So I was thinking, this would make a great topic to share in my blog, go into a little more detail about what we talked about on-air, and share a few tips the viewers have not yet heard.

Midtown POV © Bill RushLightning strikes late at night over the Midtown Atlanta Skyline The first thing we talked about was how I try to capture a moment, not just a snapshot of lightning. To me, it's all about how you compose the shot. Find an interesting foreground and the lightning streaking across the sky will tell a story. If you're standing in a parking lot and see lightning overhead that's cool & all, but if you track a storm coming in, take the time to visualize how you want to catch that lightning & really visualize something magic. It's been almost 5 years since I first saw this view of Atlanta's midtown skyline and just knew I had to catch lightning over it some day. Every storm that would roll into Atlanta from the west, I'd stop what I was doing to see if it was possible to head to the top of a building in the Virginia Highlands neighborhood I shot this one from, set up a tripod on the balcony and try to catch lightning in a bottle as they say. One night last June it finally paid off, I captured what you see here, which was ultimately commissioned by Atlanta Beltline Inc and printed on corrugated metal to be exhibited in one of the largest public art shows of the southeast. To me, shooting lightning is a perfect metaphor for life, you visualize what you want, put in the work and have the patience, and one day it might happen. 

From there we moved on to an important topic when shooting lightning...safety. I mean come on, it's enough jigawatts of electricity to send a Delorean back to 1985, the stuff can be deadly. Like I said on the air, it's not worth dying for. Aside from the obvious lightning, thunderstorms bring with them winds and rain and can down trees or even turn into a tornado if you're not paying attention. I had that happen once, I had my camera trained on one horizon watching for lightning, and behind me a supercell developed & as rotation began I barely had time to get myself inside the building (Weather Channel studios ironically enough) before tree limbs started falling and roofs started coming off buildings. Never mind the lightning, flying debris could've easily ended my adventures on this planet.

So for safety sake, 3 things to consider:

1. Serenity © Bill RushLightning Strikes over Lake Allatoona in Cherokee County, GA Watch the storm closely. Keep an app on your phone and USE IT. The Weather Channel's Storm Radar app is awesome. You can see where the storm has been, where it's going, what cells have good active lightning, and when you need to get your butt inside. It's also a great tool to figure out where a storm is headed beforehand so you can go plan your shot.
2. Remote triggers are your friend. Once you've composed your shot and set up your camera, a lightning trigger that hits the shutter for you when it see's a flash or a remote that you can trigger manually from a safe distance will allow you to leave your gear on a tripod out in the elements and capture the magic all from the safety of your own storm shelter.
3. Seek Shelter. Shoot from inside a building, a parking garage, a car, whatever you need for protection. Just because lightning is outdoors, doesn't mean you have to be. Some of my favorite skyline shots are from covered rooftops, balconies, and parking garages of other buildings in the area. Use what you've got available. If you can't safely get the shot, don't get the shot. It's pretty simple really.

Crisis Of Faith © Bill RushLightning strikes Kennesaw Mountain behind a church in Marietta, GA Finally, we touched briefly on the equipment you need in order to capture lightning. This of course varies A LOT. My standby is a good full frame Canon body with a 24-70 lens, mounted to a tripod of course, and shooting 5-10 second long exposures one after another until hopefully I get lucky and lightning shoots through the frame I've composed. I also have a neat little trigger called a Lightning Bug that will trip the shutter for me the instant lightning illuminates the sky, though to be honest I've had better luck capturing my photos with long exposures than relying on a sensor. The analogy I gave Maria & Alex was like fishing. If you wait 'til you see a fish and then try throwing a line at it, you're not going to catch the fish very often...you want your line in the water before he gets there so that when he passes you can catch him. Same thing with photography, if the shutter is open before that lightning strikes, you'll catch it when it does.

Now of course you don't have to have this high end equipment, there are still plenty of ways to capture lightning. Work with what you have available. As you may have heard before, the best camera on the planet is the one in your hand when you need it. If you have a point & shoot that lets you set a manual shutter speed, you can still do a long exposure on a tripod just like I do with my full frame DSLRs. If all you have is a camera phone, you can press & hold the shutter button to shoot rapid fire shots & try to catch a still photo, or even shoot video of the sky and go back afterwards to capture a screenshot of the moment in your video where lightning hits. The most important thing about shooting lightning isn't the equipment you use, it's the vision you share. 

