A view under the Michigan Ave. bridge over the Chicago River in Chicago, Ill., Thursday, January 6, 2011.

On the eve of my 30th birthday, I’ll freely admit that I’ve been guilty of reminiscing far beyond my favorite photos of 2011. With each bridge crossed on a mental journey back through time, old memories of each decade passed resurface with increasingly clarity: A family member excited that I’d be turning ten that week, back in 1991. Or, my 18th birthday in 1999 spent at Theatre at the Center subbing for a crew member – the stage manager bought me a cake! There was my 20th birthday in 2001, where I was down-trodden about a relationship that had just ended. And, believe it or not, I remember my third birthday in 1984, where a cousin at my party insisted that she squeeze into the chair with me behind my cake as my family sang Happy Birthday. As with present-day Guy, three-year-old Guy wasn’t too happy with that!

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(From left) Entrepreneurs Brian Miller of St. John, Ind., Adam Paulson of Crown Point, Ind., and Kevin Wool, also of Crown Point, pose in a pile of sweaters destined for sale on the partners’ web site, uglychristmassweaterparty.com.

Through all of my visual disciplines, it’s not often that I’m encouraged to make things look ugly. So, when my email inbox dinged with a photo assignment all about ugly Christmas sweaters, I knew I was in for a nice change of pace.

Steam rises from a Wheeler huddle during the fourth quarter against Andrean during sectional play at Andrean High School in Merrillville, Ind., Friday, October 21, 2011.

With the fall theater and concert season ramping up (and lighting design work taking a front seat for the next month or so), my photography work on the sidelines of high school football games came to a close this evening for the 2011 season

Pilot Gerry Flaugher of Poplar Grove, Ill., flies a Ford Tri-Motor over Valparaiso, Ind., during a demonstration flight originating from the Porter County Regional Airport in Valparaiso, Ind., Monday, October 3, 2011. The aircraft, built in 1929, is one of seven left in the world that is still able to fly.

Whenever I have a photo assignment that involves flying, there’s a common theme that runs through every FBO I walk into. Everyone is always smiling and in a good mood! For those not obsessed with aviation lingo, an FBO at an airport is a “fixed base operator”