A Lowrider Christmas
This year’s 35th annual Electric Light Parade was cold, dark, windy, and very rainy. But you know something? I loved every second of it!
The winter months in the desert are the very best to me. It’s the only time the weather reminds me of my home in the Midwest. It’s also the only time we get a break from the intense heat, so I absolutely love being outdoors during this time of year.
This was my first time attending the Light Parade, but I had so much fun. Seeing all the people out despite the weather was really refreshing. I honestly thought that maybe they would cancel the parade due to the poor weather conditions, but to my surprise the event went on without any issues.
The photos I’m sharing represent the highlight of the entire evening for me, the lowriders. I love that the city embraces this part of their culture, allowing lowriders to participate. I love lowriders and I’ve been anxious to finally photograph some. I only wish there would’ve been more in the lineup. I look forward to meeting some of the owners of these beautiful and unique vehicles, so that I may do more in depth photo work with them.
For now, here are a few of my favorite images. Enjoy!
Holidays & A New Year
Happy New Year to you all!!!
I hope that everyone enjoyed their holiday season?
It’s hard to believe but, we’re already 10 days into the new year! Personally I’ve been taking a much needed break from everything for the past month. I decided to go back home to Illinois to spend time with my family, specifically my youngest brother Antonio, as well visit our old neighborhoods. Of course one thing I never take a break from is photography so naturally my brother and I have been shooting plenty of pictures. Chicago is very cold but so beautiful this time of year. The snow blankets the city and everyone seems to slow down a bit to appreciate the world around them. I really needed this! I needed to be here to breathe in this cold, crisp air. I needed to reconnect with my roots and revisit my past to better appreciate how far I’ve come. Coming back is always hard to do because, I always contemplate staying. Although I’m confident that I can go just about anywhere in this world and make it, this is my home. The sights, the sounds, the people, the food, everything reminded me that no matter where I go I’ll always be a Northerner, and I’m fine with that. This trip is recharging my mental battery. I feel strong again, like I’m ready to take on my next set of life’s challenges. My mind feels clearer and I’m more focused. My creativity is slowly coming back. Honestly, you can’t help but be inspired when you’re in a place like this. I feel the energy of the city, and the joy from my family has given me an extra boost of confidence to carry on and push forward. I’m at a point in my life where I need to make some very difficult decisions about where I’ll end up living next, but being home is helping give me a better perspective on which direction to take. Now like I said before, I have a collection of new photos that I will be sharing here on my blog within the coming days, I just need some time to try and organize them all. I hope that you enjoy them, and I hope they can give you a small sense of what it’s like to walk the streets of both Chicago and Joliet Illinois in the winter time.
Finally, with this being the start of a new year I’d like to thank everyone who has supported my blog and my work in 2014 and years prior. I’d also like to welcome back all of my original followers as well as any new friends who’d like to come join me for what I hope will be an even better 2015. Let’s make this a good one!!!
Peace & Love! RNJ
Versatility By RNJ 