To see more of my lightning photos, and order prints of your favorites, click here to visit my Elements gallery!

In case you missed it, here is the full interview with Maria and Alex from Friday morning's Weather Center Live courtesy of The Weather Channel.

Capturing Lightning PhotographyThe Weather Channel's Maria LaRosa and Alex Wallace interview Bill Rush on capturing lightning photography

© Bill RushSoldiers in President Raul Castro's security detail oversee La Marcha de las Antorchas. January 27, 2018 - Havana, Cuba. Growing up, I knew very little about Cuba. The name Fidel Castro was spoken with the same contempt as Adolf Hitler or Genghis Khan, I wasn't even aware he was a living present-day man when I learned about the revolution. I knew about the embargo, the ban on cuban rum and cigars, the USSR and the cuban missile crisis, and that's about it, the place was almost mythological. Cuba sounds like a scary place if that's all you know about it. But I also knew of this incredible music, and the food, and the beauty, and the passionate people. And I heard all the legends of this Caribbean island island frozen in time, filled with 1950s automobiles as far as the eye can see, and sexy women, and incredible jazz, and the best rum ever to touch your lips. And if that's all you know about it, Cuba must be an absolute paradise. As with all things in life, there are 3 versions of reality; yours, mine, and the truth. The true Cuba has to fall somewhere in between heaven and hell, and my goal is to find out where.

Aside from being intrigued by unfamiliar cultures, and loving to go on adventures I never thought would even be possible, I happen to be a vintage car junkie to boot. So, suffice it to say, when Tom reached out about coming on board for this project, I jumped at the opportunity. So I went. I secured my travel license & visa, and hopped a plane to Cuba, armed only with my very VERY limited Spanish vocabulary, a pocket full of euros (credit cards don't work and the U.S. dollar won't get you anywhere), and a bag full of camera gear, I joined Tom on the adventure of a lifetime. As time moves on I will be showcasing some of my work here on my blog, leading up to the exhibition in Clemson early next year. Today, I want to share an experience that wasn't even planned for the show, call it bonus footage. © Bill RushCuban President Raul Castro (center) glances at his expected successor, Vice President Miguel Díaz-Canel symbolically waving the cuban flag in celebration of the eve of Jose Marti's 165th birthday.

I had booked my stay for 8 days, in a beautiful Casa Particular found by Tom... directly across from the universidad steps right in the heart of Havana. Scheduled to come home on the 26th of January, our hosts Aymeé and Gaspar told me we're leaving just before a very important day in Cuban history.

Every year for the past 65 years, as many as 20,000 torch-wielding cuban nationals march on the streets of Havana on the eve of Jose Marti's birthday for a celebration they call La Marcha de las Antorchas. 2018 would mark the last march under the Castro regime, as Raul Castro is slated to step down as president on April 19th, the first time somebody other than a Castro will be in power since the revolution began in 1959. Not only that, but Castro and his expected successor, Miguel Diaz Canel, are leading the march, from the universidad steps directly across the street from my casa!

Fast forward through the full day adventure that is changing an international flight from a country with no internet service, phones that cannot call US businesses, local offices with unlisted phone numbers, and limited funds in a cash only society where ATMs do not recognize American debit cards, and I've managed the impossible. Aymeé has somehow managed security clearance for me to photograph the event from our balcony, just feet above Raul Castro, President of Cuba, and I am staying to photograph this once in a lifetime event! 

The change gave me more time to spend with friends I'd made in Cuba, which would have been enough reason in itself to stay. There will be stories to share about Iovanni and Yuni's band, Rey's beautiful home in La Lisa, the chance encounter that's led to an awesome friendship with my fellow photographer friend Chulayne, and so much more. But for now I want to focus on La Marcha de las Antorchas. 

© Bill RushLa Marcha de las Antorchas, Havana Cuba - January 27, 2018

As the hours passed leading up to the march, preparations were made, a giant banner of Jose Marti was hung from our balcony and another of Fidel Castro from the building across the way. Cuban soldiers began to arrive by the busload and the energy in the air was palpable as the moment of Castro's arrival grew near. I saw the press corps guided to a holding pen opposite the square, around a hundred meters from my location, and it started to sink in that I'm the only photographer allowed this vantage point of one of the last public appearances of Raul Castro as president. I hold exclusive photos of key political figures, but this isn't what moved me about that night. Ok, that's a lie, that part was pretty damn exciting. But after the speech, when the crowds began marching and I went down to street level to experience the march right from the thick of things. THAT was the experience unlike anything else in my life. If you had told my 18 year old self that one day I would be standing alone in the streets of Havana as thousands of communist soldiers carrying torches march straight at me, I'd probably have had a coronary. But that's where the story shifts.

