Cheap Wall Art | Printable Wall Art - Navy Pier and Chicago Skyline by Drone

This picture was taken a few years ago after finally getting my first “real” drone. I was flying for a long time on mini drones around the house but this was my first full sized drone and shortly after I took a few test flights I set out to take the photo I wanted for a long time. I got to Navy Pier at 5 am to make sure as few people as possible were around. There were 2 or 3 people that were out from the night before watching me as I took off from the end of the pier. I remember watching as thousands of seagulls were flying around the area. I was hoping that none of them would interfere and send my new equipment into the ice cold waters of Lake Michigan.

I got up in the air before the sun was fully on the horizon as I didn’t want to be rushing. Once I got in position I hovered for a few minutes to wait for the sun. As it came up I was so excited to see the shot just as I had envisioned it. And voila here it is.

Chicago Skyline and Navy Pier over Lake Michigan

Cheap Wall Art | Printable Wall Art - South Haven Michigan Shoreline

If you love the shoreline and relaxed atmosphere, Michigan is a great choice for your next beach vacation. Along with another coastal city Grand Haven, South Haven has miles of beautiful beaches to explore as well as luxurious resorts if that's more up your alley.

If you're looking for an area where there are plenty of different things going on without feeling too touristy then this might be exactly what you've been searching for because not only do they have pristine white sand shores but plenty of other things to do to keep you busy.

Lake Michigan from South Haven Beach Michigan

Cheap Wall Art | Printable Wall Art - Sunrise Over the Shedd Aquarium

The first beams of morning sunshine pour across the Chicago skyline and onto Lake Michigan. The Shedd Aquarium's glass walls reflect its surroundings like a mirror, illuminating the waters with an almost magical glow.

Sunrise Over the Shedd Aquarium

Cheap Wall Art | Printable Wall Art - North Avenue Beach

A skyline of high-rise buildings and skyscrapers is visible on a picture taken from North Avenue Beach in Chicago, Illinois. The Lake Shore Drive runs through the center of the image with Navy Pier to its left. During the summer months this area is very populated with locals enjoying the amazing Chicago lakefront. I prefer to see the sunrise from this location.

Chicago Skyline from North Avenue

Cheap Wall Art | Printable Wall Art - Lake Michigan Lighthouse

The lighthouse at the end of Navy Pier is a famous landmark in Chicago. It was originally built to help boats navigate through rough weather and today continues to serve as an important navigation point for ships going into or out of port on Lake Michigan.

The iconic 150-foot structure that rests high above the waters near downtown Chicago has been guiding sailors safely home since it first opened more than 100 years ago, making its appearance on countless postcards.

Lake Michigan Lighthouse

The Chicago Playpen

I love a lot of things about Chicago but one of my favorite things to do is to spend time in the playpen in the summer. The playpen is a spot where all the boats anchor and enjoy the Chicago summers and the lake. I’ve been wanting to shoot this shot that captures the Chicago skyline at dusk so I brought my DJI Mavic Air on my last trip on my friends boat. As the sun started to set I got the bird in the sky and took it out for a spin. We got lucky as the sun lined up just off of the John Hancock tower. For as many issues as we’ve had this year, it was a perfect day in Chicago.

2012 Chicago Air and Water Show

On Saturday August 18th I had the opportunity to experience the Chicago Air and Water Show from the deck of the High Life with Captain Justin and the Just Sailing crew.  The Chicago Air and Water Show is a spectacle from any angle but being on the water might get you the best view of the city and the show.  We got to North Avenue Beach around 11:30 and got a great spot just a little ways away from the restricted area.  We were on an 8 person sailboat so we were able to get nice and close and drop anchor in a great spot.

The Chicago Air and Water show features all sorts of planes and arial acrobatics.  The planes range from small trick planes and bi-wings up to the Navy's Blue Angels and cargo planes.  All the performers are great but seeing the raw power and agility of the Blue Angels is truly amazing.  We were located in a spot where the planes would come directly over us as they made their loops.  This gave us an amazing up close view of the planes.

As you can see by the pictures, the weather was crystal clear which made for an excellent show.  Last year I watched the show from the John Hancock Observatory which was a totally different experience but an awesome one.  Both locations are very different but both are equally amazing.  If you are looking for an amazing location for next year's Air and Water show I suggest you give Captain Justin a call at Just Sailing and reserve him and his boat.

Chicago Fireworks from the Adler Planetarium

About 3 years ago I headed over to Navy Pier to shoot the Saturday night fireworks.  The shots came out good, but since that night I've been thinking of other interesting locations where I can shoot the weekly fireworks show.  One of the places that came to mind was shooting from the Adler Planetarium.  If you are not familiar with this location it provides one of the best views of the Chicago skyline and it's right on the lake.  From this vantage point I was able to capture the skyline and the fireworks from Navy Pier using my Tokina 11-16 lens.

We drove over to the Adler Planetarium about 9:00 PM in anticipation for the 9:30 start and apparently I wasn't the only photographer that wanted to get this shot.  There were a handful of people already set up there with their tripods and everything from point and shoots to DSLRs.  It took me a few minutes to find the spot I wanted to shoot from but I finally stopped pretty far east near the side of the Planetarium.  From this angle I was able to keep the Willis Tower in the left hand side of the frame and still get the fireworks.

Overall I'm happy with the shots that I got.  The weather was beautiful and the fireworks show as always was amazing.  I have a few more locations that I'm looking into that also provide unique perspectives of the fireworks and the city.  I'm trying to find access to some balconies or roof tops on high floors so that I can look down or be at the same level of the fireworks.  More to come soon.