Edward Haber

I have been taking photos for more than 25 years. I have always had an interest in images, whether it be cartoons, films, or photographs. My interest in photography was originally spurred on by a friend who is a professional photographer in Chicago. Every time I went to Chicago, I would go with him to Blues Music venues. I became fascinated with the music and the people at those venues, which were mostly small neighborhood bars. Some of these places were landmarks of Chicago Blues like Theresa’s and the Checkerboard Lounge on the South Side. These bars were local neighborhood places where people would come to listen and dance to the blues after a day of work, often going late into the evening. In those days we shot the music with available light and a 50-millimeter lens. Taking photos with that lens and no flash taught me to get up close and shoot in low light conditions. 

Over the years I began to shoot constantly and try to catch people when they seem to be absorbed in their own thoughts, solitary moments. In the past 10 years, I have also shot a variety of work conferences and provided documentation for those events as well as photographs that are used to advertise the meetings. Whenever I travel, I take my cameras with me and find people and places to photograph. What I enjoy most is taking pictures of people in their own work/play environment.