Chicago Helicopter Tour - Photo Shoot

Over the weekend I had the chance to fulfill a dream of mine and take a tour of Chicago via helicopter.  Almost every location is cooler via helicopter and this was no different.  Chicago is an amazing city to begin with but once you get up in the air and see it up close and personal it is a truly unbelievable experience.  I've been planning this trip for about 3 years but every year the summer gets away from me and I end up scratching the trip for the year.  This year was almost the same story until I finally just booked the trip.  I did some research and I found a highly respected and reviewed tour service.  I had looked at some of the Groupon deals but they all got pretty bad reviews and I wasn't going to trust my life and experience to a questionable company.

My initial thought was that I would tell the pilot exactly where I wanted him to go but once I saw the tours available the standard downtown tour got me to all the locations I was looking to photograph.  When I called to book I told them I wanted to leave between 6:30-7 am they were I bit surprised.  I explained to them that I was a photographer and wanted to take pictures in the best light.  They warned me that there can be pretty bad haze in the morning but I decided to take the risk and go up anyway.

AM Air Service was the tour service I decided to go with.  Pilot Fitz was great and I got to the air field about 6:30 am.  The air field was about 30 miles outside of Chicago but he insured me that we will be downtown in minutes.  It's been a long time since I've been in a helicopter so the takeoff was a little weird.  We headed up off the ground and then tilted forward to get moving.  The sensation of flying in a helicopter is so different and foreign from a plane that you have to get readjusted to it if you don't fly often.

Once we were in the air we started cruising downtown at about 130 MPH.  We covered the 30 miles in just about 10 minutes.  On our way downtown I could see the rising sun.  Sunrise was about 6:45 that morning and there were only a few clouds in the sky so I got great light the entire trip.  When we got downtown we headed south to fly over McCormick Place and Northerly Island.  This is probably the best view of Chicago and I got some photos of Soldier Field along with the skyline and Burnham Harbor.

After passing Soldier Field we headed north along Lake Shore Drive.  We passed Grant Park, Millenium Park and got to see the skyline from a unique angle.  We flew right over Lake Point Tower and up the lake shore to Wrigley Field.  Looking back at the city I was able to get some good shots of the Hancock tower with the Willis Tower in the background.  These photos are only available in a helicopter because they can fly so low and get so close to the buildings.  I've been up in a small plane before which is also amazing but I felt that we were able to get even closer with the helicopter.

After circling Wrigley Field we headed back to the Loop and went over the Chicago River and pretty close to the Willis Tower.  We were so close that I could see in to the glass cubes that hang off the building.  After we passed the Willis tower we headed back to the air field in Schaumburg.  The entire ride was 45 minutes and was a perfectly comfortable ride around the city.  After we got on the ground Fitz told me that they have a night flight that is equally amazing if not more spectacular.  AM Air Service will even take the doors off the helicopter in the summer so I'm thinking that I might want to try the night tour next summer.  If you get the chance to experience Chicago from a helicopter I you should definitely try it.  It's an experience you will never forget.

Jacqueline and Fernando

This past weekend I had the joy of celebrating the beautiful engagement of Jacqueline and Fernando.  Now a days I feel like it is more typical than not to get engagement photos done before the official nuptials are said but this was unique because I was present during the actual engagement and the two families were secretly there as well.

About a month ago Fernando reached out to me and asked me to shoot his surprise engagement.  He gave me the details and said that he wanted to do dress rehearsal before the actual engagement  He decided to propose at Osaka Garden which is the site of the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 aka the World's Fair.  The park is on the Wooded Island on the south side of Chicago and is a small perfectly manicured Japanese garden.  The plan was to pretend that the two were going to a fund raiser at the Museum of Science and Industry and to take a walk through the park on their way to the event.  They were going to make their way through the park to the end of the path where a table was set up with champaign and a box.

Both Fernando and Jacqueline's families arrived at the park about 4:30 to help set up the table and the rose petals.  Both families were so excited and helpful in setting up.  Once the time got closer they headed off to hide behind the fence and wait.  When Jacqueline and Fernando got to the Osaka Garden you can tell he was excited to propose.  The two made their way down the path and I tried to set up to get the best shots.  I was shooting with my Nikon 80-200 f2.8 so I could shoot them from across the park.  As they made it down the path they crossed a small Japanese bridge which had a beautiful backdrop of the dome of the Museum of Science and Industry.

