - one by one - the winners all declare that their accomplishment means nothing and it’s back to the grind tomorrow. No time to take it in and enjoy the view. A win means nothing. A dynasty is everything. Just work, just dominate, never stop, in a sport that literally kills you. But, hey, oh yeah, mental health is important. America. ✌️”

— Jack

More on this coaster nerd stuff another day…

-Clayton

2024 02 10

Somewhere in rural Pennsylvania. Or maybe it was Ohio? November, 2023. © Clayton Hauck

In my early photographer days, I’d spend 20% of my time making photos and 80% of my time editing (fixing) them.

These days, I spend 25% of my time finding clients to pay me to make photos, 15% of my time making photos, 15% of my time editing, organizing and backing up photos, 15% of my time contemplating my decisions, 10% of my time cleaning the studio, 5% of my time doing accounting and legal, 5% of my time watching youtube tutorials, 5% of my time updating firmware, and 5% of my time on a daily blog post.

-Clayton

2024 02 09

Troy Hill neighborhood. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. November, 2023. © Clayton Hauck

Seeking Spaces Corners.

Before departing Pittsburgh on my way out to New Jersey, I stopped by the Spaces Corners space, however, they were closed, and I didn’t have an appointment, and don’t know them personally, so I just wandered the cute lil neighborhood for a bit (have I mentioned how much I love Pittsburgh?) and snapped a few photos before hitting the road.

I’d been planning to use this entry to pen some thoughts on a new photo book by Ed Panar, one of the Spaces Corners owners, which I’ve been really excited to receive, however, the book hasn’t been delivered yet (I think my order is being help up by the Sofia Coppola book not being in stock so Baltimore Photo Space is waiting for that before shipping). Ed is a favorite photographer of mine and, considering the book features one of my favorite cities, I’ve been super excited to check it out.

I might just be romanticizing it but Pittsburgh seems like a cheat code for making great images. The angles, the textures, the people, the grit, the seasons, the topography. I continue to tell anyone who will listen it’s one of the most underrated cities in the country. Another underrated city in my opinion is Baltimore, which is home to the aforementioned bookstore I ordered Ed’s book from. Since the book hasn’t arrived yet and I can’t talk about it, I’ll instead talk about photo book stores.

Weird transition aside, I’ve been a bit obsessed with the idea of opening up some kind of photo book store for like a year now. The idea, generally, would be to use my existing See You Soon studio location as a home base and open the place up to customers, similar to what BPS does, either by appointment or on limited weekend hours. To make the whole endevour make financial sense, I’d need to do a solid amount of web sales, which is mostly what’s holding me back (packing, shipping, order fulfillment, emails, more shipping, more emails, are not exactly my favorite things to spend my time on). But I love the idea of setting up the space as a bit of a hub for photography, with photo books being a main aspect, in addition to hosting shows, talks, meetups, etc. Chicago is a bit lacking in options for where to buy and browse new photo books (otherwise known as a business opportunity?).

Perhaps writing about the idea and putting it out into the world will somehow help me decide if this idea is worth pursuing or not. If you have thoughts, leave a comment! — side note: Upon writing this I realized the comment box was not visible on the blog. I’d been getting bummed about nobody leaving comments over a month into this daily posting (each blog ending with a large “Comments (0)” but hadn’t ever noticed there was no way to comment, as the form had been hidden until I switched a setting to enable it. There has to be some kind of extrapolation in this? Focusing on the negatives without assessing the issue. Sure a photo book store will create a lot of unwanted busy work, but perhaps the upside will be a worth the effort: a plethora of new comments, friends, and opportunity!

-Clayton

2024 02 08

Stranger on the street. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. November, 2023 © Clayton Hauck

Humans of Pittsburgh dot com? Another one from my quick wanderings in Pittsburgh late last year. Have I mentioned how much I love that city and kinda sorta want to live there? Maybe I could live there part time? The reason I ran into this person was because I was walking around the Lawrenceville neighborhood where I’ve been Zillow surfing and found a building I loved that was also affordable… which got me thinking I could try to pull of a See You Soon Pittsburgh… which I realize is insane so I never acted on it… but I enjoy living the dream out in my head.

