Mike Hettwer Photography - Documentary, Archaeology and Dinosaur

826CHI Volunteer Photo Book: My World Project - Part 1

826CHI is the excellent non-profit that teaches creative writing and other skills to Chicago's inner city kids. I volunteered to teach a photo class and we eventually designed and published a book of the 68 extraordinary student photos seen here. They were accompanied by the student's short creative stories and captions.

The ten students ranged from 7th to 11th grade and they used the $90 digital cameras that I donated. Most of the students had no formal training and we had six weekly shooting sessions.

The book is available on www.blurb.com and 100% of the profits go to 826CHI. Please note that all photos in this section of the site were taken only by the 826CHI photo students.

  
Nine more years and it’s the 100-year anniversary for Chucks. Amazing, right? They first came out in 1917 and were originally worn by basketball players. Now it’s 2008 and they’re worn for casual wear. It’s crazy how so much changes in so little time.Like love, for instance, it used to be something so underrated and now it’s overrated. It used to be marriage and then a baby; now it’s the other way around. So many high-schoolers think they’re in love, but it is actually just lust. The words “I love you” have become trendy. They have no real, significant meaning. We say “I love you” to get things we want, for greed even. So, the next time you say “I love you,” make sure you really mean it. Nowadays, Chucks have no laces.You can have a baby without a marriage. No strings attached. Real love still reigns.
   
I wonder what that little girl must be thinking, looking at us all kneeling down at her feet. Did she think she was the queen of the fountain? Did she think we were aliens coming from another planet to attack her with our flashing cameras? Or did she think she was like that fountain, looking down on all of us, happy to be famous and wondering why all these people were waiting for her to smile?
     
  
Ahh, come on! Let me go to the party. I won’t bite nobody. Just because I’m a pit bull, they think I’m mean. It’s not fair. I know how to party too. Ooohh! That’s my song – “Who Let The Dogs Out?”
   
Rebeca and I have been friends for a long time. She is 11 years old. She has been sick for a while, but she’s a very strong person, and she makes other people optimistic just by being herself. A few weeks ago, Rebeca decided that she wanted to be baptized. That Sunday afternoon, we all drove to Lake Michigan and stood on the docks and watched as the clouds loomed overhead. We watched as the sky got dark over the lake, the Sears Tower, and Rebeca standing there in the water. After a while, the pastor said, “It’s time to move on with the baptism, and just as he spoke, it began to rain. He baptized her while big drops of rain fell and waves crashed on the docks. After it was done, he turned to us and said, “Not just one person got baptized today—all of us did.”
   
“Sir, how far is downtown Chicago from here?” Anna asked.“Just 10 minutes, Miss,” replied the driver.Anna let out a long sigh. She had been on the road for days -- stopping only to eat, use the restroom, and to change from taxi, to bus, to a train, and now she found herself back in a cab. Her legs felt funny from not moving. As she rolled her window down to let fresh air in, she noticed a young woman walking down the street with two little girls beside her. The sight of the woman reminded Anna of the woman she used to be before the accident.
     
  
Big massive explosions and bright lights. Independence Day. We celebrate our independence, but are we really independent? What about immigrants who were not given proper rights, teenagers, and grown people still depending on their parents? I don’t really consider myself independent. Sure, I have more freedom than half the teens I know. However, there are limits. I can’t come home at midnight and expect not to get screamed at or get piercings without bad consequences. I wish I could support myself at 16, but I can’t. Not yet.Jobs aren’t as easy to get as I thought they would be. Even if I did have a job and made my own money, I still wouldn’t be considered independent. I have to admit, I do rely on others. I believe everyone relies on someone or something.We’re not as independent as we think we are.
   
