2022 in Portraits

December 30, 2022

The 2022 Big Portrait Grid! As always, many thanks to stylists Angela Brasington, Kimberly Cox, and Karen Koenig or their expert touches.

If you like these portraits, you’ll love yours. Find out how to book your session here.

Music, stars, and a diamond: my year in photos

December 21, 2019

My view of 2019 included plenty of great music from all over Chicago, especially my photographer debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. I braved the polar vortex along Lake Michigan and gazed at the night sky in far west Texas. And right in the middle of all of it, I stepped in front of the camera to ask Bridget a very important question. Wishing you joy and beauty in 2020!

January: My visit with a snowy owl on Northerly Island.

January: the polar vortex gripped the city, so I went outside.

February: the Lunar New Year parade winds through Millennium Park.

March: Punditry in all its glory at the Spertus Institute.

April: Gauthier Dance Company at the Harris Theater, mixing it up with the audience.

May: The Chicago Children’s Choir painting the town red in Millennium Park.

May: David Finckel and Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center at Harris Theater.

May: Marc-André Hamelin in recital against a spring sunset at Northwestern.

May: Jane Glover and Music of the Baroque opening its Musical Feast Gala.

June: My exhibit of jazz photography extends through the summer at PurePoint Financial.

July: the Bitter Jester Music Festival rocking out under Fourth of July fireworks.

July: after a 4-hour photo shoot, I ask Bridget to marry me and she says yes!

August: Kurt Elling belts it out at the Green Mill.

September: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg addresses an adoring audience at the 30th Anniversary Gala for Cedille Records.

September: Music of the Baroque opens its 49th season.

September: Third Coast Baroque opens its season at Nichols Concert Hall.

October: The Chicago Children’s Choir concludes another record-breaking Red Jacket Optional gala.

October: Scott Speck and the Chicago Philharmonic open their 30th season - my 6th as their photographer.

October: Fourth Coast Ensemble sings to a packed room at the Logan Center.

October: Vladimir Kulenovic leads the Lake Forest Symphony.

October: Victor Yampolsky leads the Northwestern Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in Beethoven’s Ninth.

October: Wu Man gives a wide-ranging recital on the pipa at the University of Chicago.

November: I make my debut covering the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as Maestro Riccardo Muti honors Acting Principal Horn Daniel Gingrich.

November: Wynton Marsalis drops some wisdom in the schools during the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra’s weekend residency in Chicago,

November: the Marcus Roberts Trio joins the Chicago Philharmonic for one killer rendition of Gerswhin’s Piano Concerto in F.

November: bonus shot of Marcus Roberts.

November: the Pleiades Cluster (right) and a billion other stars, appear above Big Bend National Park.

November: a magical sky on the border above the Rio Grande and Santa Elena Canyon, Big Bend National Park.

December: Ashley Bryan (96) celebrates the release of his memoir, Infinite Hope, at the Univ of Pennsylvania.

Well, that was fast.

June 27, 2018

Spring has come and gone, and I spent most of it among wonderful artists and beautiful moments. Here's a sample of everything I saw:

The Chicago Children's Choir singing their hearts out in grand spaces. Galas for Bella Voce and Music of the Baroque. A beautiful spring evening on stage at Millennium Park. A surprise proposal and engagement tomfoolery. The Chicago Philharmonic's Scott Speck puts on the conducting gloves. Lots of portraits of lovely and talented artists. And the best rooftop view a photographer could ask for.