blog of photographer clayton hauck
I recently did some test shots to bid for a job shooting a new purse and handbag line for a local clothing company… here are a few of them.
All photos shot with a 5D, 18-40mm. 2 strobes (on camera and handheld) for fill. Minimal PS touchups…
Gotta get back to updating this thing more often… how many times can I say that??? 
enjoy,
Clayton
It’s tax day. I just spent a ton of time getting my taxes done (the program was giving me the run around) and ended up owing a ton of money. It’s my first year being fully “freelance” and I guess I did not prepare enough for that. $1600 owed to the US of A for their fun little experiments in Iraq and whatever else they use it on. Oh well, at least I will be getting some “stimulus money” that I can give directly back.
Anyway, I promised more content. I’m at a coffee shop, without my harddrives, so the only fun new content I could find was this one photo. But, it’s a good photo of one of Chicago’s best restaurants.
enjoy,
Clayton
Yeah, it’s official. My blog has turned into a place for newspaper clippings. Ha.. well, this obviously needs to change. I’ve been busy with stuff/lazy and neglecting to post actual content that people would care to see. With that, the promise that the next post will be different, but until then, another newspaper clipping
There was a pretty good article in the Columbia Chronicle (the school I went to) about nightlife photo bloggers. It was mostly about myself and arch-rival Kyle LaValley. Haha, she’s not actually an arch-rival but I don’t think she likes me very much… the article can be scene here or below:
In one snapshot, two beautiful, stylish young women playfully kissed each other with their arms wrapped around one other amidst a dark, crowded bar.
Next.
Five or so hands prepared to roll the dice onto a wooden table covered in paper cups filled to the brim with beer and topped off with some crinkled one-dollar bills.
Next.
Dozens of colorfully-dressed scenesters, packed in front of a sweaty DJ and his turntable, shout, raise their arms and sing along to the music.
In these scenarios that are captured in somewhat of a slideshow of events, everyone is beautiful, most are gripping alcoholic beverages and all are having a blast. Or that’s what it looks like in these snapshots and stills from various clubs and parties in Chicago’s social community, which now runs rampant with party photographers seeking to document what really happens at some of Chicago’s favorite nighttime hotspots.
In the past few years, party photographers have flooded clubs and parties, providing snapshots of partygoers while immersing themselves in Chicago’s social scene. What started as an outlet for friends to share photos and memories of wild nights out has evolved into a love-it or hate-it medium that turns ordinary club-hoppers into local Internet and real-life celebrities. And although the novelty doesn’t seem to be going anywhere any time soon, some are voicing their frustrations with how party photography has changed Chicago’s party atmosphere.
Though party photography in Chicago didn’t catch on until around 2006, Mark Hunter, aka The Cobra Snake, of Los Angeles, and Merlin Bronques of New York City, began posting photos of hipsters and glamorous partygoers on their photoblogs, TheCobraSnake.com and LastNightsParty.com,
in 2004. The websites rapidly caught on with locals and fans across the country, inspiring other wannabe photographers and partiers to pick up cameras and tap into the market of party voyeurism in the social scenes in their own communities.
Hunter and Bronques are widely credited with kickstarting the phenomenon of party photography, and Hunter is somewhat considered the “godfather of party photography,” said Kyle LaValley, a junior photography major at Columbia.
“He’s the guy that kind of made it into this commodity that it is, for better or worse,” LaValley said. “He’s kind of like the Warhol of photography. He just knows how to make people want his work. He and Bronques, they’re both really good at that—being the guy everyone in the room is like, ‘Oh my God, I don’t even know who he is, but I want him to take my picture.’ They’re really good at embodying this celebrity kind of feeling, which is so bizarre.”
LaValley, who runs her own photoblog in Chicago, has carried her camera with her everywhere since she moved to the city in 2005, taking photos wherever she went as somewhat of a social mechanism to meet new people, she said. She didn’t discover photographers like Hunter and Bronques until a few months into posting her photos online for her and her friends, she said.
“I think I’ve always made my pictures to be a reflection of what’s going on in my life,” LaValley said. “I hope that my pictures are something 20 years from now that people look back on and think about. For me, it’s more like I’m afraid I’ll forget.”
The phenomenon of party photography eventually gravitated to Chicago in 2006, when Clayton Hauck, a former Columbia film major, launched his website, EveryoneIsFamous.com. Hauck’s website saw more hits in the following year, and soon thereafter the name of the website became synonymous with Hauck, the “guy with the long hair, hat and camera” in hand wandering around Chicago’s clubs and bars.
