Stunning photos. Especially liked the Lake Michigan images, but the "night in the city" photos are also amazing. Chicago has an energy and vibrancy that no other city I have visited can match. The vibe of Chicago is both awesome and terrifying.
Thanks Jerry! We joked that if we HAD to move back to Iowa, we'd end up in Des Moines. But if we had to move back to the Midwest, Chicago would be a strong candidate ;) It's such a beautiful city!
I've been to the city once, but didn't get out of the hotel. I appreciate sharing your journey as it's a great stand in for that trip I took. I'd really like to try walking on on that window ledge. 😵💫
Thanks Kenneth! What's funny is that you can turn around and face the building. That was such a trip - I only lasted for two seconds before I noped right outta there. I did not like how my stomach dropped 💀
Thanks Søren! There was great light in that area for the dolphin show, but I was pleased that they lowered a screen in front of the window so I could see (and photograph) the dolphins 😍
True enuff - Major League Vibe .. & was a gutsy call to reclaim & return the Chicago shoreline from the Highway I recall - way back.. in the way before - flew in from a shoot in Salt Lake City.. & thrilled to see the Final Approach via a ‘nose wheel camera. I’d stepped off my flight for Lee Marvin.. shook his hand - we laughed / adored his work - I woulda arrived after midnight TO with all my gear.. short on cash & bone tired - Instead ? 400 US cash in hand, Concierge where they put me up ? Laid a Comp Pass on me - nearest Live Blues & bartenders name.. tipped em both like a Sultan (I ‘talk bartender, concierge, flight attendant fluently) & landed next morning First Class Seat .. felt totally ‘Royal !
I try to Not to remember the same flight.. far too very very shortly after - outta Salt Lake to Chicago .. with nose wheel - video cam view on seat backs. Had just overcome ‘fearful flyer status.. via an astute seat mate Flight Engineer dead heading home to Miami on another Hospitality assignment who duly noticed my fingerprints permanently embedded deeply in the armrests after takeoff.. & explained every single sound & process. I went on to work mucho Docu with Air Canada
Thanks muchly for jarrin my memory .. my Love has ‘Lionized me & I adored Paper Lion by the late George Plimpton - but my redeeming feature is 1st Cousin Kevin O’Donnell Major Cubbie Fan & Fergie Jenkins.. Of Course ! And my love is a distant relative of ‘Nemo Leibold haha.. little doubt you’ll ’Know who he was.. & what the colour of his ‘sox were .. 🦎🏴☠️🍁
Am very intrigued re your National Parks Adventures ! Have lived & worked in Banff National Park several times, written Fiction set on Vancouver Island & in Vancouver that includes the Aquarium & Orca in the wild & Aquarium
Am currently creating a Cinematic Story Outline set in a marine preserve - Turks & Caicos Islands
One of my most memorable college weekends was in Chicago, staying in an apt next to the El, the rumbling of the tracks every 15 minutes it seemed. A real city experience for a small "city" kid. And much later, taking the boat architecture tour of the city. I'm not much of a tourist doer, but that tour was phenomenal. What a rich architectural history the city has. I loved your b/w skyscrapers especially.
Nice photos. My family on my moms side has roots in Chicago. It was their destination when they emigrated oh so many years ago from Europe. My grandmother was a 25 year old young woman working for the phone company and watched the SS Eastland capsize and sink in the Chicago river in 1915. Many years ago I visited my brother when he lived in Chicago and did a walking tour of the buildings downtown. Fantastic, informative, and a great history lesson for all that has happened in Chicago. So many things to do in the big city. Enjoy.
Chicago is a great city and a photographer's paradise, Rachel. I'm glad you got to experience it. Your photos are great and I especially love your night work. Thanks for sharing.
Great photos, Rachel. I’ve visited Chicago several times and it never fails to impress me. The architecture, the food, the museums, the Art Institute……amazing!
Absolutely fantastic photography! The Shedd Aquarium shots really capture something special, especially that view through the window before the dolphin show with Lake Michigan in the background. I tried shooting throuhg glass at aquariums before and it takes real patience to nail the lighting without all those reflections. Somtimes I wonder if the framing challenge is part of the appeal though, forces you to slow down and really observe the subject. The way you've organized this around different viewing angles is such a clean conceptual thread too.
Awesome multi-angle documentation approach. The underwater aquarium shots have this stillness that contrasts perfectly with the streetlevel hustle. I noticed the scuba divers feeding sharks story, which reminds me how even controlled evironments have their own unpredictability. 30k steps is no joke btw, that's basically a half marathon of tourism.
The multiple angle framework really elevates this beyond typical travel photography. Starting from street level and ending from 1,452 feet up creates a narrative arc most people miss when they're just ticking off landmarks. I tried doing somethng similar in NYC once but got lazy halfway thru and just defaulted to skyline shots. The underwater section at Shedd adds a whole different dimension too, literally switching from concrete canyons to actual ocean life.
Stunning photos. Especially liked the Lake Michigan images, but the "night in the city" photos are also amazing. Chicago has an energy and vibrancy that no other city I have visited can match. The vibe of Chicago is both awesome and terrifying.
Thanks Jerry! We joked that if we HAD to move back to Iowa, we'd end up in Des Moines. But if we had to move back to the Midwest, Chicago would be a strong candidate ;) It's such a beautiful city!
Those night shots are really nice Rachel.
Thank you Shital ❤️ I appreciate it!
These images are fantastic but I'm even more in awe of your stamina! 30,000 steps! Chicago is such a photogenic city and you captured it beautifully.
It’s a lot easier to walk 30,000 steps at low elevation as opposed to walking 30,000 steps in the mountains of Colorado 😉 Thanks Mark!
