St Patrick's Day with the Taoiseach

March 13, 2019

One of the best things about my job is the variety of work. In my 25+ years of freelancing, I’ve shot almost everything you can think of, from presidents to worms (look for both in future posts!). I’ve been shooting for the British Consulate in Chicago since 2007. And they in turn have passed my name in to the Irish Consulate, who I’ve had the pleasure of working for since 2012. St Patrick’s Day is absolutely huge in Chicago every year– almost a million people crowd into the downtown to watch them dye the Chicago River green and see the parade.

My assignment for the consulate was to shoot the parade which would see the Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of Ireland, Enda Kenney, walking at the head of the parade with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emannuel. I was to walk backwards at the head of the parade, photographing the dignitaries all the way down Columbus Drive. It was a surreal job, surrounded by dozens of Secret Service men, Chicago cops and assorted news media. I’ve never been in a parade before, but to “lead” the St Patrick’s Day parade in front of a million onlookers was something I’ll never forget.

At the end of the parade, I had to bail out (not an easy task with the crowd along the route 10-20 people deep) and make my way to a restaurant who would let me onto their wi-fi, so I could upload pictures to the Irish Times, who then ran the pictures on the front page of the Sunday papers the next morning.

Gear | Canon 1D Mark4, Canon 5D Mark2, 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, 24-105mm f/4L USM, 70-200mm f/2.8L II USM, fill flash

Stephen King

February 13, 2019

In 2017, one of the most famous authors in the world today, Stephen King, co-authored a new book with his son, Owen. As part of his promotional tour in the Chicago area, an event was held in the field house of North Central College (who hired me to shoot publicity pictures of Mr King’s visit to the college). Over 3,300 people lined up to purchase the book and hear Stephen and Owen speak about their collaboration.

I have to admit, I’ve never read a Stephen King book (I’m a non-fiction reader), but it was fun hanging out with and talking to the Kings as they autographed books backstage before the event. I also got to talk with Owen about Maine (where Stephen lives and where I do landscape photography workshops).

Gear | Canon 1DX Mark2, 24-105mm f/4L II USM, 70-200mm f/2.8L II USM, 300mm f/2.8L USM

The Day Mike Went to Prison...

December 4, 2018

Beauty can be found in some strange places sometimes. Last Saturday, I spent over four hours in prison. It was a wet, cold and dreary day– just like you’d expect every day to be like at a correctional facility. The Joliet Correctional Center opened in 1858 and finally closed its heavy steel doors for the last time in 2002 due to budget cuts. Since then, people have broken into the prison to explore, take photos or vandalize. But in 2018, to raise money for the local museum, the prison has opened up for special history and photography tours. And that’s what brought me to Joliet in the middle of a downpour early on Saturday morning…

To view large, full screen images and read more, follow this link.

Run, Kid, Run...

October 1, 2018

My favorite picture of the day, when one little girl was left behind by all the other kids. Then her sister came up behind her, put her arm around her and ran the rest of the race as her guide.

Yesterday I photographed a 5K run for one of my local clients. After the adults ran, there were several heats for the kids. The excitement was high for a lot of the kids, but it was heartbreaking to see some small kids in complete and utter terror as the race started and all the sideline parents screamed ‘encouragement’ to their little cherubs. In the final race, the 7-10 year olds, thirty kids tore out of the gate in one huge pack; it was scary to think what would’ve happened if one of them had tripped, as someone did in the 4-6 year olds’ race, when a little person pile-up was narrowly avoided.

At the end of the day, fortunately, all of them made it back to their parents, and the event was a success. At least I think they did. I left before all the 7-10’s made it back to the finish line. Hmmm…

Invasion of the Trolls

June 28, 2018

One of my favorite clients is the Morton Arboretum, who I've been shooting for for about the last ten years. One of the cool things about the Arboretum is the yearly installation exhibits they've been doing. I've shot Steel Roots (steel piping twisted into the shape of tree roots), Legos, metal frogs, even large scale origami art, but I think this year's takes the prize for the coolest. For the last couple months, artist Thomas Dambo from Denmark and his team have been constructing gigantic trolls from reclaimed wood, and placed them in fields, in the woods, overlooking the highway and elsewhere.

