Private Photwalks Recap | Fall 2023
Typically, I do these photowalk recaps individually but things have been a little crazy lately so I decided on a couple of things. There are a couple of reasons for this. So, I decided the iPhone would free me up to maybe see things a bit differently and use it as a sort of sketch […]
Downtown Wanderings
Last Friday we finally had some sunshine, along with some pretty cold temps, which seems unavoidable in the winter. Oh well, despite the cold, I think I finally have a little project idea in mind. I need sunshine and clear skies so I had to take advantage of the right conditions. I’m not going to […]
Carbide and Carbon Building
On this freezing cold day, I decided to continue the procrastination on something I’ve been meaning to do for years and is especially top of mind lately. Why? A couple of reasons – this thing is new, I don’t entirely know where or how to begin, and we had sun for the first time in […]
Getting creative with cityscapes
I love shooting cityscapes and I always spend some time researching good locations when I visit a new city. Sometimes, it’s hard not to shoot the obvious view and get the same shot as everyone else. So here are a few tips to get more creative with your cityscapes. I’m also including examples from a […]
Chicago Skyline Views from the 18th Street Bridge
The 18th Street Bridge is not as well know for skyline images as the Adler Planetarium, but it’s a great location that offers a variety of views. The bridge goes over the south branch of the Chicago River, as well as a railyard, which are great foregrounds. The easiest way to access the bridge is […]
Creating Series through a Preformed Plan
It’s been awhile since we’ve discussed photo series so I thought it might be good to revisit this topic from a different perspective than what I discussed about a year ago in this post. Instead of taking one location, one subject, one theme on only one day, we’ll explore creating a series over a period […]
Photographing the Chicago Bridges Lifts
Today, I wanted to share something that’s in between architecture and cityscapes: the Chicago Bridge Lifts! Every year, the bridges have to open to let sailboats move from between Lake Michigan and the Chicago River. Lifts are scheduled on several Wednesdays and Saturdays in April-May and October-November each year. In 2015, I was in Chicago for […]
Guest Post: Bryan Esler on Using Long Exposures for Architectural Photography
We’re back with a new guest blog post with our friend Bryan Esler! He’s going to talk about long exposures for cityscapes and architecture. Bryan Esler is a corporate, landscape and event photographer located in Grand Rapids, Mich. He has worked with clients such as CNBC, Michigan State University, ArtPrize, Steelcase, SpartanNash and more. His […]
The best Chicago rooftops for cityscapes
After sharing our best locations for cityscapes in Chicago, we thought we’d come back with the best rooftop locations. Elevated views are always great and Chicago has a lot of options to get something a little different! Let’s start with the obvious observations deck. Chicago has two observatories that are open year-round: 360 Chicago and […]
The best Chicago cityscapes
Chicago is known for its world-class architecture, and rightfully so. But where are the best places to capture views of the city? Let’s share our best location to photograph Chicago cityscapes and skyline views! Starting along the lake on the North side, we have North Avenue Beach. Closer to Downtown, you get a great skyline […]
