DOG-ABUNGA! BEACH FROLICS MAKE A GREAT SOCIAL SCENE, AND THE CANINES LIKE IT TOO — Aug. 15
I really like this photo of Chris Mallin (left), Lori Walters and dog Suki at Dog Beach. I like the composition and the way the dog, with its chain collar and black and white markings, copies the Goth style of its owners. — Chris Walker
ICE CUBE’S ROAD TRIP TO MOVIE STARDOM — Jan. 21
Ice Cube was in town doing the circuit for his new family movie “Are We There Yet?” when Terry Armour and I met up with him in a local hotel. During the interview, I framed his head within the cube-shaped picture frame on a rear wall, and waited for a moment to happen. The image of Ice Cube and his stogie, head kicked back, spoke of a certain crossover success in entertainment that few achieve. — Alex Garcia
LYRIC’S DUO A DREAM KASAROVA AND FLOREZ EMERGE AS DYNAMIC TEAM IN ‘CENERENTOLA’ REVIVAL — Oct. 7
This photo was made at Chicago Lyric Opera’s dress rehearsal of “La Cenerentola.” It was my first visit to the opera house. The actress in the photo is Lauren Curnow who plays “Clorinda,” one of two “evil sisters” to Cinderella. The costumes, the music, the voices and the story all made me wish I could have treated my four little nieces to the production. But they’re far away in a little Idaho town. Someday, when they visit Chicago . . . but will there be a spectacle like this? — Tom Van Dyke
WHAT DO COLLEGE STUDENTS SAY ABOUT THEIR DORM POSTERS? ‘THIS IS WHO I AM’ — Nov. 1
Roosevelt University freshman Glenance Green, 18, was a photographer’s dream. While illustrating a story about college students’ favorite posters, I made this picture of Green with her Muhammad Ali poster. She was willing and even eager to strike a pose with the champ, and when she mimicked his expression, I knew I had the shot. — Michael Tercha