Chicagohenge is upon us once again. For those of you wondering what the heck I’m talking about, it’s basically the spring equinox where the sun rises and sets along Chicago’s grid. Plus, the light is just amazing this time of year…fiery, intense. Which provides great opportunities for some unique shots whether shooting directly into the sun and letting it light the buildings from behind.
I got out a few times this year looking for some unique takes on this phenomenon, both ground and drone shots.
The first time I went out was the day before the equinox. Originally, to try to get something interesting at sunrise of the St Regis.
In second shot, I used the pillars at Trump Tower to frame the St Regis in the background. Turning around, I couldn’t resist that light! Plus, a little dabbled light on the beautiful Jeweler’s Building to the left.
That evening I decided to head west at sunset to grab some drone shots of the skyline illuminated with this beautiful light. Three takes as the light changed…
The last two cropped in for a tighter view. I think I prefer the shots this way.
I didn’t go out and shot on the actual equinox, March 20. Should have, but I needed to catch up on some sleep and had a webinar and plans that evening. Oh well, the light is similar the few days surrounding the actual date. The next time I went out was the evening after the equinox. Though the intent wasn’t really to catch the equinox. Was once again headed to the St Regis. But as I walked over there I saw this fiery light on the side of the Wrigley Building. In a rush, I forgot to adjust my settings and the shutter speed was too slow, so this is what I got.
Probably my favorite shot of all the equinox shots this spring and it was a complete accident! The shot I had in mind was not good at all, lol. Love those happy accidents!
I then went out the next morning for more drone shots. This time a bit closer to downtown for some silhouettes.
I think I most prefer these next two shots from that morning.