Viva Los Ninos Cubanos © Bill RushA young boy with a lollipop relights his torch to honor Cuba's national hero Jose Marti: La Marcha de las Antorchas, Havana Cuba - January 27, 2018 This wasn't some frightening moment where enemy forces rally in the streets. This was proud young adults serving their country, excited students showing their patriotism, families honoring a national hero. This is a side of La Revolucion America doesn't mention. Ordinary people in celebration. Just like you or me. What I learned that night, what I want to share with you all, capitalism and communism describe systems of government. We, the people behind those monikers all have the same potential for love, compassion, and greatness. 

All around Havana were banners with a quote from Jose Marti, "Patria es Humanidad." Homeland is Humanity. I take those 3 words to mean we are all one people, regardless of what divides us. Once I returned to America and started researching what I discovered in Cuba, I found Marti's poem from which that line is attributed: Mi memoria son tus ojos, y tus ojos son mi paz. Mi paz es la de los otros, y no se si la querrán. Esos otros y nosotros, y los otros muchos más. Todos somos una patria. Patria es humanidad. 

Translation: My memories are your eyes, and your eyes are my peace. My peace is that of the others and I do not know if they will want it.  Those others and us and the many others, we are all a homeland. Homeland is humanity.

Toward the end of the evening, I came across this young man, I called him lollipop boy. His homemade torch had gone out, and I noticed him relighting it from the flame of another torch on the steps. He later passed the flame on to light torches of who I can only assume were his 2 sisters and mother, and he appeared in the background of several other photos I took that night. Lollipop boy showed me a new face of Cubans. This is the very same innocence and wonder an American boy his age would experience with sparklers at his first 4th of July fireworks celebration.  

I'm honored to announce my photo of lollipop boy, titled Viva Los Niños Cubanos has won an APA Award!! This piece will be on exhibit in Los Angeles with the other winners of APA's Off The Clock 2018 competition. For more details, click here! 

© Bill RushLa Marcha de las Antorchas, Havana Cuba - January 27, 2018 © Bill RushLa Marcha de las Antorchas, Havana Cuba - January 27, 2018 © Bill RushLa Marcha de las Antorchas, Havana Cuba - January 27, 2018 © Bill RushLa Marcha de las Antorchas, Havana Cuba - January 27, 2018

© Bill RushLa Marcha de las Antorchas, Havana Cuba - January 27, 2018

© Bill RushLa Marcha de las Antorchas, Havana Cuba - January 27, 2018 © Bill RushLa Marcha de las Antorchas, Havana Cuba - January 27, 2018 © Bill RushLa Marcha de las Antorchas, Havana Cuba - January 27, 2018 © Bill RushLa Marcha de las Antorchas, Havana Cuba - January 27, 2018

© Bill RushA homemade torch belonging to a student named Samuel burns on the steps of Universidad De La Habana. La Marcha de las Antorchas, Havana Cuba - January 27, 2018 © Bill RushLa Marcha de las Antorchas, Havana Cuba - January 27, 2018

Fast forward to the spring of 2014, the first time I walked on The BeltLine, and I post this image on my instagram page, with the simple caption "Ok yeah I think it's time for me to move to the city." And so I did.

I remember almost 20 years ago when I first saw this part of town, how "ugly" and run down the seedy sketch industrial area once was. I've watched a drug infested abandoned lot turn into one of the most beautiful and enchanting parks our city has to offer. I watched a giant abandoned warehouse transform into Ponce City market, Atlanta's latest & greatest hot spot. I was one of the many who embraced a run down cotton mill and created a lifetime of memories on its stage, and I said goodbye to that club when it was closed down to make way for new apartments and shops as the area outgrows our memories. I remember when the rumors that some guy's master's thesis would someday turn that sketchy old abandoned railroad into a beautiful multi-use path that would bring everyone together & fill the city with beauty.