“When I thought of that name I thought it was great because it’s just kind of a joking name,” Hauck said. “Of course, it’s not true. Everyone isn’t famous.”
Many photographers in Chicago have followed in Hauck’s footsteps, as he did with Hunter and Bronques. After discovering TheCobraSnake.com, Hauck said he realized how successful party photography in other cities was and how much of a demand there was for it in Chicago. Other websites from photographers like LaValley, with her photoblog 476ad.com/ChiKyle, and Matthias St. John, of CelebrateNothing.com, then began to gain more notoriety.
“I didn’t start the website with the goal of it getting big,” Hauck said. “It was more for just fun and a good way to gain experience and get better. And slowly, I realized that it was also a good way to drink for cheap.”
Along with thrusting Chicago’s party scenes into the spotlight, many party photographers also find themselves gaining a bit of celebrity status. Hauck has segued from being just a photographer to immersing himself in Chicago’s social scene by occasionally performing as a DJ and hosting parties of his own, like Claycella on March 8. LaValley said photographers have never been in the same category of celebrity “rock stars” before, as they are now.
“They’ve always just been like that weird guy with the camera,” LaValley said. “But these guys are like larger than life to these kids.”
Perhaps because of this and the relatively small social scene in Chicago compared to Los Angeles or New York City, Hauck also said most of his current friends are people he’s met while he’s photographing for his website.
“Now I recognize most people,” Hauck said. “I get out so much [that] there’s tons of familiar faces. I don’t like to get the same people on there all the time, but I know it happens. The ‘scene’ in Chicago isn’t really that big. So you kind of do see the same faces all the time. In a way it’s just kind of accurate.”
Accurate or not, some regulars in the social club scene have become jaded and a bit frustrated by the constant presence of party photographers.
Before Carmen Myers, who moved to Chicago from Washington, D.C., in 2006, even started to frequent Chicago clubs and parties, she said she would notice the same faces on sites like EveryoneIsFamous.com. But it wasn’t until she became a part of the social scene in Chicago that she realized how small it was and how much party photography was affecting the way partygoers reacted in front of a camera.
“I guess when I first saw [party photographers] it didn’t seem like such a big deal, but [party photography has] gotten annoying because it became totally oversaturated,” Myers said. “It’s definitely changed the crowd; the types of people who are going out now are almost too polished.”
Because Hauck and LaValley shoot at clubs and parties, many partygoers often become inebriated, resulting in pictures of people who become a bit more “adventurous” when they’re “too drunk to care” about what they look like. But some have voiced concerns about what photos of drunk clubgoers say about youth culture.
While at a show last spring at Smartbar, 3730 N. Clark St., Myers said she “drunkenly” asked Hauck to take her picture. When a photo of her with a caption about her begging Hauck to take her photo was posted, Myers said she asked Hauck not to take her photo anymore.
“I was like, ‘Oh my God, I sound like such a vapid b—-. I don’t want to be photographed anymore,’” Myers said. “At that point I asked Clayton not to take my picture anymore. You don’t have to be photographed; you can definitely avoid it.”
Since beginning her website and gaining more notoriety from her photos at house parties and “ragers,” LaValley said she can understand the backlash surrounding party photography. At some parties, people have been so aggressive about getting their photos posted on her blog that they will offer her anything from money to drugs to take their pictures.
“I definitely think there are people that perform when the camera’s around,” LaValley said. “I feel a lot of times that if you’ve been doing it as long as people like Clayton or I have you can kind of pick up on that, and it’s fun to exploit it. I don’t take myself seriously like I’m God’s gift to photography for taking pictures of drunk hipsters. But at the same time that’s kind of the beauty of it, because there’s nothing hipsters love more than to be glorified.”
For Myers, the people who drunkenly strike poses for photographers have somewhat deterred her from going out to parties as much.
“I have kind of stopped going out as much partially because of the way the crowd has changed,” Myers said. “Whether they actually look like they’re posing, those are the people who put themselves in the eye line of the photographer. You started seeing more pretty people that were constantly going out.”
Because atmospheres like clubs and bars offer the same types of crowds and people, LaValley said she tends to photograph “hangout situations” instead, where a different subset of the Chicago social circle usually goes. Instead of taking photos of partiers posing for the camera in a “statuesque” way, LaValley said she’s able to capture more candid shots of today’s youth.
