May, 2024 Archives

May 2024

May 31st, 2024

         

         

CD4742 240421 190046

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

 

CD4721 240421 185510

Most folks from the Chicago area will recognize that darker building, but why is the light blue building taller? I didn’t notice this trick of angles and perspective when I photographed this scene, but now I love the photo even more.

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

 

CD4673 240421 181201

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

 

CD4576 240421 173919

The concrete and glass exterior of the building on the south side of Wells becomes the perfect canvas for abstract architecture presented by the stepped exterior of the top of the building on the north side of Wells.

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

 

CD4533 240421 172435

This fantastic oddity was captured from street level, and I just love all of the distortion. I’ve photographed the curved fascade of the building on the corner of Wells & Hubbard a few times, but always from the 4th or 5th floor of the parking garage with light trails in mind.
(This photo was from a photo walk that I led back in April.)

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

 

CD3187 240328 141733

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

 

 

CD0415 240218 122659

The shadows from the melting ice or snow rolling down the glass were the perfect addition to all of the angles in this photo.

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

 

CD0405 240218 122541

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

 

“Light Summer Plaid”

May 23rd, 2024

…view older images with the thumbnails below…  

CD0395 240218 122320

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

 

CD0390 240218 122000

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

 

CD0187 240218 121108

Santiago Calatrava’s buildings never fail to impress. They’re almost always futuristic, but often can be mistaken for an animal in some kind of animated reality. Even his art installation in Chicago has a fluid and natural motion to it.

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

 

CD0169 240218 120745

 

If you crane your neck and look UP under Calatrava’s wonderful design, the view is magnificent!

 

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

 

CD0147 240218 120450

 

 

Perhaps someday I will grow tired of capturing the Quadracci Pavilion at the Milwaukee Art Museum, but for now, I love visiting that building. The whites and blues and sunlight are the perfect painters of abstract patterns; I can’t wait to go back!

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

 

 

“Hidden Falls”

May 18th, 2024

There are definitely times of the year when Upper Bear Hollow Falls are flowing enough to be impressive, but early April is not one of them. …view older images with the thumbnails below…  

CD4117 240409 081217

There are definitely times of the year when Upper Bear Hollow Falls are flowing enough to be impressive, but early April is not one of them.

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

 

CD4112 240409 080702

At Turkey Run, Bear Hollow is the intersection of 2 different canyons or valleys. The one valley always has flowing water, but nearly every canyon or valley has been formed by flowing water, and if you look closerly enough, there is water flowing down the tiny canyon at the top of the photo…so that obviously counts as a waterfall.

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

 

CD3991 240408 165531

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

 

CD3979 240408 164919

Just a little trickle of a falls that I captured on my way back from the eclipse earlier this year. This waterfall would probably not make it onto anyone’s map or highlights, but at 3 to 4 feet tall, it is just a fun little falls to enjoy.

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

 

CD3915 240408 153540

CD3411 240408 080636

CD3390 240408 072000

 

CD4712 240421 184625

CD4663 240421 180721

I’m drawn to reflections; the warbling that a window provides adds so much more interest to the scene. In this photo, you are actually looking at 3 different buildings, can you see each one?

CD4643 240421 180122

Not all buildings are architecturally interesting. But every building has aspects that can lead to an interesting photo – like this stairwell in a parking gararge! And yes, I know that these doors are not in the correct stoplight order.

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

CD4619 240421 174522

Maybe it’s just me, but seeing the Sears/Willis Tower poking out from a scene was THE Chicago moment growing up. For a few years, my family lived on the south side, and it was a contest among the siblings to see who could see the skyline, specifically the Sears Tower, first when we would drive into the city.

On a recent photo walk, I found this little “window” created by the L tracks, the incredible rusty exterior contrasting with the sky, the Willis Tower, and the Merchandise Mart. I had to hop in between traffic on 2 different occasions to get this exposure correct; the afternoon sky was quite the contrast compared with the shadowed steel. This photo is one of my Top 3 favorite recent Chicago photos.

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

CD4598 240421 174238

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

CD4529 240421 172345

The simplicity of this photo is what allows the three distinct shades of blue to stand out.

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

CD3170 240328 134800

 

I took this photo while on a walk with my daughters.  While the effect of the straight roofline “feeling” curved is fascinating, but overall, the complex simplicity of the facade is what drew me to this capture.

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

 

CD4743 240421 190251

Sometimes photos just work better in monochrome, but this photo was nearly monochrome all by itself. This Corvette was pristine white and all of the dark accents were DARK – including the windows. Normally I’ll give a nod to the driver of a nice, well kept car like this one, but I don’t know if there was even a human driving it because the window tint was so dark.

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

CD4518 240421 101140

At nearly every car show or meet, it’s difficult to get a great photo of a “cool” car. However, capturing an iconic detail is often a matter of patience.

Everyone has seen a photograph of a Lamborghini which makes photographing a Lamborghini in a unique way an interesting challenge.  How can I photograph this famous supercar in a way that is familiar but also new and interesting?  The direct sunlight helped so much in this photo, bringing out the shine in the rim and the paint job, but I am also fond of the double point in the nose of the car.

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

CD4439 240421 100110

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

CD4415 240421 095321

…view older images with the thumbnails below…