50 years and counting

(L-R) Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones perform at a concert during the band's "50 and Counting" tour in Chicago May 28, 2013.REUTERS/John Gress

I photographed the Rolling Stones last night in Chicago. I rarely get asked to go to concerts and the last group I captured was AC/DC back when Bush was still the president. At this rate Macklemore will have to pop tags for 30 years before I see him through my viewfinder.

David Axelrod slashes stache

Barack Obama strategist David Axelrod poses in Chicago April 25, 2008. John Gress/for The Washington Post

When I met David Axelrod in 2008 at Obama for America campaign headquarters I instantly wanted to photograph him in front of this iconic Obama image. I decided to light Axelrod with light similar to what was in the Obama portrait, only from the opposite side, to create symmetry and contrast all at the same time.

Jesse Jackson For Der Spiegel

Chicago Magazine Portriat Photographer John Gress

Most magazine portraits are routine…. but you wont believe what we found when we went to photograph civil rights legend Jesse Jackson.