I've been to the city once, but didn't get out of the hotel. I appreciate sharing your journey as it's a great stand in for that trip I took. I'd really like to try walking on on that window ledge. 😵💫
Thanks Kenneth! What's funny is that you can turn around and face the building. That was such a trip - I only lasted for two seconds before I noped right outta there. I did not like how my stomach dropped 💀
Really lovely. I like the window before the dolphin show. Very cool!
Thanks Søren! There was great light in that area for the dolphin show, but I was pleased that they lowered a screen in front of the window so I could see (and photograph) the dolphins 😍
Love the Froggies.. serious SkyScraping too ! 🦎🏴☠️🐸
Right?! A little bit of everything 😍
True enuff - Major League Vibe .. & was a gutsy call to reclaim & return the Chicago shoreline from the Highway I recall - way back.. in the way before - flew in from a shoot in Salt Lake City.. & thrilled to see the Final Approach via a ‘nose wheel camera. I’d stepped off my flight for Lee Marvin.. shook his hand - we laughed / adored his work - I woulda arrived after midnight TO with all my gear.. short on cash & bone tired - Instead ? 400 US cash in hand, Concierge where they put me up ? Laid a Comp Pass on me - nearest Live Blues & bartenders name.. tipped em both like a Sultan (I ‘talk bartender, concierge, flight attendant fluently) & landed next morning First Class Seat .. felt totally ‘Royal !
I try to Not to remember the same flight.. far too very very shortly after - outta Salt Lake to Chicago .. with nose wheel - video cam view on seat backs. Had just overcome ‘fearful flyer status.. via an astute seat mate Flight Engineer dead heading home to Miami on another Hospitality assignment who duly noticed my fingerprints permanently embedded deeply in the armrests after takeoff.. & explained every single sound & process. I went on to work mucho Docu with Air Canada
Thanks muchly for jarrin my memory .. my Love has ‘Lionized me & I adored Paper Lion by the late George Plimpton - but my redeeming feature is 1st Cousin Kevin O’Donnell Major Cubbie Fan & Fergie Jenkins.. Of Course ! And my love is a distant relative of ‘Nemo Leibold haha.. little doubt you’ll ’Know who he was.. & what the colour of his ‘sox were .. 🦎🏴☠️🍁
I'm assuming Nemo Leibold was a black Sox? Just a guess. Thanks for sharing these stories! ❤️ Go Cubs Go :)
Nemo was the only ‘clean White Sox player..
Am very intrigued re your National Parks Adventures ! Have lived & worked in Banff National Park several times, written Fiction set on Vancouver Island & in Vancouver that includes the Aquarium & Orca in the wild & Aquarium
Am currently creating a Cinematic Story Outline set in a marine preserve - Turks & Caicos Islands
Banff and Vancouver are on my list of places to visit. We're hoping to do a big summer trip up there at some point 😍
One of my most memorable college weekends was in Chicago, staying in an apt next to the El, the rumbling of the tracks every 15 minutes it seemed. A real city experience for a small "city" kid. And much later, taking the boat architecture tour of the city. I'm not much of a tourist doer, but that tour was phenomenal. What a rich architectural history the city has. I loved your b/w skyscrapers especially.
Thanks Mark! We did an architecture tour on our trip - those pics will be in a newsletter in a few weeks. The architecture tour was incredible!
Gorgeous photos, Rachel. I love Chicago and it’s been far too long since I’ve visited. This was the perfect stand in ‘til I get back there!
Thank you Liza! I'm glad my visit could be a stand in!
Nice photos. My family on my moms side has roots in Chicago. It was their destination when they emigrated oh so many years ago from Europe. My grandmother was a 25 year old young woman working for the phone company and watched the SS Eastland capsize and sink in the Chicago river in 1915. Many years ago I visited my brother when he lived in Chicago and did a walking tour of the buildings downtown. Fantastic, informative, and a great history lesson for all that has happened in Chicago. So many things to do in the big city. Enjoy.
That family history is amazing! I love hearing stuff like this :)
I love these!
Thank you Janet! ❤️
Chicago is a great city and a photographer's paradise, Rachel. I'm glad you got to experience it. Your photos are great and I especially love your night work. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Tom! I appreciate the comment :) Chicago was a fantastic city - so glad I got to visit during great weather.
Chicago is hands down my favourite American city!
I loved visiting it! I definitely want to go back and visit again :)
Great photos, Rachel. I’ve visited Chicago several times and it never fails to impress me. The architecture, the food, the museums, the Art Institute……amazing!
Such a great city - I definitely need to visit more!
Absolutely fantastic photography! The Shedd Aquarium shots really capture something special, especially that view through the window before the dolphin show with Lake Michigan in the background. I tried shooting throuhg glass at aquariums before and it takes real patience to nail the lighting without all those reflections. Somtimes I wonder if the framing challenge is part of the appeal though, forces you to slow down and really observe the subject. The way you've organized this around different viewing angles is such a clean conceptual thread too.
Awesome multi-angle documentation approach. The underwater aquarium shots have this stillness that contrasts perfectly with the streetlevel hustle. I noticed the scuba divers feeding sharks story, which reminds me how even controlled evironments have their own unpredictability. 30k steps is no joke btw, that's basically a half marathon of tourism.
The multiple angle framework really elevates this beyond typical travel photography. Starting from street level and ending from 1,452 feet up creates a narrative arc most people miss when they're just ticking off landmarks. I tried doing somethng similar in NYC once but got lazy halfway thru and just defaulted to skyline shots. The underwater section at Shedd adds a whole different dimension too, literally switching from concrete canyons to actual ocean life.