I kind of wish someone had a time-lapse to capture this block of North Avenue over the past 20 years or so to capture the change that's taken place right in front of our noses. I don't have a 20 year time-lapse, but I do have this:

North Ave POV

Of course the awesome thing about art is that everyone interprets it differently, you apply your own perspective & find beauty in your own way. For me, this piece captures the beauty in not being able to capture the moment. Time moves on, with or without us. We see the sun set over Atlanta as fans line up for a show at the Masquerade, shoppers pull into Ponce City Market, and cars streak by on their way home from a long busy day. In this moment, hundreds or even thousands of people intersected right there in the same postage stamp of the planet, and had absolutely no idea what that moment was like from my point of view, or anyone elses. Just one of thousands of moments that have long since passed us by. 

When the opportunity came up to turn my artwork into a piece of the Atlanta BeltLine and share my vision with the hundreds of thousands of people whom it reaches, this photo had to be a part of it. This is the reason my POV series is printed & mounted to reclaimed industrial metals, finding beauty in things that should be anything but. Ghandi said to be the change you want to see in the world. I moved to the Beltline to start a new life because of the inspiration I felt one day while walking over this bridge. And with this commission, I am forever a part of what The Atlanta BeltLine gives to the city. Even as the moments pass us by.

One of the biggest thrills for me as a beltline contributing artist was watching the moments pass during this years lantern parade, when my work was a piece of the experience.

Over the years, wandering around Atlanta you can't help but get to know & love the crazy-talented artists that share their vision of the world with us on whatever wall, bridge, or tunnel they can find. The city is this ever-changing canvas with new art popping up every day, I love it. The dichotomy between photography & street art is a beautiful thing. I love photography so much because it's the only way I've ever found to capture the moment and hold onto it, a time machine that lets you travel to the past and revisit beauty that no longer exists. But street art is the opposite, it's created in the moment for the moment, and may be gone tomorrow. You learn to appreciate what exists in front of you, because if you wait until tomorrow it might not be there anymore. Through photography I'm able to capture this beauty, share it with people who weren't lucky enough to experience the beauty first hand. 

One of of my favorite artists is FIEST, who has done some really amazing murals in the krog tunnel over the years. As part of my ATL POV collection currently on display at the Brickworks Gallery, I'm including the shot below which I captured back in 2014 after a late night shooting a total lunar eclipse. On a whim I decided to stop off in the tunnel on my way home and shoot some long exposures of traffic passing through the amazing art. A week later, this mural was gone, buried beneath new layers of spray paint and imagination.

Krog Tunnel POV © Bill RushAn original FIEST mural in the Krog Street Tunnel is illuminated by the night & Atlanta traffic streaking by. As with the rest of my POV collection, I've printed this piece directly on steel with a highly reflective crystal bead medium that brings the lights of the tunnel to life in any room, and mounted it to reclaimed industrial metals to bring new beauty to a moment the world would never have otherwise seen again. Stop by the gallery at 686-A Greenwood Ave NE, Atlanta GA to see the whole show!! Krog Tunnel POV

I logged a quick note about it in my photo journal that day:  Gaines Hall Sunset

Gaines Hall was a 145-year-old building on the campus of Morris Brown College in midtown Atlanta. The former dorm stood abandoned until August 20th, 2015, when it burned. I had never heard of this building before, but Thursday evening I, along with the rest of the residents of Atlanta, inhaled its remnants deep into my lungs. I climbed to the top of The Telephone Factory Lofts and captured this photo of the sunset its ash and smoke helped create. The city will soon be tearing down what remains of the structure to protect citizens in the area. I hope when I go, I leave such beauty behind.

So, moments before sunset, Katarina & I climbed to the top of the Telephone Factory Lofts and ventured out on the roof to capture a sunset a century & a half in the making. I'm happy to report that in the days following the fire Atlanta's Mayor Kasim Reed committed to preserving the remains of Gaines Hall and its historical significance to the city, but at the time, the building's fate was unknown and the moment was one not to be forgotten. Katarina snapped a couple shots of me doing my thing including one of my favorite pictures of myself, laying face first in a puddle hellbent on getting the shot I wanted. 

I don't think I realized it at the time, but what I captured that evening embodied everything photography is to me. Stay with me here, It'll make sense I promise. I believe art is about seeing the world just a little bit differently than everyone else, and finding a way to share it with them through your eyes. My mom was blind, didn't see her surroundings the way you or I so often take for granted...but by sharing my pictures with her growing up, she could literally put her nose right on the screen and study all those little details I was seeing & experience it for herself in a way she never could have without my vision. As I grew up I realized it's not just the blind who don't see everything in their world, none of us can. We're all blind to something. By sharing my vision I can bring a beauty to the world people may never otherwise experience. That's the realization that launched me into a career as a visual artist, photographer & designer sharing my point of view with millions of people around the world. 

