Tag: chicago

Looking Back At The Past Few Winters

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As we are in late February, the winter season usually starts winding down around Chicago. That doesn’t mean winter is done with us, but, usually, the worst is behind us by now.

This has given me the chance to look back at the images I have taken this winter, as well as from the past few. I have not shared most of these before.

I love winter photography, I always have. Using Adobe Spark, I created a “highlight reel.” If I didn’t have to be concerned about copyright issues, the soundtrack to this would be Pink Floyd’s “Terminal Frost.” But, I used one of the soundtracks available for free.

If March gets interesting, I will be out capturing it.

The link below will take you the video, thank you for looking and your continued support!

https://spark.adobe.com/video/dmqaOcFCbsJjP

River Of Ice

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Living in Chicago, and being a photographer, I have a serious love/hate relationship with winter. When the icy winds blow from the north, sweeping down with it the polar air, there are not enough layers to wear to really protect you from it. Snow piles up, usually with some ice mixed in, making walking and driving treacherous. But, at the same time, winter has a beauty all its own. That’s where the “love” kicks in for me. Snaking through the loop, the frozen river adds a textural element that is a sight to behold, especially as evening descends. The frozen river shimmers as the street lights turn on, turning “blue hour” into a rare jewel of gold and turquoise.

The last two winters have been unusually mild, and neither the lake nor the river held ice for very long, if at all. I wasn’t complaining, but, as a result, I did not get out to do much winter photography. Since Christmas, we have been in the grips of the arctic air again. The river started freezing over, and I have been waiting for the ice to cover most of the main branch of the river. Usually, only the main branch freezes, the south and north branches have stronger currents which do not allow for much ice formation. But, this arctic air has been so cold that the ice has now spread into both branches.

Some friends of mine and I decided we needed to pounce on this opportunity. This past Wednesday evening, and yesterday, we ventured downtown to explore the icy river. Wednesday’s excursion centered around the DuSable Bridge, and the river walk just to the west and east of the bridge. We had to go out in short stints, the wind chills rapidly dropped down into sub-zero temperatures after the sun set.

Yesterday, we met up further west near Wolf Point, where the river branches to the north and south. We captured sunset, blue hour, the night reflections, and made a circuit to the Kinzie Street Bridge, and finishing on the river side of the Merchandise Mart.

Winter photography is special in many ways. If you take the necessary precautions to protect yourself and your photography gear, you will capture something incredible.

Out Of Chicago, Summer 2017 Conference

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I had the privilege to be involved again in the flagship Out Of Chicago Photography Conference. Instructors and attendees from all over the world spend a weekend totally immersed in everything photography. As one of the photowalk coordinators, I do not have a lot of opportunities to sit on classes or venture out on photowalks during the show, but, this year, I was able to lead a couple of excursions. But more on that later. The conference officially kicks off on Friday evening, and this year, our keynote speaker was none other than the incredible Art Wolfe. His images speak for themselves, but, to hear him talk us through them, it was a perfect start to the activities.

Prior to the official start, there are pre-conference workshops on Thursday and Friday. I had the opportunity to assist Derrick Story, a wonderful photographer and even better person, on Friday during his “Down ‘n Dirty Street Photography with Film” workshop. As you all know from previous postings, I have started shooting film again. I could not pass up this opportunity. I will be getting the film processed, and will be posting a separate article once I have scanned those negatives.

Friday night featured our “Photocrawl”, where we have photographers stationed at signature venues throughout the Loop. This year, a new twist was added, where we had guides lead groups to specific locations. I had the opportunity to be one of these guides, taking folks to Buckingham Fountain, Maggie Daley Park, and finishing at Cloud Gate (a.k.a. The Bean).

Saturday, the conference kicked into high gear, and I spent the day at the center, making sure the photowalks went out successfully. I went out to assist on Mike Boening’s and Derrick Story’s photowalk to Wicker Park. Being a life-long Chicagoan, I know these long distance excursions have inherent logistic difficulties, especially when they involve public transportation. Wicker Park is a street photographer’s paradise, though. Incredibly vibrant, with very approachable people, eclectic culture, street art, and great architecture. It has everything, well worth the time to go when you’re in Chicago. I took some folks on a walk east on North Avenue, and we came across a new public art installation featuring Vivian Maier, the renowned mid-century street photographer. The art is stunning. I was able to continue working on my sunglasses project too.

In the afternoon, I sat in on a mini workshop hosted my friend Lara Joy Brynildssen about Lightroom Collections and Lightroom Mobile (and almost ended up going into detention for causing too much trouble with my friend Monty). I learned a lot in Lara Joy’s class. Saturday night, after dinner, I ventured out into the Loop for an evening photowalk. Originally, I was leading my own group, but, it only ended up being one person. So, we joined up with another group, venturing to the River Walk.

Sunday morning, I led a group on an architecture photowalk in the Loop. We started at Harold Washington Library, right down the street from the Conference center. From there, we went to Calder’s Flamingo and captured some excellent reflections. We continued on to Chase Tower, and along the way, everyone said they wanted to see where a certain photo was taken, a spot where you can look down on an elevated train intersection of several CTA lines. I know the spot, so, we went there instead of a couple of other buildings. The featured photo of this article was taken from this spot.I just love exploring, and it’s not about the destination but the journey. And it turned out to be a great idea. The rest of Sunday was spent back at the Conference Center. By the time of the closing address, I was wiped out.

The conference is one of my favorite times during the year. It’s been a privilege to be involved, and working with some truly amazing people. Networking is always a big component of the conference- reconnecting with friends I met at previous conferences, and meeting new ones. It’s humbling to be involved with such talented photographers. I look forward to next year’s conference already!

Of Fire Engines And Zombies- June 18, 2016

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Weekends during summer in Chicago offer a lot of opportunities to explore different subjects. The plethora of street fairs, neighborhood gatherings, and civic events usually result in some unusual combinations. Yesterday was just such a combination, as the title of this blog attests to.

The day started with an annual event at the Chicago Fire Academy, near Taylor St and Jefferson. The Academy stands roughly where the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 started. This is where Chicago trains its firefighters. The event is a gathering of the Illinois Fire Buffs, who are dedicated to the history of firefighting. They have a show of nearly all eras of fire engines, vintage to current, as well as a flea market where you can buy just about anything related to firefighting, including vintage equipment, books, etc. The event starts with a short parade of the fire engines. They had everything from a 1920s era Ahrens-Fox engine, to a REO engine and Federal Engine from the 1930s, on up to the current engines made by American LaFrance. The older ones are still operational and well preserved!

It was fun seeing these machines up close, and helped me appreciate even more the firefighter’s ability to do their job in an era where technology was nowhere near today’s level. Even so, you can’t help but admire the firefighters of every era, who go into places everyone else runs from. It takes a special person to do this.

Later in the afternoon, I went to Millennium Park, as this was the annual “Zombie March” took place. The march covers a route of 2.5 miles, starting at the Pritzker Pavilion, going up toward the Wrigley Building, back to the Daley Plaza, and finishing at Buckingham Fountain. I got there in time to see the participants getting into character, and prepping their zombie makeup. The work they did was very impressive! All in all, it was a fun day, and the great news is, summer is just starting!