I was walking down the street with my fellow students from 826CHI when I noticed an old-time street lamp standing at the corner. It seemed like a volcano erupting from the brick road and the bulbs were magma flowing over us. I had my camera with me, so I raised it to my face, but just then, I saw a bird perched on the concrete pillar behind the lamp. I noticed the bird looking down at us, attracted to the motion of eleven kids walking below. I clicked the button, but the bird swooped down and flew above our heads before my finger reached it. Now, that accidental picture has ended up in an amazing book. I guess there’s an interesting photo everywhere, if you just take the time to notice it.
   
While visiting my grandmother in a rehabilitation center in Norridge, Illinois, I noticed how expressive she became once she saw us. Back in the day, she used her beautiful voice to express herself as a member of her neighborhood choir. She also told wild tales. Now, seeing her through the lens of my camera, I capture her expressions on film. Every time I see Grandma, she wants to hold my hands because they’re softer than hers. She’s 89. She once went fishing and caught a fish the size of Antarctica at Mt. Rushmore. She dug into the ground to reach a water reserve and fell in. That’s when she caught a big fish. A really big fish. It could have been a polar bear. They made a movie about it loosely based on my grandmother’s life.I got my wild imagination from my grandmother. She has strong hands from fishing.
     
  
No, don’t take her picture; take mine! Ha ha; I covered her face. See, I look cute. It’s 'cause I’m photogenic.
   
Who knew a puddle of water could hold such a sight: buildings, clouds, and a blue sky? Puddles seem to some like left behind water – abandoned. However, for others with creative imaginations, they are so much more – like a water park, potential shower, beach with no sand, or even a city.
  
After swinging for almost an hour, Erica became bored with the park. In an attempt to top it all off, she swung with all her strength and soared. She soared in the air for a little more than a second, but it all came to an end. She landed, but the rest of her body kept moving. This caused her shins to break in half, and the bone to come out through her skin and jeans. She screamed and everyone nearby screamed with her. The ambulance arrived and rushed her to the emergency room.
     
  
It’s all about respect. That’s what the store owner must have thought. He wanted to make it clear that disrespect was not tolerated. To make his honorable values even more clear, an image of Chicago’s first black Mayor, Harold Washington, was also on display.
   
Lying on top of the white Buick, Julian watched elephants float by in the sky while Lupita closed her eyes and imagined she was getting tan on the beach. They were having a great day at the beach– except for my mom yelling, “Get down from there.”
   
My brother was wearing that old camouflage cap, my sister was proudly wearing her favorite Limited Too shirt; and me, I was in my brother’s old Michael Jordan jersey. We were sitting at the kitchen counter, all between the ages of seven and eleven. My mom took the picture after a long walk home on a Thursday in May, seven months after my youngest brother was born and we were first faced with the responsibility of finishing our homework alone on that counter while Mom took care of the baby.We three did nothing close to homework. Instead, we spent the time talking about weird teachers, eating everything we weren’t supposed to, and becoming human punching bags for one another.As I looked out the window and at the photograph in my hands, I knew that it captured the best days of my childhood—and now I could see it all again, right in front of me.
     
  
Everybody was silent – like right before a showdown in a Wild West movie. Lupita and Marilu were looking dirty at each other. Lupita marched, and as she got closer to Marilu, the ground shook as her big, two-year older cousin approached.
   
Being a 16-year/-old aunt can be a lot of work, especially the minute you turn around and see this. I have eight nephews and four nieces. So, a lot of drama goes on around my house when we have family reunions. My nieces Lupita and Marilu are always fighting about the littlest things. They fight over the last chip, who runs the fastest, and even over friends. “He’s my friend!” one screams. “No, he’s my best friend,” the other screeches. I can never get them to agree. They’re like opposites of each other. If one says, “I like Barbies,” the other will say she likes Trans-formers. If one says she likes burgers, the other says she likes hotdogs. If one says she likes Mexican music, the other says she likes hip-hop. And the song goes on: “I’m right; you’re wrong!”... “No, uh uh”... “Yeah, uh huh!” BOOM-BAM-BAM-BAM!Even though my family may not be perfect, it’s my family – perfect for me.
   