So there I am, choking on the taste of 145+ years of burnt lumber invading my nostrils along with the rest of Atlanta, visibility limited by thick smoke that's keeping most "sane" ATLiens inside that evening until it thins out. I climb to a rooftop in the Old 4th Ward and watch the sunset behind the beautiful skyline through all this haze and smoke shooting rays of a million different colors off from the horizon. I drop to my belly & catch the reflection in this puddle & it's a whole new world. A Rorschach test of epic proportions. In a moment that could have been considered a very dismal Atlanta evening, I found pure beauty.

o4w POV © Bill RushA new point of view, capturing sunset from the Gaines Hall Fire from atop the Telephone Factory, Old 4th Ward, Atlanta, GA.

This summer, when the Atlanta BeltLine commissioned me for 3 installations for Art On The BeltLine 2017, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. The BeltLine epitomizes my belief that art is about finding beauty others may miss and sharing it with them. An abandoned railway corridor and dilapidated factories, revitalized into a 22 mile long linear park with green space and paths that bring the entire city together, not to mention the biggest outdoor art exhibit in the southeast! The BeltLine inspired my POV collection. Starting with 3 pieces, including "o4w POV" seen here, printed larger than life directly onto corrugated steel and mounted in reclaimed industrial materials in the spirit of the beltline. Each piece is on display where I captured it along the BeltLine's eastside trail, to encourage passersby to stop and see the city they love from a new Point of View. 

But that's not all. The POV series has evolved into so much more, currently on display at Brickworks Gallery in Virginia Highlands steps away from the Beltline on Greenwood Avenue, with limited edition mixed media photos of some of my favorite viewpoints throughout the city I call home. In the coming days and weeks I will highlight more of the work in POV and the stories behind them in this blog, so stay tuned! 

So, this year for Mother's Day, I've decided to not only look back on memories of my own mother and the life she made possible for me, but forward to all the lives that exist thanks to the women all around the world who step up to become mothers. So far, my photo blog has focused on moments I want to share with the world through my eyes. Today I'd like to share a moment from a couple of my favorite clients.

I first met Joni and Jason a few years back when they gave me the honor of capturing the memories of their wedding day. Fast forward to the fall of 2016. Joni & Jason reached out to me again to capture another of their most life changing moments. 

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As a photographer I get to capture a lot of beautiful moments and share them with the world. Maternity shoots are like this celebration of one of the most beautiful moments in a couple's life. When clients reach out to me, sometimes I wonder if they know how honored it makes me feel to be the person that brings their memories to life. Of course, then I look at what we capture, and how I feel doesn't really matter. Look at 'em. Joni absolutely glows and Jason couldn't be more in love with his baby-mama. 

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Just days after their shoot, I'm happy to say Joni & Jason welcomed baby Jameson to the world!

Happy Mother's Day, Joni! Somethin' tells me with a mom like you Jameson's got a bright future ahead of him! And of course...Jason's there with all the support you need. :)

