A recent assignment I received from Mishpacha Jewish Family Weekly magazine was published this month. The commission offered me an opportunity to experience a Chicago’s treasure and an opportunity to explore macro photography.

As the Sap Rises
Mishpacha Staff

As we step through the door into a tropical paradise, leaving the frosty, 15-degree city behind us, we forget that we’re just a few minutes away from downtown Chicago. Inside, Rabbi Mordechai Millunchick of the Skokie community kollel, a botanical expert and author of Midarkai Hailanos, reminds us that our connection to trees is much deeper than just the paper of this magazine.

How did a kollel man from Chicago become an authority on trees? “It all happened about four years ago as I was learning with my night chavrusa,” says Rabbi Millunchick. “He’s a podiatrist by trade, and maintains a garden in the back of his house. One night, he asked me about his new cherry tree.

“ ‘When can I eat its fruits?’ I quickly thought, there may be a problem of orlah, but does it apply in chutz la’aretz? We learned the relevant sources, and a few sessions later we concluded that we may have another problem on our hands.” His friend was happy to wait three years, but there were other questions: when during the year was the tree planted? Was it planted from a seed or transplanted from a sapling? Was it grafted to make it stronger? Would there be an issue of kilayim?

Rabbi Millunchick got the bug. Once he began his research, he felt pulled into the world of horticulture and its halachic interface. He met experts in the field, helped in no small measure by Dr. Yehoshua Klein, head of the Torah Agriculture department of the Volcani Plant Sciences Center in Eretz Yisrael. Dr. Klein has worked on developing sprays to remove flowers from orlah trees, has helped regulate esrog yields and storage qualities; and has determined halachically compatible rootstocks for citrus fruit.

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There was snow on the ground outside The Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago, but the humidity indoors caused some of my lenses to fog-up.

The fruit from a palm tree at The Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago

The Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago takes visitors to another world. During my visit it was well below freezinging outdoor and tropical indoors. by John Gress

Large flowers could be seen throughout the Chicago conservatory with pools of light highlighting their beauty.

A tiny orange blossom caught my eye at Chicago's Garfield Park Conservatory. Its not often that I am asked to shoot objects smaller than my thumb.

An inflorescence (a group or cluster of flowers) from a bananna tree in the Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago.

Professor Liu was so gracious after the shoot… he even walked me to my car.. that doesn’t happen everyday.

By DAVID STREITFELD

The New York Times

In the brutal world of online commerce, where a competing product is just a click away, retailers need all the juice they can get to close a sale.

Some exalt themselves by anonymously posting their own laudatory reviews. Now there is an even simpler approach: offering a refund to customers in exchange for a write-up.

By the time VIP Deals ended its rebate on Amazon.com late last month, its leather case for the Kindle Fire was receiving the sort of acclaim once reserved for the likes of Kim Jong-il. Hundreds of reviewers proclaimed the case a marvel, a delight, exactly what they needed to achieve bliss. And definitely worth five stars… Read More

Bing Liu, a computer science professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, is trying to devise mathematical models that can unmask fake product endorsements. “The incentives for faking are getting bigger,” he said. “It’s a very cheap way of marketing.” Photo by John Gress for The New York Times

by Chael Needle

On their own, Chicago-based Marshall Titus and John Gress each have an impressive bag of tricks.

Marshall Titus is a singer, songwriter, producer and award-winning actor, with three solo CDs and several theatrical productions, among other accomplishments, to his name. He was part of the pop/R&B group Champaign, his vocal work has graced television and radio commercials, and his songs have been recorded by Linda Clifford.

John Gress has excelled as a photographer. His commercial work has appeared in a multitude of advertising and public relations campaigns, including ones for Chrysler, Lufthansa, and Ben & Jerry’s. His photojournalism is carried on Reuters and has appeared in major publications here and abroad. Gress also shoots fashion and editorial (including the cast of Twilight, which appeared recently in Us Weekly and elsewhere), among other genres… Read More

Chicago’s second Wal-Mart supercenter opened this morning at 8331 S. Stewart Avenue. The store features a large fresh section and products tailored to the neighborhood. I was there yesterday as they made their final preparations.

A worker walks through the "Action Alley" at a new Wal-Mart store in Chicago, January 24, 2012. The store will open on January 25, and it will be Wal-Mart's largest outlet in Chicago. REUTERS/John Gress

The Money Center, which offers bank like services, can be seen at a new Wal-Mart store in Chicago, January 24, 2012. REUTERS/John Gress

Procter & Gamble's Tide can be seen on display at a new Wal-Mart store in Chicago, January 24, 2012. REUTERS/John Gress

USDA Choice beef can be seen on display at a new Wal-Mart store in Chicago, January 24, 2012. Its too bad the store wasn't open when I was there because I would have stocked up. REUTERS/John Gress

Free oranges? Maybe they added a price before they opened. The produce section can be seen at a new Wal-Mart store in Chicago, January 24, 2012. REUTERS/John Gress

I worked on a B&W music video in my studio this week for singer Marshall Titus. Titus recently recorded a dance remix of George Michael’s “Father Figure” which will debut on iTunes Feb 7th.

