A couple days ago I shared the workshop days which took place at the Botanic Gardens. Today I’ll share images from our “Field Trip” day downtown. We started at a favorite building – Aqua. Mid-range shots to details, you can’t go wrong focusing on the buildings curves.


A short walk away is the BP Bridge designed by Frank Gehry, which bridges Maggie Daley Park with Millennium Park. Overlapping curves and the warm light on one are of the bridge contrasting with the shaded, cooler light on another portion creates a nice color contrast.

Onto the Pritzker Pavilion and it’s angles and curves.

One final stop in Millennium Park, Cloud Gate, or The Bean. It’s hard to create original shots of this sculpture with how much it’s photographed. One of the students pointed out the Aon Building reflecting in the top of The Bean. I liked how it kinda looked like a seashell. This isn’t exactly how I’d like the completed shot to look. I wish the Aon Center in the background was in better focus so I’m going to have to give it another try, but you get the idea.

After a break for lunch we stopped by the Palmer House Hilton. Using a telephoto I focused on the curves of a couple of different staircases in this space. The first using the underside of the staircase as negative space.

In this second shot, the railing and steps below create a layering effect. Each set of curves counters the other, creating tension.

Next up, The Calder Flamingo. The first shot is a little more geometric, with the focus placed on the angles of the sculpture and the grid of the Mies building behind it. The reflections in its surface, along with the shadowy reflection of the Flamingo creates an interesting layering effect.

In the next Flamingo shot I really liked the light on the Mies building in the background, particularly the shift from black to blue being reflected in its surface. Countering that is the vibrant Calder Red in the foreground. And angling the shot makes for a more dynamic image.

Our final stop was the Chicago Cultural Center. We were a bit limited in our shooting given a private event was being set up but here’s a partial view of the world’s largest Tiffany Glass Dome.

Thanks for following along! If you want to check out upcoming workshops and photowalks, head over here 🙂