Doug Birkenheuer was admittedly first hypnotized by the immediacy of photography, but truly got hookedand turned his passion into his professionwhen he started photographing people.
Birkenheuer, 45, who lives in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood, is now the owner of Birkenheuer Photographywith three high-dollar cameras in his collection, though only one is mostly used.
"I remember [years back], when [photography] was always spontaneous … getting a subject, an idea, a location; never difficult making it all happen, even the weather didn't halt me," said Birkenheuer, who is openly gay and partnered with Dan Delbridge. "It was a simple 35mm film camera [that I first used], mostly [with] manual settings."
Birkenheuer, on Nov. 15, is celebrating his first 25 years as a photographer with a year-by-year look at the artistic development of his work, from 7-9 p.m., at the Center on Halsted in Lakeview. The show will include, among other highlights, scenes from 1991when Birkenheuer called a friend who was in the middle of remodeling, and asked if he wanted to shoot some images in his house. "It was a perfectly creative evening," Birkenheuer said.
Birkenheuer said his photography has changed with the refining of lighting of his photos, "yet still keeping with the human subject," he said.
Birkenheuer was, admittedly, late to the digital photography world, joining the craze in 2006. "Initially, I kept my art for film and the commercial for digital. A year later, I moved mostly to digital for both," he said. "Digital photography has been an incredible transformation in photography. It's even more immediate and the technology is now of the same quality as analog."
His main photographic work is people, mostly in his Northside studio.
What about an all-time favorite photograph?
"Hmmm, I have too many favorites," he said. "This [25-year celebration] is a milestone in the evolution of what I've always loved doing, and what I will continue so for as long as I physically can."
Birkenheuer has been in the same photography studio since 1998, though it was re-modeled in 2008. "It's modest in size, but very usable for what I do," he said.
Birkenheuer has taken countless photographs for the LGBT communityfrom people to events and more. He's been a photographer associated with the annual Over The Rainbow charity event every November at Sidetrack that benefits people affected by cancer. He also is working on TPAN's Chicago Takes Off promotional images.
"The 25-year Retrospective is organized to share my evolution as a photographic artist," he said.