One of the fun things about this music video was that it took more time setting up and tearing down then it took to film. Unfortunately we didn’t shoot any stills of my assistant Joshua Slater and I using my Glidetrack or 11-foot Jib / Crane.

While you can see from the monitor we shot the project in color, the final edit will be monochrome.

The video, which will debut Feb. 9 in Black & White, is my first video to be shot all in studio.

It was a wacky day today in politics. Newt Gringrich’s second wife said he wanted an open relationship, the same day Rick Perry dropped out of the presidential race and endorsed Gingrich. But wait there is more.. the Iowa Republican party says Satorum now leads the caucuses by 34 votes but they lost some ballots and can’t determine who won their January 3rd election….. no really… No really… I am not kidding.

Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum (C) stands with his wife Karen Garver Santorum (R) and daughter Elizabeth as they react to Iowa Caucus voting results at a caucus rally in Johnston, Iowa, January 3, 2012. REUTERS/John Gress

Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry campaigns at the Blue Strawberry Coffee Company in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, December 29, 2011. REUTERS/John Gress

I’ll never forget what happened on December 29th in Cedar Rapids, Iowa when I was covering former Texas Governor Rick Perry. A man asked him about the Supreme court case Lawrence v. Texas and he was nothing short of stumped. He later said he didn’t know about the landmark case decided while he was governor which struck down the state’s anti-sodomy law and similar laws in 13 others according to ABC news. Perry happened to write about the case in his book in a section where he criticised the supreme court. I can be seen below (center of the frame, to the right of the guy in the purple shirt, 30 second mark) shooting Perry as it happened.

I hope your day is going as well as mine! I have been looking forward to Justus Clothing launching my bold, new, creative TV commercial, and now the day has come.

For the “Underwear Drawer,” which I shot and directed, we had to do everything at least 15 times so we could walk away with video that could later be assembled to represent six separate days of model Eric Anderson bounding out of bed and getting dressed.

Please help support their charitable effort 1-4-1. For every item you purchase on their website, Justus will donate a new pair of underwear to a homeless shelter: one for one.

One of the impromptu still shots from the shoot.

Brandon Trumfio does Eric's make-up before the shoot.

Eric and Monique prepare to begin the final shot of the commercial as I start to film with my Glidetrack on the floor. Thanks to 7000-watts of light and the heat cranked way up for the models, I had to borrow a pair of shorts to stay cool.

I shot my first NBA game of the season tonight… I don’t know if I was rusty or if it was the players. Then again the winning score was only 77 points.

Toronto Raptors Jose Calderon battles Chicago Bulls Derrick Rose during the third quarter of their NBA game in Chicago, January 14, 2012. REUTERS/John Gress

Chicago Bulls Carlos Boozer shoots on the Toronto Raptors DeMar DeRozan during the fourth quarter of their NBA game in Chicago, January 14, 2012. REUTERS/John Gress

A Bicycle Built For Two recently highlighted a Lesbian Wedding I photographed in Wisconsin.

“I absolutely adore the rosemary garlands that adorn the yacht at Dawn and Angela’s lesbian wedding; and, had I seen those rustic, organic centerpieces prior to our own wedding they would have served as our floral inspiration.

Along with their wedding photos, Dawn and Angela submitted their newspaper wedding announcement: Dawn and Angela exchanged vows June 4 in a private ceremony in Lake Geneva, WI. Lisa Tonna, Priestess of the Goddess, served as the ceremony celebrant, creating a sacred circle in which family members and friends called in the four elements of earth, air, water and fire and participated in a candle lighting ritual signifying the love shared by the couple. Tonna’s own life partner, Avis Jamison, served as ring guardian; longtime friends of the couple, Minnie Rinaldo and Teresa Stiel, shared sentiments from the heart during the ceremony. Additionally, folk singer Deidre McCalla performed her ballad ‘Blessings’ and the Cowboy Junkies’ ‘Anniversary Song’. Poet C.C. Carter also performed a special rendition of her work ‘There is A Spirit’ during the ceremony, which took place on the Grand Belle yacht on Geneva Lake.”

Chicago Gay Wedding Photographer

Delal Pektas, WBEZ

Deerfield-based Walgreen Co. is bringing its flagship store back to Chicago’s State Street.

The store had been downtown from the 1920s until it was closed in 2005.

Matthew Coffina, an equity analyst at Morningstar, said Walgreen’s purchase of the drugstore chain Duane Reade in 2010 could have an impact on the new store’s design… Read More

Workers prepare a new Walgreens store in Chicago January 9, 2012. REUTERS/John Gress

A worker stocks a new Walgreens store in Chicago January 9, 2012. REUTERS/John Gress

Carmen Ohotenco gets her nails done by Katherine Walker at a new Walgreens store in Chicago January 9, 2012. REUTERS/John Gress

The grocery section is seen at a new Walgreens store in Chicago January 9, 2012. . REUTERS/John Gress

Workers prepare a new Walgreens store in Chicago January 9, 2012. REUTERS/John Gress

Sushi chef's prepare food at a new Walgreens store in Chicago January 9, 2012. REUTERS/John Gress