2012 Chicago Rock and Roll Half Marathon

Today I set out to capture shots of the 2012 Chicago Rock and Roll Half Marathon as runners made their way around Chicago and through the South Loop. This has become a fun Chicago tradition where the organizers set up stages at various locations along the course and up and coming bands show off their talent. This year's headliner was Cobra Starship and there were plenty of other bands that helped keep the runners motivated throughout the 13.1 mile race. I was made aware that the race was underway when the bands started playing at 7:15 AM and my windows started rattling. The course winds all around the city and shows some of the best views of Chicago. Below is a picture I took of the runners heading onto Lake Shore Drive and down the home stretch with Trump Tower in the distance.

I had a few friends running the race so I spent a good amount of time trying to look for them but as you can see below it was a sea of sneakers and running bibs. I managed to locate one of my friends thanks to Google Latitude but when I was searching for him at a later point in the race I missed him in the sea of runners. I was quite impressed by the diversity of the runners. I'm pretty sure every age group was well represented in the race and since the temperature was supposed to hit 85 degrees, I hope everyone crossed the finish line safely.

The Chicago Firefighters never cease to amaze me with their courage and commitment but watching this firefighter run 13.1 miles with all his gear on is down right impressive. Fighting 85 degree heat with multiple layers of clothing on and a full blown oxygen tank on his back, this firefighter made good time heading through the course.

And of course it's not the Rock and Roll Half Marathon without live music. Here is one of the bands at 18th Street right across from Soldier Field. I didn't catch their name but they were providing the runners with high energy music to keep them going from mile 12 to the finish line.

Even though I wasn't running in the 2012 Rock and Roll Half Marathon, it was good to be out in the crowd cheering on my friends and all the runners. I've been to a few of the races in Chicago and it's really great to see the community come out to support all the people running for their favorite causes. Who knows, maybe next year I'll put down my camera and pick up my running shoes.

John Hancock Observatory - Lightning Photography Attempt #1

Lately I've been searching for fun places to experience these prairie storms that roll through Chicago and try to get some more lightning pictures. There are plenty of amazing rooftops and I have a few friends that are on some pretty high floors but I figured I would start with one of the biggest buildings in Chicago. Saturday was starting to look like one of those stormy days. It was a very hot day and the weather forecast was calling for a large storm most of the afternoon. As I headed out to catch the bus I could see a storm brewing just south of Chicago. Of course the Taste of Chicago was going on and this mixed with the normal Saturday traffic kept my bus crawling at a slow pace on Michigan avenue. I had my trusty iPhone out with my Weather Channel app launched and refreshing constantly. The red blob (a highly technical meteorological term) was moving way faster than my bus! And then the rain started. Slowly at first and then a full downpour. I was hoping to get some shots of the storm rolling in but that was out the window at this point. I was just hoping to get a lightning storm like we saw the day before.

When I finally got off the bus the rain was still coming down but I had yet to see one flash of lightning. At this point I wasn't as upset at missing the rainstorm since there was not a single strike of lightning. I finally got up to the John Hancock Observatory and I think the rain had deterred most of the tourists from staying because they were all heading downstairs by the dozens. What I saw in the observatory was a pretty hazy view of the city. But since I was playing weatherman for the day, I knew that the storm was getting ready to clear and I might get some interesting clouds. This was not what I was originally planning but whenever you are out shooting you just have to roll with the punches.

Luckily my wife was kind enough to hang out with me for a little while to see what I could capture. We sat through another passing storm and then the clouds began to part. To be honest, I lucked out that it didn't storm that day because I wouldn't have focused on some of the other shots that I ended up with. Instead of focusing on lightning, I was able to work with my Nikon 80-200 f2.8 and see what patterns and interesting details I could pick up from the city. I was able to get a pretty fun shot of the Allerton Hotel as well as the boats over in the playpen near Ohio Street beach. I also took one of my favorite shots of the city with the Willis Tower, Trump Tower, and Aon Center all in the frame (taken with my Tokina 11-16). I'm strongly considering blowing the shot up to a 30x45 inch print and hanging it in my living room.

Happy Birthday America!

Ahh the Fourth of July is upon us again. Time to fire up that grill, throw on some hot dogs and crack open a beer. What a great time of year with hot weather, sun, and people laying by the pool. It's also our favorite Lady Liberty's birthday today which is why it's such a great holiday to celebrate. I took the picture below on the 4th of July last year so I thought it fitting to share it today. The picture was taken with a 45mm Nikon tilt shift lens. This was my first time shooting with a tilt shift lens and I managed to get the shot below for my portfolio. Usually tilt shift lenses are used to shoot architecture so that you can keep all the lines from converging, but they also have the ability to make objects look miniature. For more details see this link.

If you have the luxury of being on a boat today I'm jealous. It's hot here in Chicago and the weather looks like it is going to be amazing. Unfortunately, I won't be on a boat today but I will be at some point this weekend. The shot below was taken at dawn while the sun was rising and an early bird boater was out on the water. It's one of those "classic summer" shots that makes you think of all the things that you do on the 4th of July.

It's not the 4th of July without Fireworks. Below is a shot I took from the Adler Planetarium of the Chicago fireworks. The weekly shows are great but something tells me that tonight's show will be even better. I'm looking forward to seeing the show tonight. I'm sure Navy Pier will be packed and there will be plenty of boats out in Lake Michigan.

Chicago Zombie March 2012

I finally had a chance to check out the annual Chicago Zombie March a few weeks ago and I was impressed by the creativity, organization, and downright playfulness of the zombies. I talked with a few of the participants and apparently there were more than 2,000 people that RSVPd for the event.

The event had all kinds of zombies and the amount of time and thought that went into the costumes was really cool. The zombies started at The Bean at Millenium Park and marched through the city. I only stayed for the main congregation and saw off the crowd. For some reason I love everything to do with zombies and this was a fun way for me to live out my own Walking Dead without worrying about being bitten or ambushed by a bunch of infected dead. Kind of fun if you ask me.

The zombies weren't just kids either. There were whole zombie families, zombie husbands and wives, and even naughty zombies. I'm thinking that next year I might have to participate :). I'm not sure that I have the time or patience to put on all that blood and to get dressed up. Maybe I'll just photograph it again. :)

Of course this whole march took place in the middle of one of the busiest places in Chicago for tourists and weddings. While the zombies were congregating, a wedding party showed up to take pictures by The Bean. I'm not sure if the bride was amused or horrified but they took a few pictures with the zombies and The Bean in the background. Pretty funny if you ask me. I'm sure those pictures are going to go right on the cover of the wedding album.

It was a lot of fun to see the excitement and all the people who came out to participate in the event. Apparently there is group that puts on more than a few events per year (who knew). You can visit http://chicagozombie.com/ for more information. If you get a chance to check out the 2013 march I highly recommend it. It's one of those things that you only get to experience in a big city.

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.