FROM ABOVE AND BELOW

When we brought family from Germany back to the O’Hare airport in Chicago earlier this year we spent a couple days in downtown Chicago, visiting the Field Museum, exploring the iconic architecture of the city, and of course eating some good food. Seeing Chicago from above is always fun and so we went up to the observation deck of the John Hancock Center on the 94th floor and enjoyed a 360 degree view over the city and far beyond.

This is usually a pretty busy place and a photo like this one seems to be impossible because there are always people pressing their noses against the windows. Being up there mid morning made the view to the south the least desirable due to back-lighting and haze. But when I saw this corner of the observation deck suddenly complete empty and the shadows of the windows on the floor, I knew I had a shot. Exposing for the highlights emphasized the contours of the Chicago skyline. The ice on Lake Michigan on the left side was the hottest spot in the picture and the rest rendered nicely silhouette-like. Although I didn’t take the time to set the preview in the viewfinder to black & white, it was what I felt was right for this photo and converting the RAW file to B&W was the logical consequence. The distorted reflections from the streets below on the glass above the windows make for an unusual effect.

With its X-bracing on the tower’s facade, 875 North Michigan Avenue, former John Hancock Center, is easy to identify among Chicago’s skyscrapers.

DOESN'T ALWAYS NEED A GREAT VIEW...

Nikon D750, Nikkor 24-120mm / f4

I spent the week in Chicago. That sounds maybe promising to some of you, but during GraphExpo, the trade show our company always attends as an exhibitor at this time of the year, there is not much time to go out and look for interesting subjects to photograph. The least I try if we stay in one of the downtown hotels is to get a room on a high floor. The receptionist put me on the 16th floor, almost on top, but she said, we don’t have really great views from any of our rooms. My room faced to the west and especially in the early morning and again in the evening, when the sun disappeared behind the skyscraper across, I had some good opportunities that involved quality light

Nikon D750, Nikkor 24-120mm / f4

The first shot was made shortly after sunrise, with the light coming across Lake Michigan, and the sun still below the clouds. The second photo was captured the evening before. I used f/22 in order to get the star shape for the sun but this wasn’t the only reason why I made the click. The dappled light on those walls actually not facing the sun, drew my attention. The glass facades of our hotel and other buildings around worked as giant reflectors and threw the light back towards the sun. The receptionist was indeed right, not a great view, but hey, she knew nothing about “killer light”…😉