I spent a couple hours photographing the trolls under construction in late May. Now they're finished and I'm heading back this afternoon to photograph the 'official portraits' of the completed trolls, with people to show the scale of the giants. Should be fun.

The trolls are on display for the next 2-5 years, depending on how long they last in the Chicago weather. If you're in the area, go see them; you won't be disappointed.

When the President Comes to Town... and Needs a Photographer

April 9, 2018

The Irish Consulate in Chicago called me, wanting to know if I’d be interested in photographing the president of Ireland, Michael Higgins, on his visit to the city. Without missing a beat, I said yes and got the details. A few weeks later, after being checked out by the Secret Service and Irish security, my son (in his first job as my assistant) and I found ourselves in the Drake Hotel, ready to photograph 300-500 guests, all eager to shake the president’s hand and have their picture taken with him.

Setting up the family photo- President Higgins has many relatives living in the US.

Attorney General, Lisa Madigan (in blue dress), representing Chicago politics

Secret Service not looking conspicuous at all. My son David is in the front, fitting in well.

I was told the woman on the left is one of Muhammad Ali’s daughters.

The late Cardinal Francis George stops by for a few laughs with the President.

Everyone got a picture with the president

In the end, David and I got to pose with the President too. Photo by Shane O’Neill/ Fennell Photography (Dublin)

I set up a website where everyone could download their pictures, as well as order prints.

Senior Communities

March 11, 2018

Last year, I photographed all eight senior communities for Franciscan Communities, from the northern suburbs of Chicago, to Lafayette, Indiana and all the way out to Cleveland, Ohio. The shooting took place over about a month.

I’ve photographed retirement communities several times in my career, and have always enjoyed the work. The residents are generally very relaxed and willing to be in pictures (usually… but not always!). It’s a different pace of life. We shot lots of different scenarios, from meal times (showing off the dining areas) to the residents’ apartments, going on walks, the gym, cinema and even residents hanging out in their new pub. The purpose of the pictures was to show the residents having a good time while showing off the amenities.

Best in Show, Two Years Running

January 28, 2018

Last summer I took part in my second Bar Harbor “Art in the Park” fine art photography show in Maine. This annual fair at the gateway to Acadia National Park is a showcase for painters and photographers to show and sell their art.

The most popular print at the show- a 40×60″ metal print

I custom printed over forty-five large (16×20 to the large 40×60-inch metal print above) limited edition prints for the show, as well as over 120 open edition 8×10’s, my Acadia Centennial poster, and sold several copies of my book. It was my second time participating in the show, and the response to my work has been very gratifying. The icing on the cake came at the end of the show when I was surprised to learn my photography had been awarded “Best in Show” for the second year running. I’ll definitely be back this year to do it all again.

Along with wall prints, I sold several signed copies of my book, Under October Skies, to fans of Acadia National Park.

1 Comment

Wendy's Bakery- Christmas Shortbread

December 20, 2017

My wife Wendy is a good baker. A very good baker. For years, she's baked shortbread, toffee and peppermint bark for Christmas presents. Recently she started selling her treats and the response has been tremendous. The "bakery" is in full swing right now. On Monday she took the day off her day job to work on two very big orders, baking over thirty dozen shortbread cookies by mid-afternoon. And yours truly was there to document the big day.

the rejects- more for the family to enjoy :)

1 Comment

Meet Me!

November 16, 2017

I was contacted by a writer out of Los Angeles a couple months ago to be featured in their digital magazine, Voyage Chicago. This week, the article came out. Read it here .

The Adventures of Mike's Camera

the rejects- more for the family to enjoy :)