I’ve long admired Studs Terkel and have thought it would be fun to emulate his career, wandering the land documenting people and their stories through photos and words. This dream, too, remains one I live out mostly in my head, but perhaps some day might pursue. There are some youtubers (this word is so lame and makes this thought lose credibility) who do a great job of living the Studs Terkel Life. Bald And Bankrupt is perhaps my favorite of the bunch, though a polarizing figure. Yes, he posts plenty of clickbait content solely designed to grow his audience, however, some of his wanderings in obscure post-Soviet towns forgotten by time are among my favorite things to watch. They have provided a context to me as I hear these places mentioned on the news after they’re bombed into oblivion by their neighbors. Ho hum.

Slice of Life for life. It’s a big world full of endless slices. When you can enjoy the mundane details, you’ve got a lot to live for.

-Clayton

2024 02 07

Street scene in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. November, 2023. © Clayton Hauck

I love simple images like this. Do I wish there was a striking woman in a blue dress holding a red balloon and a cake on her way to a birthday party slightly off-center in frame? Yes. Should I use AI to make it happen? No — but I did!

You gotta hand it to AI: Matching the dress (even tho I specified a different color) with the window shades was a brilliant move. The mutilated face also adds a nice touch and makes you wonder the backstory to this woman. Was she just splashed with a cup of acid while still keeping a positive attitude about it? I’d love to know her story and it’s truly what makes this an iconic image, fully thanks to AI.

-Clayton

2024 02 06

Dog peeking out window (Mr. Peepers) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. November, 2023. © Clayton Hauck

I used to have a therapist, now I have a daily blog.

Also, I have a new series going with these window creatures I’m affectionately calling Mr. Peepers. You can peep it here: refrakt series window-creatures-mr-peepers

(more images in the series to be added soon!)

I really like the Refrakt site, so check it out if you’re not familiar; I’m behind on adding new images to my page, though, as I’m busy posting here every damn day. 😛

-Clayton

2024 02 05

Street scene I stumbled upon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. November, 2023. © Clayton Hauck

One consistent thing in life is, any opportunity I’m given to do so, bragging that I’ve read Robert Caro’s The Power Broker (have I mentioned I’ve read Robert Caro’s The Power Broker? Every last word of it!). It is a large, imposing book. It is also an amazingly detailed, informative (esp for urbanist nerds but also full of great general human stories), and well written.

I recently stumbled upon this video (below) while browsing youtube and pondering if I will finally start up my own channel after years of contemplating it. The video both got me excited to finally crack Caro’s four book LBJ series (I just have to do this — book review to follow in approx. twelve years) and start my own youtube channel… not for social media fame but simply for the motivation to make new stuff and put it out there. There are so many channels that just exist; they are filled with great content but not many views. While I imagine this is turnoff for most content creators, I love the idea of consistently making work, largely for myself, grinding away in true Robert Caro fashion, day in, day out — shoot, edit, post, repeat — and putting it out there for people to discover; or more likely completely ignore. Sometimes it’s the process that has the most value.

-Clayton

2024 02 04

People don’t look up. I love looking up while exploring. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. November, 2023. © Clayton Hauck

Came across this quote via Scott Galloway while listening to an episode of Pivot and I think this really sums up humanity quite well.

“People are wonderful. I love individuals. I hate groups of people. I hate a group of people with a ‘common purpose’. ‘Cause pretty soon they have little hats. And armbands. And fight songs. And a list of people they’re going to visit at 3am. So, I dislike and despise groups of people but I love individuals. Every person you look at; you can see the universe in their eyes, if you’re really looking.”

— George Carlin

-Clayton

2024 02 03

Dark & moody street scene featuring a parking-dibs chair. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. November, 2023. © Clayton Hauck

The world is ending!

While, yes, shit is wild these days. I do think a large part of our perception of this feeling is because social media curates and feeds us all the craziest shit, as if these things are happening all around us at all times. This, in turn, affects our moods and causes us to emulate the insanity ourselves, leading to a self-fulfilling prophecy of madness. Unless it’s bolder and crazier than the last round of content, nobody takes notice. Soon, we’ll all be Florida.

Thus, a simple one photo a day is how we focus our energy around here. 

Stay sane. ✌️

-Clayton

2024 02 02

Simple scene from one of my favorite cities, Pittsburgh, PA. November, 2023. © Clayton Hauck

So why Pointing at Stuff, anyway?

The name hit me as being quite a brilliant way of looking at photography. “Photography is like pointing at things you see in life,” as observed by Richard Avedon and noted by myself while reading What Becomes a Legend Most, a biography of Avedon by Philip Gefter. Pointingatthings.com was not available but this domain was, so I went with stuff.

