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When it comes to St. Patrick's Day celebrations, Chicago and its people really go out and celebrate in a big way. It's a day when everyone becomes Irish, or better yet, "Irish-ish" for a day of partying and (sometimes) enjoying the early spring sunshine as they watch the parade and other activities throughout the area. One of the cool things that Chicago does to celebrate, is the dyeing of the Chicago river. This is a process in which the river, goes green as about 45 lbs of a vegetable dye, tints the water green in the area between Columbus and Wacker Drives. It is quite interesting to watch and photograph. I had an opportunity to do just that during this year's festivities. I've lived here for over a decade now, but for one reason or another, never really had a chance to do this until now. I enjoyed documenting the day as well as capturing the spirit of the day in its many forms. Check out the gallery below and hope you enjoy the images. If you happen to have an opportunity to visit Chicago for one of these type of events, make sure you do so. It is quite an experience and I'm quite certain you will have fun. Thanks again for reading my blog. Enjoy the images and see you next time! -Mario
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The Chicago-area band Wrecked, is one that has been on my radar for a number of years. I initially worked with them when I was publishing Chicago's Rock, an online rock music magazine, some years ago. They're a hard rock/metal band with some really cool grooves and what is in my opinion, tasteful guitar work. I caught up with them recently while doing another show with one of my clients and managed to shoot a number of frames while I watched and listened to them perform new material from an upcoming release. From a photography perspective, the venue was a very simple, no-frills type of place, but the band looked and actually sounded good onstage. I did my best to capture some of that raw energy emanating from the stage and ...well, I guess you'll be the judge after looking at the images posted below. If you're into hard rock & metal, definitely give Wrecked a look. It is obvious they have put some thought into the crafting of their songs and they're very good at what they're doing so far. I definitely look forward to working with them again in the future. In the meantime, enjoy the images I created and posted here. Thank you for visiting my website and reading my blog. I look forward to seeing you while out and about. Until next time, -Mario 
  I once again went out to shoot music this past weekend. This time, it was for my old friends and clients, the Chicago-area band Two Ton Anvil. The show was held at a suburban location by the name of Krew Rock Lounge. Not the fanciest of venues but they did have more than just 4 light bulbs over the stage area which was a plus. They had a very large mirror behind the stage which was very odd considering the amount of large equipment that rolls in and out of that space on a regular basis, but I made it work to my advantage without making it look like a strip club. The band had been on a hiatus for a bit as they've been busy taking care of a few issues including pre-production and the recording of what will be a new album to be released later this year. This was a good opportunity to shoot them as they were full of energy and eager to be on stage again and it showed on their performance. I had a great time photographing them and capturing some 'live' moments to be used in their marketing campaigns going forward. Check out a few of the images I captured that night on the following gallery and check out the band online for more images and music. Enjoy! Until next time! -Mario 
      It's has been a while since I've been out to photograph local bands other than my clients. It is something I have enjoyed doing since I first picked up a camera as a teenager a number of years ago. So a few nights ago, I had an opportunity to visit with and photograph Danny Baron who was performing at a venue in Berwyn, IL, Danny is a local blues guitarist whom I've had the pleasure of working with in the past. I had not seen him for a few years but wanted to check him out again as I'm updating my portfolio and also wanted to check out his new band on what turned out to be their 1st official show with a new lineup. Danny has always been in my opinion, a very good player. He knows the blues, He feels the blues and it shows in each of one of his performances as he is a very animated player which makes it a thrill to photograph. From a photographer's perspective, I try to convey an emotion, a story or a message sometimes through my captures and images. Contrary to popular belief, not all musicians show the emotion stirred by a song in a physical way. In fact, some of them are quite dull and about as animated as a stick, but there are many like Danny, who make any performance a breeze to shoot, capture a great moment, and then just sit down to enjoy the music. The venue for this particular event, was nothing to brag about. It was a small stage at the end of a bar, lit by 4 (four) light bulbs. That was it. I enjoyed the challenge to make something like that look good and I think I did alright. I shot it with a B&W format in mind, in order to minimize the lackluster of the setting and to give it a more 'intimate' and personal look. Here (below) are some images from that evening. Hope you like them. Thank you for visiting my website and reading my blog. Until next time! -Mario 
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MARIO SALAZAR PHOTOGRAPHY & MEDIA SOLUTIONS
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