AMANDA SCHWENGEL

11 January 2011

the aftermath of a visit to the chicago cultural center

I took a visit Monday afternoon to see the new exhibit at the Chicago Cultural Center, "Finding Vivian Maier: Chicago Street Photographer." It is everything it is cracked up to be. Read more about her here:

http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/January-2011/Vivian-Maier-Street-Photographer/index.php?cparticle=3&siarticle=2#artanc

I rather liked her quote: “I suppose nothing is meant to last forever... We have to make room for other people. It’s a wheel—you get on, you go to the end, and someone else has the same opportunity to go to the end, and so on, and somebody else takes their place. There’s nothing new under the sun.”

Consequently, here are some photos I took inspired by Maier. Enjoy!

Feedback is welcome.
Also, here are my favorite fellow cohorts, Sam and Sophie.

bird in the newsroom

A feathered friend paid a visit to the office of the Northwest Herald a few weeks ago. I forgot to post this but it happened a few days before Christmas and subsequently the bird got cornered in HR, but then took off once it heard about the 401k plan. Check out this short video I made from some raw footage I took:
http://vimeo.com/18029593

02 January 2011

1.1.11

From one side of Lake Michigan to the other...

calendar 2011

I made a calendar of some favorite nature, travel and abstract images from 2010. Enjoy and happy 2011!

January
View from a hot air balloon, sunrise.

February
Ski jumpers.

March
Foggy night at the Chicago lakefront.

April
Bicycles, Verona, Italy.

May
Cafe Lula's, Logan Square, Chicago.

June
The Wiener Circle, Chicago.

July
County Fair, Anywhere, USA.

August
Plant at Lake Michigan, Petoskey, Michigan.

September
Castle, Bolzano, Italy.

October
View from hot air balloon.

November
Modern Art Museum, Munich, Germany.

December
The Dolomite Mountains, Italy.

a night at the united center

Chicago Blackhawks vs. the San Jose Sharks on Thursday, Dec. 30, in Chicago. Thanks to the kind photographers who helped me navigate my way around the United Center. Here is the night as I saw it.

National anthem.

Patrick Sharp (center) scores the first goal of the game.

Sharks goalie Antti Niemi (and formerly Blackhawks goalie) during the game.

A fight breaks out.

Sharks defeated the Blackhawks, 5-3.

01 January 2011

a surprise welcome

I was just finishing up a business assignment at a consignment shop last Wednesday when I got a text from the boss alerting me to a surprise welcome home. After a hurry-up-and-wait to get to the home of the welcomees, I was happy with the reactions and shots I got.

Kelly Lott, center, is taken aback by her homecoming welcome Wednesday afternoon at her family's home in Algonquin as fiance Jon Barstow and sister Stacy Lott watch. Lott and Barstow, on leave until Jan. 11, returned home from the Navy after beeing overseas since November of 2009.

december assignments

December has flown by. This is a photo from an assignment on fitness boot camps offered at work.

A feature on a local chess club and the exciting game of chess, which I got for Christmas and aim to get better at...

A holiday event announcing the plans for a new hospital to be built in Huntley.

A business feature on a new physical therapy center that opened in McHenry.

Michelle Grimes talks to husband Sean Grimes Monday evening while preparing dinner at their home in McHenry. A Marine Corps veteran, Sean was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder three months after returning from Iraq. Symptoms include nightmares, sleepwalking, and uneasyness.