9-Span Industrial Grace

A view of the northbound end of the 9-Span Bridge in Hammond, Ind., late Sunday, January 13, 2013. The bridge, which has connected the cities of Hammond and East Chicago since 1937, will be closed permanently on Monday for demolition and replacement.

Perhaps it can be attributed to my upbringing in one of the most industrial parts of the United States (I’m sure being really interested in engineering and technology hasn’t hurt), but I have a huge soft spot in my heart when it comes to giant structures that have been a part of the local landscape for my entire life. Enter the 9-Span Bridge, the hulk of rusty green steel which carries Indianapolis Blvd. over the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad’s Gibson Yard just a mile or so from my home. Built in 1935 and opened in 1937, the bridge has connected the cities of Hammond and East Chicago, Indiana, for over 75 years.

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Posted in Experimental, Photography on January 14th, 2013. 6 Comments.

Rewind: Glen Achievers

(From left) The Glen Theater board chairman Vernon Smith talks with African-American Achievers Youth Corps members Joshua Perry, 16, of Merrillville, Ind., along with Gary, Ind., residents Christopher Woods Jr., 16, Ramon Luckett, 17, and Stephen Jenkins, 17, prior to a production held at the theater in Gary, Saturday, November 10, 2007. The youth corps members work shows at the newly re-opened theater, completing tasks such as ushering, cleaning, and technical jobs behind the scenes.

In keeping with a New Year’s resolution to myself, I’ve decided to prevent the dust from accumulating on my often-sedentary blog. A new feature that will help me attain this goal is something I’m going to call Rewind, where I’ll feature a shoot from my archives that I may have never shared before.

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Posted in Photography, Photojournalism, Rewind on January 12th, 2013. Comments Off.

Bringing In The New

Revelers gather in the Times Square area of New York City near the intersection of Broadway and 48th St. during New Year’s Eve celebrations, Wednesday, December 31, 2012.

Some four hours after the ball dropped on Times Square (officially bringing in 2013), the feeling has finally returned in totality to my lower extremities. Even though the jumbo-tron thermometer called out what should have been a balmy 38 degrees for this Chicago boy, a stiff breeze brought with it some discomfort to my first Times Square New Year’s Eve experience. I can’t tell if more pain came from the cold, standing for over ten hours with a near-capacity bladder, or being in more than a few packs of people pushing so hard and fast that my feet were nearly swept from under me.

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Posted in Photography, Photojournalism, Pop Culture, Travel on January 1st, 2013. 1 Comment.