“I just feel like at clubs and bars it’s already all there and set up for you,” LaValley said. “And there’s so many more elements at a house party where the cops are going to come, there aren’t security or bouncers, people are going to get in a fight. Twenty years from now it’s not going to be like, ‘Here’s you and I looking statuesque for a picture.’ It’s going to be more, ‘Here’s me dancing my a– off and looking like a maniac. I remember exactly how I felt when that was happening.’”
Both Hauck and LaValley said they’ve come across people who are adamant about not having their picture taken while at a party, and LaValley said some have even tried spilling drinks on her camera or pushed her.
“I feel like a lot of people get this impression that to be a party photographer is something really glamorous and great, and most of the time it’s really not,” LaValley said. “It’s really stressful, awkward and difficult. You have to deal with a lot of s—.”
So I know I have been severely neglecting this blog the past month. I’ve been crazy busy and in Austin and Miami for half the month. I’ll get back into the swing of things, though.
Today in the Sun-Times you might’ve seen this article about me (link):
If you live in Chicago and have a MySpace or Facebook account, you’ve probably seen the work of Clayton Hauck. The 25-year-old immortalizes the city’s youthful nightlife scene, capturing candid moments of DJ bliss, drunken posing, superstar DJs and wannabe celebrities for his photo blog, everyoneisfamous.com.
Working as a video editor at a production company a few years ago, Hauck was surfing the ‘Net and discovered the Cobra Snake (thecobrasnake.com), which is considered the original nightlife photo blog. He wondered why there wasn’t anything like it in Chicago and began shooting around the city.
“I always had a camera on me, so I just decided to start shooting,” says Hauck, whose interest in photography began during his freshman year at Columbia College. “Now there are dozens of [photo blogs], but I was the first to have an actual Web site that was updated regularly.”
His first-ever posting involved images from the opening-night party at Continental’s, 2801 W. Chicago; today, Everyone Is Famous has nearly 30,000 photos. The blog has led to paying gigs, too. He now works full-time as a freelance photographer, shooting for various publications and Web sites.
He also dabbles in throwing parties; his most recent, Claychella, was a free, 15-hour DJ blowout at Tuman’s, 2159 W. Chicago.
“My Web site is a good promotional tool and a lot of people know about it, so it’s a natural transition to go from the Web site to doing parties,” he says. “My motivation is to do things for the city to make it a little better.”
Hauck has become quite the local celebrity himself, but he’s not content with just being the cool guy with a camera at the party. “Everyone Is Famous has always been my portal for getting better and pushing myself to become a better photographer,” he says. “I guess on the larger scale, I’d like to go on to bigger and better things — more exposure for my photography and doing interesting and creative work that people recognize and respect.”
Q. What’s your favorite hidden gem?
A. I’m always interested in discovering them, especially little dive bars that no one knows about. I’ve been really into this place Rose’s (2656 N. Lincoln). It has so much history.
Q. Best Chicago-related advice you’ve ever received?
A. Go to Hot Doug’s [3324 N. California].
Q. Favorite party or nightclub to shoot?
A. I don’t have a specific place; it all depends on the vibe of the night.
Q. Where do you hang when not shooting for the blog?
A. One of the 100 dive bars in this town with cheap drinks. Happy Village [1059 N. Wolcott] is one of my favorites.
Q. What’s something about you that we don’t know that we should?
A. I used to be a huge roller coaster nerd.
So my friend pointed me towards a commercial that reminded him of me. It’s an ad for Converse/Target to the theme of “everyone is a star.” As some of you may know, I do a website called EveryoneisFamous.com. Same idea, I guess. It wasn’t so much that which got my attention, but the title at the end of the commercial which looks eerily reminiscent of my own website’s logo.
Coincidence? Judge for yourself! If not, I just wish they’d contacted me to direct the boring tv spot
TV SPOT:
MY LOGO:
and here is the commercial…
Enjoy,
Clayton
Spent a day in Lincoln thanks to Quick Connect. Actually, they were the whole reason I was there. Did some photos for them throughout the day. Overall it seemed like a nice city. Small, yes, but not exactly tiny either. Anyway, here are a few shots I thought were kind of cute. Save for a few of these, they are not the ones QC will be using as you can probably tell…
This one is my favorite.. hahaha..
I’ve always wanted to do a series on big box retailers and suburban sprawl commerce, but of course, I’m lazy and never have. These few are a bit like I imagined it to be..
Things just seem so obnoxiously overdone and sterile.
This car belonged to one of the guys who worked at QC. I like the simplicity of the photo.
I also thought the Space For Lease sign was humorous. If I had tons of money I would open up a store called that, but it would be a normal store inside.. just to confuse people. haha.. some comedian once had a joke similar to that, only his store had everyday items on sale for insanely high prices. Good stuff.
