©2019 Michael Priorie. All Rights Reserved.
Playing around with depth of field here. I used my 35mm f2 lens and leaned against the outside wall of a restaurant. The lighting cooperated and well.
Revisited
©2019 Michael Priorie. All Rights Reserved.
In my ‘About Me’ section, a photo of the Oak Park World War I Memorial graces the top of the page. I took that shot way back in 1993 as part of my first photo class assignment. The goal was to shoot an entire roll of Tri-X film on just one subject.
Flash forward to 2019 and here we are again. This time it was to put my new DSLR ( a Canon 6D Mark II with a 20mm fixed lens for those who would like to know) to the test. Funny how things come full circle?
Caffe Pergolesi, 1998
©2019 Michael A. Priorie.  All Rights Reserved.
At one time in Chicago, Caffe Pergolesi and No Exit were the oldest coffeehouses in Chicago. They were both in existence since the 1960’s. At the time of this photo (1998), Pergolesi saw the North Halsted neighborhood emerge from working class to the center of Chicago’s LGBTQ community. It was a one of a kind place, kind of dark and cozy. A good place to read a book and sip on a cappuccino. There was a while where it seemed like Starbucks had taken everything over, but luckily, some indie coffeehouses have begun to reemerge.
Jim, 1998
©2019 Michael Priorie. All Rights Reserved.
I took these portraits of my friend Jim by his parents old house in Chicago’s Norwood Park neighborhood. These were taken in the summer of 1998 during a time when we were into the Swing Revival subculture that was happening. We wore suits and fedoras and hit the clubs. We looked like our grandparents in their youth. Jim was a really good model too! I miss that old “Woody” station wagon.Â
Geraldo
©2019. Michael Priorie. All Rights Reserved.
Back in 2015, I acquired some lighting equipment and began to explore my portrait lighting skills. My friend, Geraldo allowed himself to be my test subject. Although mostly for testing purposes, these came out really well. Lighting was done via an umbrella with flash.
Cookies 75 Cents
©2019 Michael Priorie. All Rights Reserved.
By 1998, I was getting a little restless and, admittedly, slightly bored with the Urban Views project. I knew that I needed to explore new places in the city. On this day, I traveled to Chinatown. This was down on Wentworth. This little store caught my eye. It has this charm to it.
Jejune
©2019 Michael Priorie. All Rights Reserved.
Back in the 1990’s, a couple friends of mine had a punk band called Jejune. Patrick was around fourteen or fifteen when he formed the band with his friend Mike. Chris joined as a bass player shortly thereafter. They played a lot of shows in the Chicago area and had enough of a following that they put out a cassette demo.  When Mike left as drummer, they revived the band for a short time in 1998 with their friend Guppy on drums. They asked me to photograph them one afternoon during band practice. I took these during their break. The first three were imagined for album artwork that never happened.
Jefferson Park
©2019 Michael Priorie. All Rights Reserved.
Jefferson Park terminal is sort of the epicenter of Chicago’s Northwest side. Located in the Jefferson Park neighborhood, it’s terminal connects the Metra commuter rail line, the CTA Blue line, and several bus routes. The terminal opened in 1970 and marked the end of the rapid transit line until the CTA expanded it’s service to O’Hare airport in 1984.
Carrera De Los Muertos
©2019 Michael Priorie. All Rights Reserved.
Carrera De Los Muertos is a 5k race that is held annually in Pilsen on or around Halloween. The United Neighborhood Organization (UNO) supports Hispanic communities by organizing events like this one as a catalyst to improve wellness and prosperity in neighborhoods such as Pilsen. Dia De Los Muertos (The Day Of The Dead) is annual holiday  celebrated in Mexico that is more of a celebration of life than a somber remembrance of the dead.
19082016
©2019 Michael Priorie. All Rights Reserved.
2016 was a stellar year for Chicago baseball. It marked the end of a 108 year drought for the Chicago Cubs. They won the World Series that year against the Cleveland Indians. I visited Wrigley Field about four days after their win and the area was still in celebration mode. It was just so unbelievable. All around the park, especially on the wall along Sheffield Avenue, the owners of the team allowed for people to write messages on the walls. Among the congratulatory remarks were more sentimental ones. Remarks to loved ones that are no longer here whose team finally won. My mother passed that year and this was her team.  I wrote in the little space I found. “They finally won, Mom”.
MICHAEL A. PRIORIE 