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20170121_WomensMarch_Atlanta_0450Protesters in Atlanta GA participating in The Atlanta March for Social Justice and Women, January 21, 2017. For redistribution and licensing please contact [email protected] 20170121_WomensMarch_Atlanta_0052Protesters in Atlanta GA participating in The Atlanta March for Social Justice and Women, January 21, 2017. For redistribution and licensing please contact [email protected] 20170121_WomensMarch_Atlanta_0055Protesters in Atlanta GA participating in The Atlanta March for Social Justice and Women, January 21, 2017. For redistribution and licensing please contact [email protected] 20170121_WomensMarch_Atlanta_0075Protesters in Atlanta GA participating in The Atlanta March for Social Justice and Women, January 21, 2017. For redistribution and licensing please contact [email protected] 20170121_WomensMarch_Atlanta_0129Protesters in Atlanta GA participating in The Atlanta March for Social Justice and Women, January 21, 2017. For redistribution and licensing please contact [email protected] 20170121_WomensMarch_Atlanta_0135Protesters in Atlanta GA participating in The Atlanta March for Social Justice and Women, January 21, 2017. For redistribution and licensing please contact [email protected] 20170121_WomensMarch_Atlanta_0197Protesters in Atlanta GA participating in The Atlanta March for Social Justice and Women, January 21, 2017. For redistribution and licensing please contact [email protected] 20170121_WomensMarch_Atlanta_0257Protesters in Atlanta GA participating in The Atlanta March for Social Justice and Women, January 21, 2017. For redistribution and licensing please contact [email protected] 20170121_WomensMarch_Atlanta_0290Protesters in Atlanta GA participating in The Atlanta March for Social Justice and Women, January 21, 2017. For redistribution and licensing please contact [email protected] 20170121_WomensMarch_Atlanta_0347Protesters in Atlanta GA participating in The Atlanta March for Social Justice and Women, January 21, 2017. For redistribution and licensing please contact [email protected] 20170121_WomensMarch_Atlanta_0375Protesters in Atlanta GA participating in The Atlanta March for Social Justice and Women, January 21, 2017. For redistribution and licensing please contact [email protected] 20170121_WomensMarch_Atlanta_0502Protesters in Atlanta GA participating in The Atlanta March for Social Justice and Women, January 21, 2017. For redistribution and licensing please contact [email protected] 20170121_WomensMarch_Atlanta_0534Protesters in Atlanta GA participating in The Atlanta March for Social Justice and Women, January 21, 2017. For redistribution and licensing please contact [email protected] 20170121_WomensMarch_Atlanta_0496Protesters in Atlanta GA participating in The Atlanta March for Social Justice and Women, January 21, 2017. For redistribution and licensing please contact [email protected] 20170121_WomensMarch_Atlanta_0656Protesters in Atlanta GA participating in The Atlanta March for Social Justice and Women, January 21, 2017. For redistribution and licensing please contact [email protected] 20170121_WomensMarch_Atlanta_0750Protesters in Atlanta GA participating in The Atlanta March for Social Justice and Women, January 21, 2017. For redistribution and licensing please contact [email protected] 20170121_WomensMarch_Atlanta_0905Protesters in Atlanta GA participating in The Atlanta March for Social Justice and Women, January 21, 2017. For redistribution and licensing please contact [email protected]

© Bill Rush

With mom's health quickly failing due to total renal failure, we made the trip to New Orleans for a national conference of kidney patients and doctors, learning about new dialysis breakthroughs that could extend and improve her quality of life. When we left for the trip, my manager informed me he would not approve of my time off and it may cost me my job if I choose to go. Needless to say, this was not a choice, this was my mother. With her health rapidly failing in her final years, we had grown used to performing a delicate dance between work, doctors, surgeries, and dreams come true. As mom used to say, if you're going to work this hard to stay alive, you damn well better make it worthwhile. And so, sick as she was, we not only made it to the conference and met with the Nexstage doctors, we also made it to a little jazz club just off Bourbon Street, we shared a Muffaletta from Central grocery and beignets from Cafe Du Monde, we toured the cemeteries, and we took that cruise on the last true steamer in New Orleans, the Steamboat Natchez.

During the cruise, I went for a walk, toured the boiler room, the giant steam engine, the incredible craftsmanship of this old steamer, and returned to find mother sitting there peacefully, just taking in all the beauty around her - from the deck of a steamer...on the Mighty Mississippi. I became an artist because of my mom. So often people don't understand how I could have been inspired to do what I do because of a blind woman. When you realize how my mother saw the world, how could I have ever become anyone else?

During my last trip to Chicago, a dear friend and I ventured to one of the most recognizable attractions the city has to offer, Millennium Park's Cloud Gate. As one of the most photographed sights in Chicago if not the entire United States, I found myself eager to experience it for myself and see what others may have missed. Upon arrival, there were so many tourists, each snapping their own photos, making their own memories, charging the flux capacitors of their own time machines. At first, I thought with so many tourists around I would never get the shot I wanted, never capture anything unique and personal.

But then I realized, the people aren't interfering with my experience, they ARE my experience. Cloud Gate Introspective © Bill RushTime stands still for a self portrait amidst the droves of tourists flocking to one of Chicago's most recognizable icons, Anish Kapoor's Cloud Gate in the heart of Millennium Park.

The people experiencing this sculpture ARE the moment, they're what reached out to me, captured my emotions and truly moved me. While standing underneath The Bean amidst that huge crowd of people, the sounds echoing off the curved sculpture overhead, and the 360º reflections of reflections of reflections - of everything and everyone around me...it was almost too much, it was all-consuming. My senses switched to survival mode and time slowed to a crawl. I felt my pulse thumping the back of my neck, swallowed hard and let my vision tunnel in, just getting lost in the moment. The crowds scurried around me, they became a fluid blur of motion, and I was able to see right past them, through them, suddenly focusing in on this glint of sunshine kissing that perfectly smooth steel. I don't often shoot self portraits, as a photographer I usually prefer to only exist within my viewfinder, invisible to the scene I capture. But on this day, just like every translucent ghost blurring past, I was present, I was a part of the moment.