Yeah, they fix computers, thus the open computers everywhere.
Illionois governor speaking about the NIU shooting. I almost went to NIU. I took the shot because of the “Help!” sign under the TV. Fancy.
Clever.
This girl was way overly friendly. It’s this fast food joint called Raising Cane’s. She told me all about it while I waited for my chicken strips (it’s the only think on the menu), which were actually really delicious. Check the place out if you ever stumble upon one.
I also went out to some bars that night, but left my camera in the hotel. It was kind of interesting but like 98% frat-type dudes and girls. Not really my thing. It is a huge college town, afterall.
Enjoy,
Clayton
These photos are from my extended layover in NYC on my way to the Dominican Republic. I opted to spend the time in Manhattan instead of waiting 10 hours at JFK. 2 cab rides to and from the airport cost me $100. Yikes!
Started the night at Le Royal. There was some The Wire party going on, with the people who did the soundtrack performing and some of the actors hanging out. I’ve still never seen the show so I didn’t recognize anyone, of course.
My new friend Samantha.
Switched to the 50/1.4. Hard to get sharp focus at such a shallow dof when the subject is moving very rapidly.
Igor, the guy who does drivenbyboredom.com
my drink ticket and plane ticket.
OK so now we are at Annex
Cool lighting, wish that guy wasn’t leaning into the shot though.
Yeah yeah, setup.
Nick Rhodes aka nickydigital.com
Friends who I always seem to run into in NYC or LA, Elise and Meryl
The end of a drunk layover.. off to the airport to drunk video chat with Lauren Flax and wait for my plane to board, which ended up being the worse plane ride of my life.. and not just because I was hungover.
Enjoy,
Clayton
awwwwwwwwwww
HEY AMERICA
Just curious,
Are you really planning to elect, to be the President, a guy who lost to perhaps one of the worst President’s in this nation’s history and a man who is hated worldwide, George Bush? Yes. John McCain, if you remember, he was supposed to be the Republican candidate 7 years ago until he didn’t win and Bush prevailed. Remember that?
And all you left wingers are backing Hillary pretty strong. I mean, I guess that’s cool and all but perhaps you didn’t notice that lots of people hate Hillary Clinton, and her chance of beating John McCain seems to be a lot less likely than perhaps Barack Obama’s might be.
It’s funny to me how candidates always win their “home state” or states that they have any sort of relations with. Well, with the exception of Hillary of course here in Illinois. Obama won big in Kansas and Illinois. His mom is from Kansas and his career is based in Illinois. Hillary won fairly easily in New York, her adopted home state. It’s almost like policies take a back seat to homegrown pride. Mitt Romney barely won in Massachusetts, thought, perhaps as big a sign as ever that his days are numbered. I still can’t get over calling a President Mitt.
It must suck for Mitt that he is spending millions upon millions of dollars and it is all to waste. He is being double teamed, no doubt about it, by the evangelical pastor and the ex-prisoner of war, and for this he has no chance of winning… unless of course something were to happen to John McCain in the coming months.
And on that topic, I must say–C’mon! America is perhaps going to elect, to President, a man who will be 72 years old as he is sworn into office if he were to win. That’s like, really, really old. In fact it would make him the oldest president as elected in US history! If he were to win a second term he would be in his 80’s as the commander in chief. Plus, he was born in Panama! Doesn’t that make him less American or something??
I will be curious to see what will happen after the Democratic and Republican dust is settled and each party has its candidate. Obviously, John McCain and either Obama or Clinton. I would assume that Ron Paul will remain in the race as an independent/Libertarian/wacky guy and if New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg ever decides to run, it could make things interesting. We might see four viable candidates! Though the roles of Paul and Bloomberg would likely remain that of the spoiler. Bloomberg would take votes away from the Democratic candidate, and Ron Paul would perhaps steal a few away from both parties. How many votes is the big question.
So those are my thoughts on these retarded American politics. If I had to pick a candidate to back, as I did yesterday during super-duper Tuesday, clearly I would say Barack Obama is your best choice. Hillary will just be more of the same (to a greater extent than Obama will) and, well, I guess I’m just sick of the Bush/Clinton regime in America. The possibility of 28 years of a Bush or Clinton in charge rubs me the wrong way. I mean, I know our “democracy” here in America is kind of a sham, but don’t people realize they are being had? Twenty-Eight years straight of two families in charge? Is this really what people want?
If it is, then screw this I’m moving someplace else. Like Cuba or Saudi Arabia or North Korea
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