Autumn in the Windy City

While I was at the Photobooth Convention in May, I met many wonderful people. Amongst these people were Anthony and Andrea Vizzari who own A&A Studios in Chicago. A&A is a really interesting business, they refurbish vintage photobooths and either preserve the mechanical elements for chemical photos or convert it to digital. These high quality booths are for sale and available as rentals for events. They also operate a shop which sells vintage cameras and related paraphernalia. They have a really creative team of people working with them and are leaders in the grassroots photobooth movement.

So… it makes me insanely happy to get to work with them this fall. I’ll be doing an internship in Chicago from September to December, working on special projects. We are still developing/finalizing said projects but it seems like I will get to use my illustration, design, sewing, bookbinding and crafting knowledge, all while being in the midst of photobooths. Needless to say, this is a dream job and I’m sure the experience will provide me with some great insights for my graphic novel.

In the meanwhile, I’m planning my European Photobooth Expedition. It’s shaping up with only a few details to still confirm. I also hope to fit in quick trips to Toronto and New York in the fall, which should mostly complete the research for Photobooth, A Biography.

This coming week I’m going to visit Newfoundland with my parents and sister. It’ll be my first time and it’s also the only Canadian province I haven’t been to yet. With my new ties to Auto-Photo (the company that makes and services photobooths in Canada) I have secured the locations of 4 photobooths along our route that are not yet documented for Photobooth.net’s Locator feature. I’m happy to visit these gems before they are gone. And generally, I’m just happy and grateful for all the new experiences!