my Eleanor Callahan
July 29th, 2010 by Rob HartMy photographic life really blossomed in Chicago. I moved here from Detroit in ’97. In the first few months I learned about Harry Callahan, who had left Chicago by then. He was from Detroit too!
A street photographer, an experimenter.
In the late 90′s I wanted to be Andres Serrano, or Jim Goldberg. But Callahan’s work was so personal and he spent much of his life making photos of his wife, Eleanor. In fact this photo could compete for my all-time fav. Along with a push from George Waldman, John H. White, and Bob Thall I decided to do document the lives of others.
With no disrespect to my wife, my cats have become my Eleanor. Working from home we spend lots of time together. It helps they tend to sleep in nice light. When I bought a new LED laser pointer they allowed me to try it out on them. You can lure them onto things with treats, too. Maybe cat photography is my schitck?
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Money Light Part II
July 26th, 2010 by Rob Hart
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Millennium Park
July 23rd, 2010 by Rob Hart
After seeing so many updates from Senior Strazz’s blog and his great photos from Millennium Park recently those photos were on my mind tonight. With some family in Chicago for the night we decided to take the kids to play in the water there.
I wanted to make some photos of the kids, but still make photos for me.
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Linger on, your pale blue eyes
July 22nd, 2010 by Rob HartIt was good what we did yesterday.
And I’d do it once again.
The fact that you are married,
Only proves, you’re my best friend.
Linger on, your pale blue eyes. – Lou Reed
There are millions of songs about love, but very few songs about adult love. The come home and make dinner kind of love. The clean the litter box and do the laundry kind of love. Yet every time I listen to Gram Parsons do “Blue Eyes” it makes me smile and cry. The Velvet Underground’s “Pale Blue Eyes” does it too. Both songs deal with the complexity of love and relationships and a woman with those blue eyes. The kind that even when you blow the exposure still are there. Although Lou could have been singing about a guy, but we’re getting off topic.
July 22, 2000, I married my BFF. In the last ten years we’ve had a lot of great days. To have someone who is both supportive and critical is important to accomplish anything important. She keeps me honest and I keep her from going sane. This year we both made reservations for the exact same time at the same restaurant to surprise each other. Although Christine did it months ago.
If you’ve ever been to a wedding you’ve heard 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. I hear it many, many, many times every summer. We had my Aunt Joni read it at our wedding. It’s the final part that still gets me. “It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
Always preserves. Maybe it rings true because so much of our life is spent trying to preserve who we are or were. I make photos to try and hold on to something that is impossible to hold on to. To help the memory linger on.
It’s the best decision I’ve ever made. Ten years in and it’s still so much fun, and always will be. Proof? Here’s some flicks from the IPPA gallery show where I exhibited some work, including a photograph of my grandparents who were married for almost 64 years.
This is where Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys come in and say it all. You still believe in me.
So here’s my other favorite love songs that I couldn’t work into the prose.
Daniel Johnston – True Love Will Find You in the End
Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – You Really Got A Hold On Me
Sam Cooke – Bring It On Home To Me
Frank Sinatra – Makin’ Whoopee
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Blackhawks Stanley Cup
June 10th, 2010 by Rob HartGrowing up in Detroit it’s was unthinkable to not love hockey. Going to Joe Louis Arena and seeing the players skate, the octopus, the nachos. I remember the roar when it was announced on the jumbo tron that we had won the Gulf War. The night Bob Probert returned after serving a prison term for cocaine possession while he tried to cross the Detroit-Windsor border. I’ve seen six Campbell Conference Championships, four resulting in hoisting the Stanley Cup. Yzerman, Klima, Ogrodnick, Oats, Gallant, Kozlov, McCarty, Konstantinov, Fedorov, Coffey, Lidstrom, Vernon, Bowman, Shanahan, Osgood, Hasek, Hull, Datsyuk, Zetterberg. I could go on all day.
I’m very happy Chicago finally has a hockey following. Amazed they were able to go from a lottery pick team drawing an average of 13,000 fans a night to champions selling out a 22,000 plus house every night in three years. I’ll miss being able to go to the United Center and having the stadium half full of Wings’ fans, but I love the sport of hockey more.