More recently, I came across another bit of Avedon wisdom via the great podcast A Small Voice: Conversations With Photographers. In episode 195 Ben talks with photographer Aaron Schuman about a time when Aaron wrote to Richard Avedon, inviting him to his simple college exhibition. Avedon wrote back, apologizing for being too busy to attend, but added:

“The only advice I have is that you do something connected to photography every day of your life and you’ll be surprised what happens.”

— Richard Avedon

Aaron took this advice to heart, saturating his life with things connected to photography (reading about it, attending exhibitions, talking with friends, studying, interning, assisting, etc) opposed to “constantly making pictures without reflecting on them.”

Admittedly, I tend to be the guy constatnly making pictures without reflecting on them. This blog is a small way to expand my photography vision into things beyond the act of making pictures.

-Clayton

2024 02 01

Mundane street scene, which has a little something going for it which I can’t fully articulate in my awakened state. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. November, 2023. © Clayton Hauck

Doing a new post every sinlge day is, admittedly, a bit much. I’ve had the idea to attempt this for years and even started the process once, quickly abandoning it after only a few days. You miss that first day and feel like shit, then let it go a few more because why not, then feel like a failure altogether and write the whole project off as a bad idea to make yourself feel better about the whole thing.

In this attempt, the idea came to me rather suddenly over the holiday break. I was stuck at home with Covid, which I tested positive for on Christmas. Thinking the new year was only a few days away, I could quickly get a simple website up and running, and when I found the .com domain was still available, took it as a sign I needed to act fast and make it happen. I spent a full day building a buffer of simple posts to give me some momentum. The buffer is key! It’s like a streaming video service loading ahead, only with my thoughts and photos, in case some days the internet connection otherwise known as my motivation isn’t working as well. I currently have about 20 days worth of posts already scheduled to go live. If I should unexpectedly perish, you’ll still get a couple weeks of dumb thoughts out of me!

This post date, however, is only a few days out as I write this and had been sitting empty in the draft folder. Awaiting inspiration. Maybe the image isn’t strong enough to spark an idea? This is sort of a bland image that I’ve considered deleting on multiple occasions but just has something about it I like, which led me to leave it in, awaiting that inspiration. While it may be a stretch, it finally hit me: the house appears as a bit of a blank slate. This blog is also a canvas of sorts which I’m using to try things, experiment, play, see what happens.

I woke up this morning while a dream was playing out in my head. The specific details don’t matter, but my mind seemed to be working out some kind of project; this led me to contemplate things a bit deeper after I was awake; this led to some constructive progress on a possible future project. I feel strongly that doing work consistently, putting in the time, this blog, is a key way to train your brain and keep it on task. All of the best ideas come when you’re sound asleep (or in the shower or on a run) and they can formulate without the pesky distractions of life and anxiety-fueled second guessing. Doing something every day is a great way to keep it top of mind when you go to sleep and have the freedom of unrestricted thought.

With that, goodnight, and see you tomorrow.

-Clayton

2024 01 31

Reflection in puddle. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. November, 2023. © Clayton Hauck

I’m so glad I don’t shoot weddings anymore…

Post by @flakphoto

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I was once nominated for a photojournalism award for a project I worked on for Chicago Magazine.

I lost to John White, obviously.

Here’s a nice mini-doc about legendary Chicago photojournalist John White via CBS News Chicago. Direct link here.

Look — we made it a whole month posting daily! Thanks for stopping by!

-Award-nominated non-wedding photographer Clayton Hauck

2024 01 30

US Steel Tower, the city’s tallest building, as seen through an alley in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. November, 2023. © Clayton Hauck

The powers that control society — government, military, corporations, media, billionaires, etc, etc — used to have quite a firm grip on The Narrative that drives society. It used to be that creating content was an expensive and difficult pain in the ass. These days, we all have a media outlet in our pocket.

News outlets in developing countries are usually protected by barbed wire walls and high security access because these locations can be used as tools of chaos in the hands of the wrong people. These days, the bad people all have a Twitter and TikTok account and largely don’t need the news outlet.

I’m a huge fan of youtuber Jules Terpak, who does commentary on digital media and technology. She dropped this video called The power of TikTok edits which blew my mind and I’ve been obsessing over it ever since, trying to understand what it all means.