     
  
It was a hot summer evening and everyone was as happy as they could be. Friends and family, all were present, all anxious to see the joining of these two young lives. All were excited to see the joy and excitement on these young soon-to-be-newlyweds’ faces. The mother and father of the groom sat and watched their third son’s marriage. They seemed stoic and stiff, their backs like a fortress. There was an unspoken story there as I watched the ceremony over their shoulders.
   
Tic-Tac-Toe, three in a rowMommy got shotGee Oh!A playground that once was safe is now not.Someone had set this Tic-Tac-Toe on fire. Luckily nobody got seriously injured. Although many kids are disappointed, they are hoping it will be repaired.Parents were furious about what happened. “Now we can’t even let our kids play in the park,” one parent said. “I am shocked how people are destroying their community instead of helping it. Children are paying the price.”Tic-Tac-Toe, three in a rowBarney called the doctorAnd the doctor said“It’s not safe here anymore.”
   
“Ahhhh!” Lucas screeched hoping to avoid having his picture taken. “Don’t you dare push that button! If you do I’m going to lose my soul,” he insisted. “What are you talking about?” I asked with certain doubt. I didn’t believe him, so I dared to take his picture. “See, nothing happened.”As I spoke, Lucas was silent. He didn’t respond to me. “Oh no! What did I do?”
     
  
“The coupon is expired ma’am.”“What? Really?”“It expired June 30th.”“Oh, well, I guess I should have checked the date before coming all this way.”“Do you still want tickets?”“No, I don’t think we’ll be buying tickets here. We have a family pass to the Planetarium. That’s free for us.”“But Mom, I don’t want to go to the Planetarium. I want to stay at the Field Museum and see Mythic Creatures.”“Shut up; you’re so annoying.” “Don’t push me! Mom!”“Stop pushing your brother. We can’t see Mythic Creatures today. Our coupon expired. It’s too much money to pay for general admission and the Mythic Creatures exhibit for all of us. We’ll go to the Planetarium instead because we have a family pass. Thank you very much.”“Have a great day ma’am.”“You too.”And then she lumbered through the exit, five children with her. The little girl sulked all the way to the Planetarium, where there would be no swimming mermaids with fiery red hair like Ariel, no fanciful, fire-breathing dragons flying through the sky, no phoenix rising from the ashes, no centaur galloping through the forest, and definitely no beautiful silver unicorns with their long, piercing horns.They say that narwhals’ horns have been mistaken for unicorns’ horns. The little girl knew, however, that the opposite is true.
   
“What’s in the box?!” Luis ran in search of new trouble to get into. All day Luis was running ahead of me not holding my hand – not listening to me, screaming and yelling. I shouldn’t have listened to my sister: “Oh, no he’s going to behave this time.” I guess I wanted to believe.
   
12:15 - Walks to Starbucks, greets the barista, orders a Doubleshot on ice.12:21 - Partially trips on the rug on his way out.12:36 - Arrives at the Damen stop on the Blue Line.12:40 - Tries to catch the eye of the pretty woman that just walked onto the platform.12:55 - Where is the stupid train? (Has no other mode of transportation.)01:25 - Tries to divert attention from absent train to RedEye crossword.01:47 - Gets stuck on 48 down.03:33 - Wakes up from nap on bench. Where is the train? I’m so mad. (Has no money either.)05:45 - Hears a train rumbling. Gets on his knees. Gives thanks.
     
  
Hundreds and thousands of people lined up in the crowded streets of Chicago. From age 5 to 50, age didn’t matter here. What mattered was how much fun you were having and how much pride you showed. It’s called the Gay Pride Parade, but you don’t have to be gay to support it. The streets were hectic. People squeezed in to try to see the floats. Some brought their own ladders. Others hung from apartment windows and fire escapes.I passed through this group of unforgettable men. All of them were just there looking at others and then at themselves. In a glance, I saw that one of them wasn’t too happy with the other one. What was the story there? It stayed beneath the surface. Everyone came to the gay parade to have fun.