“Intersection” is a simple study of lines, space, and meaning set against the open sky. There are times when simple is a nice break from moody, mysterious, dark or busy. That time for me is now.
Corner Newsstand, Florence – 1978
Here is a sample of my street photography before I knew what it was, before I knew I was a practitioner.
Broadway Detour
Night photography is my favorite. Rain makes it even better. Creative options abound. Time to explore when shooting and again when processing.
Between Sets
“Between Sets” – This image was processed using a variety of filters and adjustments to create my version of a scene and style Lautrec might have painted in a Montmartre night club in the 1890s.
Chance Of Snow
“Chance Of Snow” A winter scene in Chicago. Sometimes it takes a while to tease out the look and feel of an image. Musicians might experience this when they see sheet music they want to play, but haven’t worked through it enough to make it sound the way they feel it should sound. Same is true with photos I create.
Happy New Year 2018!
Shot on a perfect chilly early winter night. On Lake Michigan while cruising off Navy Pier. Fireworks were a perfect addition. Happy New Year to all.
Waiting
Waiting. For her ride? For friends meeting here, in front of a music club? For the bus? Just contemplating and regrouping before proceeding with her life? I’ll never know.
Client Will Be Right Down
The title of this image is self explanatory. I was there, waiting, looked up, saw this, shot it, and as I checked my exposure settings the elevator doors opened and out popped my client.
Still Life With Drum Set, Painting, and Bricks
OK, this is not a bowl of fruit lit by a candle on a table. So what? I’m calling it a still life. Wikipedia says, “A still life (plural: still lifes) is…
Eggelston Light
Eggelston Light by Harvey Tillis. This image is an homage to William Eggelston because the light made me think of him.
On The Way To Dinner
We finished our drinks and walked out into the misting night. All was dark and quiet with only the factory in the distance hissing and puffing white smoke.
Ms. Reid
“Equally adept in classical and jazz contexts, Tomeka Reid predominantly finds herself in experimental and improvisatory settings and composes for a wide range of instrumentation, from big band to chamber ensemble.”
Paris 1890’s Jazz Club Musicians
Paris 1890’s Jazz Club Musicians by Harvey Tillis. Some say this is a long lost sketch found in the stacks of a Paris library by a little known artist of the day, Marvin Lowtreck, while he was living in poverty in Paris in the late 1800s… And, the story goes, some other guy copied his style and name and became better known. Well maybe.
Peaceful Resting Place
Peaceful Resting Place by Harvey Tillis. Time passed. Years passed. Now I visit when I’m in the neighborhood which isn’t often. Lost memories coming back. Good times and bad. It’s still important to me.
Lost
Lost by Harvey Tillis. This image was inspired while looking through a fashion magazine showing models in random European locations appearing not to be aware of the camera. Creating a sense of story in a single frame.
Lunch At The Pick Me Up Cafe
Lunch At The Pick Me Up Cafe…Without Rich by Harvey Tillis. Another salute to Edward Hopper. I must have seen one of his paintings in a book or magazine over the past few days.
Mr. Broast
Mr. Broast by Harvey Tillis. Mr. Broast serves food late every night. The glow of this fast food shop late at night caught my eye. Glad there was no one parked in front.
Bike And Bricks
Bike And Bricks by Harvey Tillis. I visualized how this image would look before it was shot. That fast! Saw it and knew it would look like a frame from a comic book panel.
An Ice Cream Kind Of Night
An Ice Cream Kind Of Night by Harvey Tillis. Stopped at a favorite place during the drive home for one last treat after a perfect July 4th weekend.
Corner Home Early Evening
Corner Home Early Evening by Harvey Tillis. The architecture, color, and quiet of this place caught my eye and imagination. No traffic, distant sounds, or people. Time to indulge in a feast of details.
Style In The Rain
Style In The Rain by Harvey Tillis. One of many large used furniture, appliance and electronics stores scattered around the city. Late at night in a rain storm.
Family Outing
Family Outing by Harvey Tillis. Young couple with baby and dogs out for an early evening walk after work at the start of a weekend.
Summer Bean
Summer Bean by Harvey Tillis is a photograph of Cloud Gate, the public sculpture created by Anish Kapoor, known as The Bean, in Chicago’s Millennium Park.