As an Old, I’ve made a conscious decision to steer clear of TikTok for a variety of reasons. I’m not yet sure this is a smart decision because I know the power it has and it might be in my best interest to understand how society is interacting with these new forms of media, esp considering it’s kind of my job. Jules’ video, posted below, is super worthwhile and was an ominous (or is this just my warped perspective as an Old?) peek into some of what’s going on on the platform.

I’m not going to claim to have some profound takeaway from this and I’m still churning through it in my head, however, I’m a bit shocked by how BAD much of this viral content is. The videos that are pulling in millions of views and driving culture are… largely aesthetically awful and not even original works. There is no quality control anymore, I guess? Speed, timing, and the almighty algorithm are vastly more important than aesthetic value in this world. It’s almost like good quality is actually now shunned as it reveals itself as being inauthentic, since someone clearly put energy, and therefore money, into making it.

Fuck.

As a former video editor myself, I’ll be the first to tell you how valuable this skill is and I’m now convinced I should probably dust off my Adobe Premiere workstation if I want to have any relevance as a human in society moving forward. We’ve sure come a long, long way from Battleship Potemkin.

All Hail The Algorithm (and whoever controls them).

-Clayton

2024 01 29

Downtown Pittsburgh’s PPG Tower. November, 2023. © Clayton Hauck

Pittsburgh is one of my favorite places. I fell in love immediately after my first visit as a young kid who loved Sim City, entering on a road trip to New Jersey with my family, emerging from a Turnpike tunnel as the skyline comes into view across the river with bridges lining the horizon in each direction. It really is an epic visual.

In November, I drove out to New Jersey again for a family visit and stopped in Pittsburgh for the night to do a bit of exploring.

On the subject of Pittsburgh and Sim City, there’s a guy recreating the city within the game Cities: Skylines, which is both an amazing game and remarkable project which checks all the boxes of my nerdiness. Check it out (a recent video linked below) if you love cities and transit and simulations and Pittsburgh and Cities: Skylines like I do! 😛

-Clayton

2024 01 25

Man eats at Pennsylvania rest stop. November, 2023. © Clayton Hauck

Another rest stop image made while driving out to New Jersey.

I saw this guy eating as I was leaving and loved the way the light was hitting. While making eye contact, I slowly raised my camera and made one perfect image, afterward he rose from his seat and ran after me. He threw a punch, I dodged it, swung back and knocked him out in one slug.

Just kidding! I was too timid to make the photo without asking so I went back inside and asked if I could take his photo. He was super confused but seemed to agree, at which point I went back outside, made a few images, went back in to show him my executed vision. I don’t think he agreed with its artistic value, but he did tell me I don’t need to ask permission to photograph people in public. This got me thinking about how much photography has changed in the last few decades and how I used to agree with this sentiment as I proudly carried my Nikon FM-2 around town making street photos of whatever I wanted. These days, this attitude might get you knocked out, whether technically legal or not.

Overall 10/10 awkward experience but glad it happened and love the image. His jumbled face from the reflections on the dirty glass.

Classic Mundane America.

-Clayton

2024 01 24

Scene at a rest stop on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. November, 2023. © Clayton Hauck

I’m a sucker for perspective. Seeking out insights and ideas in, admittedly, places that tend to be more of a waste of time (ex: youtube videos from other photographers). I spend more time than I should digesting youtube and am often reminding myself that I should be spending the time creating things, be it a youtube video of my own, photography, whatever.

For like ten years now I’ve been telling myself this is the year I’ll start that youtube channel. Maybe this is the year?

One of the people I most look up to in the photo world is allegedly starting a channel, which makes me excited and rekindles my thinking to do it myself. (update: he’s been at it for a few weeks now! will dig more into this later…)

Some things holding me back are: It’s a lot of work! Nobody will watch them! Not sure what to make videos about! Not sure I have a unique angle on anything so why bother! There’s too much content out there already!

But I don’t have a channel so I can only sit on the sidelines and get a bit jealous to see photographers I think I’m just as talented as, if not more so, growing channels to hundreds of thousands or millions of followers.

Today, I got click-baited into watching one of these videos entitled: The Harsh Truths Every Photographer Needs to Hear in 2024 (partially because: what does he know that I don’t know?! partially because: fuck this guy, I know better than him!) and, well, I ended up really enjoying the video and wanted to spend some time digging into his main points from my own perspective. Those thoughts are below, along with a link to the video should you want to view it yourself.