It was great to watch people watching game six at Fitzgerald’s. The 16 foot screen cast a beautiful light on the fans as the Flyers fought back and forced overtime. The ups and downs that every hockey fan lives for. I miss playing for the cup, but I love making photos, and some of my good friends now know the joy of being a Stanley Cup Champion. enjoy.
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don’t waste money light
May 5th, 2010 by Rob HartMelissa Lyttle just posted this on Facebook: “if there’s money light, but nothing happens in it did it really exist??”
Even when you’re racing to transmit on deadline you can’t waste money light. Stop for a 1/60th of a second. Snap, recompose, snap. Move closer, snap. Move back. Snap. I was supposed to be sending mediocre (at best) volleyball photos. How quickly those images will be forgotten by me.
I’ve been thinking all day about Rob Mattson’s blog. He’s always been one of my favorite shooters, and now that he’s telling his own stories it’s even more beautiful. A thousand people can make a nice photo of some guy catching a touchdown pass, but no one else can record your own history. If someone likes you enough to be waiting by the door make a photo.
In college we’re all taught to shoot what you love. Then you get a job, a mortgage, responsibilities, office politics, stress. Photos are a way to hold time. Someday it’s all that will be left. So leave something beautiful and important to those that you love.
Moe and Tom sit in the window of Rob Hart's house in Berwyn, IL
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IPPA Awards
April 25th, 2010 by Rob HartI was lucky enough to score some awards this weekend at the annual Illinois Press Photographers Association convention held in St. Louis, MO. I feel honored to have placed in the photographer of the year category behind Will DeShazer, first, and Scott Strazzante, second place. Will and Scott are some of my favorite people and and both great visual storytellers.
We had some amazing judges in Liz O. Baylen, David Eulitt, and Josh Meltzer. We also were lucky enough to have Erik Lunsford perform some stand-up comedy and show some photos. I always love getting so spend a few days with people who are passionate about making pictures and communing with a bunch of my friends. I think my favorite moment was when Liz said, “This photographer has some real purposeful seeing.” They were debating my portfolio and I almost had a heart attack.
I am so blessed. Thanks everyone who helped out this weekend. Much PJ love.
Tags: 2009, contest, IPPA, photojournalism, Rob Hart
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Memories are Made of This
February 26th, 2010 by Rob Hart
James Hart, my Grandfather, passed away last night. I owe him and my Grandmother a lot. They were there every day when I was kid. They were at every hockey or baseball game. They’d always take a bunch of us crazy grandchildren to their cottage. Grandpa was very helpful when we bought our first house and the night I directed them to sleep in a motel in Broadview that was frequented by prostitutes is a great story. And if you hear it from my Grandma, even funnier.
He is loved and missed.
Tags: camera, family, Holiday, James Hart, personal, Rob Hart
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Best Albums of 2009
January 1st, 2010 by Rob Hart
In keeping with my annual list of my favorite records here’s the albums that got a lot of ear time this year. According to my last.fm page the Thermals and M. Ward got tons of spins. This is also the second year in a row a band has topped my list that was recommended by Mr. John P. Huston.
1. The Thermals – Now We Can See
2. M. Ward – Hold Time
3. Camera Obscura – My Maudlin Career
4. St. Vincent – Actor
5. Girls – Album
6. The xx – xx
7. The Very Best – Warm Heart Of Africa
8. The Avett Brothers – I And Love And You
9. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
10. Chuck Mead – Journeyman’s Wager
11. Bon Iver- Blood Bank EP
12. Real Estate – Real Estate
13. Great Lake Swimmers – Lost Channels
14. Art Brut – Art Brut Vs. Satan
15. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
16. The Flaming Lips – Embryonic
17. Neko Case – Middle Cyclone
18. Karen O And The Kids – Where The Wild Things Are
19. Neon Indian – Psychic Chasms
20. Passion Pit – Manners
21. Wilco – Wilco (The Album)
22. The Mountain Goats – The Life Of The World To Come
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Year of the Cat
December 15th, 2009 by Rob HartAs the year wraps up everyone makes lists. I’ve been digging Señor Strazzante’s 2009 photo roundup, the Big Picture Blog, the Denver Post has great stuff, and I’m sure there will be many, many more.
I have friends that always complain about people sending him photos of their children, so my wife decided to make him a calendar of our cats. She asked me to come up with my favorite 12 photos. So here’s my 2009 year in cats.
Tags: 2009, best of, cat, Rob Hart
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