The Pavaroti/Hadid/Picasso Guy
Robben Ford by Harvey Tillis. Once in a great while, you hear someone much much better, significantly more masterful, more brilliant than all the other excellent musicians. That’s this guy.
Pilsen Doorway 1221
Pilsen Doorway 1221 by Harvey Tillis. A Doorway on 18th Street in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood.
Where You’r At
“Where You’re At” by Harvey Tillis. I was exploring new bicycle routes to and from the Logan Square Fresh Market one stunningly beautiful perfect Sunday morning. My street took me past a large empty lot. There might have been a factory on it for decades.
57th Street Art Fair
57th Street Art Fair by Harvey Tillis. This art fair is a must for me. It’s the first one I make an effort to attend every year for at least the past 20 years.
Armitage Building
Armitage Building by Harvey Tillis. This building has been a favorite of mine for years. I pass it often on bike rides through the city. Wanted to make it into an image that didn’t quite look like a photograph. Perhaps more like a sketch or etching, old and tinted.
First Street Fair
First Street Fair by Harvey Tillis. A perfect clear night during Memorial Day weekend. Cool breeze. Squeals and laughter from kids in shorts and T-shirts enjoying being out among the lights, rides, and the promise of summer.
City Living/Kinzie Street Bridge
City Living/Kinzie Street Bridge by Joy and Harvey Tillis. This image was captured by Joy Tillis. I applied a variety of adjustments and filters to achieve this final result.
Serenading Sam’s Wife
Serenading Sam’s Wife by Harvey Tillis. Sam hires musicians every Mother’s Day to play for his lovely wife, the mother of his children. Afterwards he takes them to play for his own mother.
Small Town Pawn Shop
Small Town Pawn Shop by Harvey Tillis. This is the lone building on a block off Main Street on the way out of a small town. Looked ominous. No activities nearby. No cars or sounds. Couldn’t see in. Should I explore? Just say I’m looking around? Maybe next time I pass by.
Amigo Loan
Amigo Loan by Harvey Tillis. Amigo Loan by Harvey Tillis. The local pawn shop in a Mexican neighborhood. Open Sundays too.
Spring Flowers In The City
Saturday Afternoon Spring Flowers In The City by Harvey Tillis. Found these flowers on State Street one sunny morning. This version looks like a painting.
Four Portraits In April
April brought me to some music projects including portraits of these four special people.
End Of A Night
End Of A Night by Harvey Tillis. Joe Segal opened the Jazz Showcase in the early 1940’s. I’ve been to several of the club’s locations . Like this one best. There’s music every night and a matinee on Sunday. I like it late into the second set on weeknights. That’s when this glow comes over the scene.
Alone At Last
Alone At Last by Harvey Tillis. …My hunt around the ballroom began, looking, searching, when suddenly I remembered a lesson learned long ago while street shooting. “When you look too hard you miss too much.”…
Entrance To Platform Here
Entrance To Platform Here by Harvey Tillis. The remains of these stairs implies to me a once busy route to the commuter train stop above. It’s just a memory now. The scene implied the past so my goal was to re-create that mood.
Alterations Men & Women
Alterations Men & Women by Harvey Tillis. Found a beautiful storefront walking through a new neighborhood. Photoshop filters and adjustments helped me explore and present the details. In the process the image took on a life of its own and revealed how it could look to me. That’s the beauty of creating art.
Packed House
Packed House by Harvey Tillis. This scene is at Chicago’s Green Mill during the 1:00 AM Saturday night set. Music continues until 5. It just gets better and better.
Portrait of Ryan Cohan
Portrait of Ryan Cohan by Harvey Tillis. It’s always a treat to hear Ryan Cohan, one of the most talented jazz musicians around. His work is always special whether playing, arranging or composing .
Waiting With Tom
Waiting With Tom by Harvey Tillis. Waiting, with Tom Hanks and invited guests at a private event, for President Obama to arrive after his farewell address to the nation.
Wojo At The Bike Shop
Wojo At The Bike Shop by Harvey Tillis. John Wojciechowski, known to his friends as Wojo, performing his original music at Chris Anderson’s Ancien Cycles & Cafe on Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago.
Outtakes
Outtakes by Harvey Tillis. These are scenes at an event I recently photographed. They were not part of my assignment so I show them as outtakes from my own files.
No Place Like SPACE
No Place Like SPACE by Harvey Tillis. Lucinda Williams Performs at SPACE in Evanston, IL.