The Bergoff Restaurant Chicago

While searching through my photojournalist library, I found these images of the Berghoff Restaurant. This local icon opened in 1898 and was a favorite of Chicagoans and tourist alike until it closed in February of 2006.
I wanted to capture some creative moments before the doors closed for good. Since it was the dead of winter, I had to scope out the street for many days, waiting for the sun to reflect onto the building on the south side of Adams. The long line consisted of folks trying to get one last glimpse of this historic place. The bar portion of the Berghoff is still open and available for private events. Maybe the next time I visit will be as a wedding photographer.

Jermain Taylor

Former undisputed middleweight champion Jermain Taylor (28-4-1, 17 KOs) has made a decision regarding his future boxing career. Taylor, who was a participant in the SHOWTIME Sports World Boxing Classic, was KO'd October 17th by Arthur Abraham in Berlin. In his previous bout, Taylor was KO'd by Carl Froch. Both fights were very exciting and Taylor had an early lead.
In 2007, Kelly Pavlik KO'd Taylor to win his WBC and WBO middle weight titles. As a sports photographer for HBO, I photographed 2 of Jermain Taylors bouts, traveling to Little Rock and Pittsburgh. He is a great fighter, a true gentleman and a real class act, in and out of the ring.

Making the Academy Awards

Most people probably don't know that the Academy Awards are made at R.S. Owens company in Chicago. Founded in 1938 by Owen Siegel, the company has grown to be a premiere supplier of award objects and gifts, including the iconic gold Oscar.
I had the opportunity to photograph the award's creation process and even got to hold a few of them before the winners in Hollywood did.
This year's nominees were just announced and include, Avatar, The Hurt Locker and Up in the Air.

Hale Bopp Comet 1997

Without a doubt, the most unique photo I've ever taken as a professional photographer was of the Hale-Bopp Comet in March of 1997. I was traveling through Colorado at the time and had an excellent view of the sky from the side of a mountain road. Since I didn't have my tripod, I placed the camera on the ground, resting against a utility box. I set the timer for a long exposure which captured the streaking comet and Earth's rotation. A pretty cool sight for sure!