Shortly after they crossed the bridge they were up the path to the gazebo and the table.  I had to sprint to get back in place to get the proposal and the reaction.  It was magical to be in the presence of these two during such an emotional and special day.  After the proposal was finished and she said yes (of course) the couple took a walk through the rest of the park where their families had clipped some pictures that they had taken while they were dating to the surrounding plants.  As the couple turned the corner to come back the families had come out of hiding to embrace and to celebrate.  It was such a special day with 2 special families.

Loyola Academy vs Simeon - August 25, 2012

This past Saturday I was in attendance at the Loyola Academy versus Simeon high school football game.  For anyone who doesn't subscribed to my monthly newsletter, I'm adopting the Loyola Ramblers this season and plan on photographing all of their games.  Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a huge football fan and this is a great way for me to get closer to the sport and practice my sports photography.

I shot the Chicago Bears training camp a few weeks ago and got some incredible images of Brandon Marshall but with pro sports you need all kinds of press passes to shoot at the games.  High school is great because I can get up close to the players and take some "Pro" style images of high school athletes.  This past Saturday was hot, like 90+ degrees hot and humid.  I remember those days of suiting up when the weather was blistering but today I only had my camera and hat and I was still uncomfortable.

The game was close all throughout the first quarter with a halftime score of 7-0 in favor of Loyola Academy.  Loyola dominated the first half with time of possession and yardage but they had a few fumbles and mistakes that kept them from getting in the end zone.  Both teams looked great and it was fun to capture a few of the more spectacular plays of the day.

Early in the fourth quarter Loyola Academy scored another touchdown and a few field goals to finish the game with a 20-0 victory.  It was my game with the Ramblers and I had a blast taking pictures and routing them on to victory.  Check back weekly to see the images I take from each game and to find out about how the season is progressing.

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.

2012 Chicago Bears Training Camp

On Friday I decided to take a short road trip down to the campus of Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, IL to watch the Chicago Bears training camp and to practice my Football photography in anticipation of this upcoming fall.  In the fall I'm planning on adopting a local high school football team and I'm going to shoot at each of their games.  I love sports (especially football) and I think this will be a fun way to help build up my sports portfolio and have some fun at the same time.

I couldn't have gotten a better day to watch football. I believe this was the 2nd practice of training camp and there were a few thousand people that had the same idea. The sidelines were jammed with people with all their Chicago Bears gear on scouting to see how the team will fare this year. There were people that you could tell have been to training camp for the past 20 years and kids that were there for the first time.  I got to practice about 20 minutes after it started so there were a lot of people in the prime real estate right along the sidelines.  After a few minutes I was able to find a decent spot to stand and with my Nikon 80-200 f2.8 I just needed an unobstructed view to grab a few shots.

It's hard to remember how big these NFL stars are when you watch the games on TV.  In person these guys are huge and are really fast.  Not too surprising given they are NFL players but on TV everything feels slower and the players look smaller.

I focused my Nikon D90 on the offense most of the afternoon because they were closer to me and I had more opportunities for good photographs.  The wide receivers were working on a lot of interesting drills and so there were good opportunities for action shots.  I also played wide receiver in high school so I'm a little biased when it comes to the position. Our guys looked really good at practice and I think between Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery, Earl Bennett, and Devin Hester we could have a great receiving core this year.

It was great to see Brandon Marshall in a Chicago Bears jersey.  This guy is the real deal.  I was looking for him with all the other wide receivers and I turned to the guy next to me and asked him which number he was and he responded with "he's the biggest one of the group".  The statement was very true.  Brandon is probably a head taller than most of the wide receivers on the Bears and he is built like a tank.  I can't wait to see Jay Cutler throwing the ball to him.

It was a fun day to get out and experience the energy of the Chicago Bears training camp.  The facilities at Olivet Nazarene University are very nice and the students from the college working at the training camp were very helpful.  It was a lot of fun to see these NFL athletes up close and in person.  This was also a great warm up for this fall's football season.  It's easy to shoot outside in the middle of the day but at night under the lights might be a different story.  I'll have to wait and see.