Reader: Refreshed

I've been shooting for the Chicago Reader since it was a four section, black and white entertainment weekly. Back then, there was a whole section dedicated to classifieds! Over a few re-designs and three owners, the Reader is still available weekly but now refreshed as a color, single section with a new glossy double cover. Whoa!





Art director Paul Higgins and I collaborated on how to create an image about the Reader's redesign, our new mayor and city council and the coming of summer in Chicago. We settled on making one big splash.

With the help of Isa from the ChicagoLooks, we found Karen who was a super sport letting us hit her with two gallons of (warm) water over and over again. The image was expertly retouched by Paradigm Color. You can watch a sorter, 7 second splash video here.

Make-up: Jennifer Brown
Digital tech: Tim Blokel
Splash Artist: Derick Smith

Flipping the career switch.

Have you ever asked yourself whether you could abandon your successful but ultimately unsatisfying career to venture out in the great wasteland of Monster.com and CareerBuilder to instead have a job you really want? It's not an uncommon question to ask oneself, even in a down economy when just having a job means great success. But sometimes the devil you know is worse than the devil you don't.

I was asked by the Chicago Tribune Magazine to contribute portraits to a cover feature running today about 3 women who have done just that. One was a journalist, another a Radio City Rockette and the other a lawyer. They've all traded in the old gig for something fresh and new.

I'll leave it up to you to guess which woman was what in her previous career. Answers are way down below.


Becky Bartsch, Fourth-grade teacher


Nora Jewett, Fashion Designer


Dr. Laura Michaelis, Hematologist

Photo Editor: Michael Zajakowski


















Answers:
Becky Bartscch was a Radio City Rockette
Nora Jewett was a lawyer
Dr. Laura Michaelis was a journalist