any chicago photographers here?

Posted by Mike Canzoneri on the Big Photo Hunt community board.

I know there are a at least a few members from chicago. I grew up in the city on the west side (Austin neighborhood), went to lane tech high school, and then to U of I (circle campus) where I spent more time on Maxwell street than I did in class. transferred to Loyola university on the north side where I got my degree in math/computer science and my minor in photography. I was the photo editor of the school news paper, the Loyola phoenix, my last year there.

I bought my first real camera, a nikon FE, around 1980 from central camera on Wabash. I shot mostly black and white back in those days. for a photo class at Loyola in 1983ish, I did a photo documentary of Maxwell street. I need to find the scans of those shots so I can post some on the board.

one of my big regrets was not photographing all the great chicago blues artists. from about 1980, when I was 18 years old, I started hanging out at the blues clubs in chicago. before I turned 21, I mostly went to biddy mulligan's because I never got carded there; it's where I first saw buddy guy, Luther Allison, David Bromberg, Albert collins, Fenton Robinson, James cotton and so many more. i got to meet most of them and even party with some of them....I had great access....I never thought about doing black and white portraits of these guys, but I wish I had.

I get back to chicago once or twice a year. I would love to meet up with all the chicago photographers in the group, maybe downtown, to grab a beer and then do some urban street shooting. chicago (and chicago area) photographers, check in here....tell me about yourself, what part of the city you're from, how you got into photography, what you like to shoot, and anything else of interest.