On the Chicago River

While on a photo walk in Chicago, I paused at the Chicago River. I made a few photographs, but felt I had "seen them a thousand times before" in my viewfinder. So in an effort to spice things up, I put my 90mm tilt-shift lens on the camera and began, well, tilting and shifting and shooting.

These are two of the photos that resulted.

A River Returns What Has Fallen

[flickr id="6333164730" thumbnail="medium" overlay="true" size="small" group="" align="center"] I was walking along the banks of a river and noticed these leafs floating across the surface. I moved from side to side to find an interesting angle and, as I did so, the reflection of the bare trees on the far bank came into play. I couldn't help but notice the visual trick of replacing the fallen leafs back upon the trees. I made a few shots but wasn't very happy with the outcome. At that point, I deliberately underexposed and, voila, I was much happier.

October Kayak

[flickr id="6279961137" thumbnail="medium" overlay="true" size="small" group="" align="center"] While photographing around the Fullersburg Nature Center/Graue Mill area, I saw this gentleman kayaking down Salt Creek. I managed to grab this photo before he paddled around a bend. I just love the fact that he was wearing this photographically friendly red jacket!

Caught

[flickr id="6238622530" thumbnail="medium" overlay="false" size="small" group="" align="center"] While on a photo walk, I came across this wooden grate across a little stream that led to the mill wheel at Graue Mill. I loved the way the leafs were randomly caught up. The light, too, was just gorgeous.

Lines of Sun

[flickr id="6035681744" thumbnail="medium" overlay="true" size="small" group="" align="center"] While walking down Dearborn in Chicago, I paused at the river to see if any interesting shots developed. I grabbed this photo of a water taxi as it emerged from under the bridge. I couldn't believe my luck when I saw the name of the boat, Sunliner, since it set up the perfect play on words to emphasize the line of the sun created by the bridge.

Still River

Still River While out and about this morning, I took a moment to pull into a small forest preserve clearing. I walked around, just looking for something interesting. I came upon this river, and was struck by the way the reflections of the sky and the trees shimmered back at me from the water. I just knew I had to make a photograph.

Japanese Bridge (050/365 02-19-2010)

I spent the morning at the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, IL. While there, I headed over to the Japanese garden to take advantage of the dramatic light. When I saw the gentle arc of this bridge, I knew I wanted to photograph it. Then, when I walked around to find a good angle, I saw this stone lantern and the whole scene just came together.

River Reflection (033/365 02-02-2010)

I spent some time in the Fullersburg woods (in Oakbrook, IL) this afternoon, and loved the look of the river in the chill and snow. When I saw this branch poking out from the water, I knew I found an interesting counterpoint to the softness of the reflections.

River Abstract (029/365 01-29-2010)

I hopped in the car and just headed out. I ended up in Geneva, IL and pulled over to explore the Fox River that runs through town. Of all the shots I made, this was my favorite.

Winter River Mosaic (016/365 01-16-2010)

I was on a photo walk in Chicago and was excited to see the ice on the river. I made this photo just off of Michigan Ave.

Winter River (353/365 12-19-2009)

The snow started falling and I just knew the woods would look terrific. I found this tree jutting out over a river, contrasting quite nicely with the reflections of the trees on the far bank.

Iron Shadows (187/366 07-06-09)

It was back to the bridge for me today. Since it was another nice day, I headed down LaSalle Street one more time to see if I could pick up some shots I felt I missed last week. This was the one that stood out for me today. I loved the shadows cast by the iron railings across the bridge.

A Concentrated 45 Minutes on LaSalle

This afternoon I had the opportunity to take a mini photo walk on a portion of LaSalle Street in Chicago. I decided to travel light, grabbing only my camera and one lens, my Sigma 12-24mm zoom. I spent most of my time near the Chicago River, both on the LaSalle Street bridge as well as along the Riverwalk. The day was a success in that I was happy with many of my photos, particularly given the fact that I only spent about 45 minutes shooting. In addition to the photo I posted earlier for my photo of the day, here are a few others I liked from the shoot:

[caption id="attachment_1164" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="Cabs on LaSalle"]Cabs on LaSalle[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1165" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Riverwalk"]Riverwalk[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1166" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="River Activity"]River Activity[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1167" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="River Cruise"]River Cruise[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1168" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Bridge Gate (Up)"]Bridge Gate (Up)[/caption]

And finally, a black and white photograph:

[caption id="attachment_1169" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Stairs"]Stairs[/caption]

LaSalle Street Bridge (180/366 06-29-09)

While on a photo walk up and down a portion of LaSalle Street in Chicago, I paused on the bridge spanning the Chicago River. I liked the scene, but knew I wanted to wait for a yellow cab to cross in order to give me a nice color focus.

Smiley Bridge (104/365 04-14-09)

I was crossing a bridge over the Chciago River and noticed this smiley face spray painted on a partition. Luckily, I had one frame left on my roll of film so I made the exposure.

Made with an Eximus Wide and Slim (a re-branded Vivitar Ultra Wide & Slim) shooting Fuji Superia 400 and scanned from the negative.