come join me for a long overdue update to my blog with a cool sunday photo walk in downtown chicago.
It is great to be back! I have been so busy over the past few months I have had very little time for photography or new projects. But a break is always good for creativity and it was great to pick up my Leica again for a last minute work trip to Chicago. Arriving on Sunday and having a few hours free, I convinced my work colleague that beer and a photo walk was in order and he agree. We ended up in a really cool rooftop bar at the perfect sunset hour timing. These shots were taken back just before the start of summer, around end of May time.
All shots are taken on my Leica MP camera with either my 35mm lens or long tele-elmar 135mm (which is fast becoming one of my favourite lenses). From recollection, film used was the new Ilford Ilfocolor 400 film and for black & white I honestly cannot remember but I seem to recall it being Kentmere 400 or something similar. Either way, it is great to be back and I hope you enjoy tagging along for the amazing architecture tour of downtown Chicago!
the standout shots
As I took a whole load of shots within a very small walking perimeter, I have picked out my favourite ones below.
Reminds me of Spider-man!
I love this shot, taken on my 135mm lens. The Trump Tower is really quite impressive it towers over downtown Chicago and the letters TRUMP are really much larger in person than you imagine!
There’s just something very raw and big-city-America about this shot.
As a keen water sports athlete, I just love this shot. But as a photographer I really like the strong contrast and framing of people enjoying a drink whilst others are paddling in the river.
Always a sucker for a good reflection.
Classic downtown Chicago shot.
I love this shot, so much going on in a photo despite no movement. I really like the contrast between the famous parking garage nestled between skyscrapers, people enjoying a drink & dinner, and a small city marina/yacht parking lot underneath.
The Marina City parking complex, a really cool unlike-any-other-car-park-you-have-seen, which makes it perfect for street photos!
Couldn’t be anywhere else but Chicago.
The famous Chicago theatre.
My work colleague and I managed to get to a rooftop bar with just amazing views of the river and downtown. I even managed to squeeze into a private reserved area to take the best shot (below shot and blog cover shot) when I showed the security guard my analogue Leica he was impressed and happy to let me through!
Classic shotsof the river tours on the Chicago river.
the portait shots
With such great architecture shots it is hard not to turn the camera for each shot, especially with the close proximity of such cool skyscrapers. There were also a lot of linear type images, with the above ground “Chicago L” mass transit line.
my callout portrait shot
Other than the cover image of this blog post (the last shot of the portrait series above), my favourite portrait shot is below. This was taken from a bridge overlooking the Chicago river, and there is just something I really love about the feel of this shot; from the strong shadows to the colour grain because I am shooting directly into the sun. Definitely a shot I want to print.
overall observations
It was great to be out with my camera for a photo walk after such a long break, and Chicago downtown is a great city for photographers! I really enjoyed the couple of hours free on this sunny Sunday afternoon to enjoy the city through the viewfinder of my Leica.
Thanks for stopping by and I look forward to getting back into the groove and posting more regularly. Hit me up with any inspiration or new photography ideas!
Cheers,
Neil