I'll preface this entry by saying this: My photography is about life, this is not a sports blog...it just looks like one so far. I photograph what's relevant to me at the moment, and tell the stories that relate. In this case, there happens to be 2 in a row about baseball. But if you look at them in context, it's not really about baseball, it's about the human condition, just like all the rest of my work. Baseball evokes a certain passion in people that I love to capture, the good and the bad. Earlier this week, I extolled the virtues of being a Cubs fan. Tonight, I'll share the challenge of loving the Atlanta Braves.

The End is Near © Bill Rush

As the 2 cinderella stories of the major leagues face off in the 2016 World Series, a look in the rear view mirror reveals a completely different challenge of fan loyalty. As the regular season came to an end, The Atlanta Braves bid farewell to their home, Turner Field. The Ted. A stadium that's stood proudly before the Atlanta Skyline for what seems like a lifetime...to kids unable to purchase alcohol or vote in the upcoming presidential election. After just 20 years, the team is packing their bags and moving to Cobb County. There will be no 100 year legacy, no neighborhood named Tedville, no fans singing victory songs in the streets. Bad seasons happen, no doubt, but this year the organization quite literally threw the season, openly referring to it as a "rebuilding" year, staffing the team with inexperienced talend incapable of competing at a major league level. It was like watching the plot of Major League become a reality, the owners sabotaged the team to drive down attendance and justify leaving the city for a new ballpark in a new location. A move that may make perfect business sense, but the fans were left in the lurch. 

As time blurs our memories, the final days of Turner Field are epitomized by a prophetic cardboard sign warning of a simple fact. The End is Near. The team finished 2016 dead last in the major leagues, 25 games below .500. Three days after this photo was taken, the club said farewell to Turner Field. Home plate was ceremoniously transferred to Suntrust Park where $400 million dollars of taxpayer money will attempt to fill a void left by creating the worst team in baseball and pulling them away from their home town.

This photo was recently features in the #weloveatl 2016 year in review gallery show. Prints are available in my gallery, click the photo above for pricing.

Field of Dreams © Bill Rush

The 2016 World Series is the culmination of America's last great sports story.  The team is young, fresh, talented. They are not underdogs, they are the best team in baseball. This story isn't about The Cubs, it's about their fans. Through generations, fans of the Chicago Cubs have been the most loyal and devoted supporters of any sport in history. Long after Hank Aaron's 755th home run or Peyton Manning's second super bowl ring, Cubs fans continue to pile into their 100 year old stadium in the center of a neighborhood named for them, the heart of Wrigleyville. 

My mother didn't live to reap the rewards of this devotion, and she never needed to. She just loved the Cubs. On the 100th anniversary of Wrigley Field I spread her ashes in the left field ivy, completing her bucket list dreams on her behalf. Saturday was the 3 year anniversary of her death, October 22nd. I sat, in a crowded bar in Atlanta Georgia called The Black Bear, known as THE place to be for Chicago sports in Atlanta. I watched with hundreds of dedicated Cubs fans as the team masterfully shut down the LA Dodgers for the final time. And as the world class infield rang up that final double play, officially sending the Cubs to the World Series for the first time since 1945, our little bar erupted with more passion and joy than any mere game can justifiably conjure. There was no fighting it, the tears flowed down my cheeks, and as I tried in vain to fight them back I looked around the bar and was surrounded by countless other grown men doing the very same thing. Tears of joy, tears that our loved ones weren't here to share it with us, tears that somehow we feel their presence anyway. I bonded with a new friend named Kevin in that bar, his brother died of a heart attack earlier this year after decades of Cubs games together. Kevin and I shared a tearful embrace in this moment that will live in both our hearts forever. The moment the Cubs achieved something never before done during my mother's or his brother's lifetimes, we celebrate in their honor and find a bond in what this all means. The coming days are filled with "if only ______ had seen this" and "just once before I die" tales throughout the media. It's not about the dominance of the players, it's the accomplishment for the fans. There is no dedication on earth like that of a Cubs fan. This is why Wrigley Field is my field of dreams.