Main points from the video: 

Social media doesn’t need to be your strategy. 

Wow. Such a healthy idea! And how disarming of this “social media” (yes I’m using this term disparagingly, as an asshole, but don’t really mean it) photographer to come out swinging by telling us you don’t even have to use Instagram if it’s something that makes you unhappy.

I struggle with social media immensely and am in a bit of an inflection point in what my relationship with it will be moving forward. Part of why I started this blog was to unshackle myself from Instagram, yet, I’m also using it more than I have in my entire pro career and really focusing on posting high quality work to it, while in years past it was more of an afterthought as to what I’d share.

Video is what people want these days. 

Again, hugely touchy subject for me personally. I’ve been largely ignoring the pleas from my agent for years now, telling me I really need to shoot and share motion work to get new clients. I know this as fact, but haven’t put in the effort to grow a motion reel, mostly because I don’t want to. Video doesn’t excite me as much as stills do (I’m weird?) but I know I need to grow up and get a big boy motion reel online right away. It’s not even going to be hard! My background is in film production and editing. I direct motion jobs fairly regularly. It’s just… I’m being stingy and want success to happen on my own terms, which is sometimes a nice way to go out of business. Planning to dig into this subject more in the coming weeks.

Why are you even doing this photography thing? Have an answer to this. 

I like this question and haven’t really considered it too much over the years. I think what he’s getting at is: are you just doing this to get famous, score chicks (can we still use this term, even jokingly?), grow a social media account, etc, or do you really have a passion for photography? For me, the things I like least about photography-as-a-job are these things that often drive people to become a photogrpaher to begin with, so this is not much of an issue for me — I’d still do this job if I also workred as an accountant, I’ve just been fortunate enough to make a living at it thus far.

How do you self sabotage yourself? 

As mentioned already, I tend to focus more on things I want to photograph and not the trendy video projects that will get me new clients. This point is a big one for me as it touches on an even bigger existential crisis I’m currently participating in which essentially boils down to: am I an Artist Photographer or am I a Tradesperson Photographer?

This is a larger debate we’ll save for another day.

I also self sabotage myself by watching too many youtube videos when I should be working.

Stop fearing failure. 

This is a fun one for me as I think I have gotten worse at this as I’ve grown my career! Early on, I didn’t hold back and had no problem sharing with the world whatever came to me. As this photography thing became an actual job, I definitely began to over-think things or hold back on sharing certain thoughts or works as it might offend someone or scare off a potential new client.

Nobody owes you attention. 

Yeah… I think this point is again more directed towards those seeking social media fame, however, I think it’s a great point to remember and one I believe in my core. I started this blog knowing I’d have maybe one or two visitors a day (update: we’re up to 4-5 per day now! hi mom 🤗) and perhaps still be there after a year of posting, but I like the challenge of figuring it out. What brings people here? What brings people back? Are there certain topics that resonate better with people? We’ll see! Or maybe we won’t! Nobody owes me attention.

Who you are = what you create 

“If you don’t live it, it won’t come out of your horn.”

Scrolling social media is mostly procrastination.

Same goes for watching youtube videos. Another sensitive topic for me as I’ve found I have succeeded most in my career when I focus on creating over consuming. The challenging bit for me is keeping a balance, as I can and will get too myopic in my approach — obsessively making and sharing photos nonstop because it’s what I think I need to be doing at all times even when it’s not moving the needle in any way.

Shoutout to Evan Ranft for the video. He’s a smart guy and I’m fascinated by his approach to photography-as-a-job. He approaches making money in ways I wouldn’t have considered myself, mostly because I’m an Old Guy afraid of the internet. Being more of a salesperson is something I’ve shunned and not prioritized through the years, regrettably.

2024 01 22

Nobody wants ambiguity. They want excitement! They want certainty! 

The Gray Area is dead. God is dead. Polarization is here to stay. 

I think the reason everyone now needs a Personal Brand, a podcast, a YouTube channel, a TikTok, a blog (lol), an S-Corporation (“Corporations are people!”), etc etc etc is because legit we’re all trying to figure out what the new economy even is. What worked in the past no longer does and there isn’t (yet?) a blueprint (school?) to learn how to navigate these Weird Economic Times. 

The only thing truly bankable these days is having an audience. 

To get an audience, you need to “go viral” … and give the people what they want.

And the people want one static image each and every day along with some obscure thoughts and ramblings. 

Halleluja!

-Clayton