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!

Gage Park

After a little league game at Gage Park, this youth helps his little brother get a drink while juggling his dog.

This is my second in a series of photos from the City 2000 project, a year long photo documentary of life in Chicago neighborhoods during the year 2000. I was one of the photographers on the project, photographing the Gage Park neighborhood at 55th & Western, where I grew up.

Find more information on my web site for wedding photography, photojournalism and corporate photogrphy.

OneWed, 2009 Award

Reviewed on OneWed Press Release:

OneWed Announces "Best of 2009" Awards Recipients and
Honors Steve Matteo Photography


Top Wedding Planning Website Awards Leading Wedding Professionals with Annual Distinction

Chicago, IL (January 13, 2010) -- OneWed.com, the ultimate online resource for wedding planning and home of WeddingPreParty.com, today announced the recipients of their "Best of 2009" awards. The program celebrates the best wedding planning and service professionals in the wedding business, and OneWed is please to honor
Steve Matteo Photography with this distinction.

The wedding professionals selected for this prestigious acknowledgement are an elite group of vendors who have received the most positive reviews based upon OneWed's 5-Star rating system. Each year, the coveted award is only given to the most highly-rated OneWed wedding vendors as voted by couples themselves. "We are thrilled to award Steve Matteo Photography with this prestigious annual honor," says Jennifer Napier, VP of Marketing. "At OneWed, we believe in sharing the love, and we're so excited to celebrate the wedding specialists who work every day to make couple's wedding days as memorable as possible."

About OneWed
OneWed is the ultimate online source for the truth in wedding planning, providing couples with a wealth of tips, advice, and creative suggestions to help personalize their wedding experience. The site's newest platform, WeddingPreParty.com, is a virtual way for couples to start the celebration early and keep in contact with guests through a social wedding planning network. OneWed boasts the largest searchable directory of local wedding vendors with over 225,000 vendors nationwide with honest ratings and reviews. Additionally, the site features OneWed's Savvy Scoop Wedding Blog, online wedding checklist, free wedding websites and ideas for everything from wedding dresses to wedding flowers to honeymoon planning. OneWed can be found online at www.OneWed.com, www.facebook.com/Wedding.Planning, and www.twitter.com/OneWed

Steve Matteo Photography - Stanley's Barbershop, Chicago

January 1st marked the 10 year anniversary of the City 2000 project, a year long photo documentary of life in Chicago neighborhoods during the year 2000. I was one of the photographers on the project, photographing the Gage Park neighborhood where I grew up on the south side. Several of my photos were part of the ongoing exhibit that year as well as a traveling exhibit. My photos were on display at the Chicago Cultural Center, the Chicago Historical Society, and the Museum of Science and Industry. Some included audio and were part of a video slideshow too. During the month of January, I'll post some photos from the collection and share some of my thoughts.

For starters, I visited the old neighborhood to find my barber was still operating at the same location. Stanley's barber shop at 2816 W. 55th St. is where I had my first haircut as a boy and continued to go until my early teens. Stan was a great guy and my brothers and all of my friends went there for a haircut. I always passed by his window on the way home from school and we would wave at each other. I hung out at Stan's on a few different occasions, photographing some new and old clients. The place hadn't changed one bit and the barbershop smell really took me back to my childhood. I'm glad I stopped in when I had because Stan was diagnosed with cancer and would be closing his shop at the end of 2000. I found out later that he passed away shortly after closing his shop.









These photos were also on display at the original Chicago Water Tower as part of Chicago's birthday celebration that year. On hand for the opening were Mayor Richard M. Daley and former Chicago first lady Eleanor "Sis" Daley