The Photographer's Guide to Capturing Chicago - The "S" Curve

River North consists of the area just north of the heart of Chicago, bound by Michigan Avenue to the east, Chicago Avenue to the north, and the Chicago River to the south and west. Tucked behind the Merchandise Mart, it is home to some of the top restaurants in the city. The “El” is a very interesting subject to capture in general and in this location there are many different angles to capture the “El” with the city as a backdrop. This particular shot is of the “El” train moving through one of the few S curves in the city. 

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How to get the Shot 

In order to capture this shot, you will need a tripod due to the long exposure. I captured this image early on a Saturday morning in the parking garage on Wells Street and Hubbard Street. This shot is actually 2 exposures combined into one using Photoshop. I shot this image with an aperture of 29 and a shutter speed of 4 seconds. Since the sun was low in the sky and behind me, I was able to capture this image without a neutral density filter. I decreased my ISO to 160 so that I could keep the shutter open longer without overexposing the image. The view of this shot is facing due West, so if you decide to try this shot in the afternoon you may have to battle a setting sun and backlit lighting conditions. Bring a neutral density filter with you because you may need it depending on the shooting conditions the day of your shoot. 

Editing the Shot 

The final image was edited in Aperture with the help of Nik’s Silver Efex Pro 2. I first converted both images to black and white using Silver Efex Pro 2. I almost always start with the “High Structure (harsh)” setting and add control points to achieve the look I’m shooting for. In this case, it was essential to darken the sky and pull out more details in the brick and buildings. I did this by adding more structure to the both images in Silver Efex Pro. This increases what I call the “grit” of an image.

I then added a touch of color by masking the light trails back into the black and white image using Photoshop. In hindsight, it may have been easier to use Silver Efex Pro to selectively bring the color back into the shot, but there are many ways to achieve this look.

After I had the two shots the way I wanted, I brought them both into Photoshop as separate layers. I used the Lighten blending mode to lay the two trains on top of one another. 

Other Tips 

On Saturday the trains run every 8-10 minutes so you may have to wait a little while to capture your image. I took multiple shots in order to achieve the right amount of blur for the final effect. Try using different shutter speeds to capture different streaks of train and light. You may find that you like longer or shorter exposures than my image.

If you want to capture images on the “El” platform you may need approval from the Chicago Transit Authority. If you shoot without a tripod, you can get away with shooting on the platform, but the minute you pull out a tripod you will most likely be “greeted” by a few CTA employees. If you are interested in obtaining a permit you can find out more information at the link below. You will have a better chance of shooting without being bothered early in the morning or on the weekend.

http://www.transitchicago.com/business/photopolicy.aspx  

The green circle on the map below is the location where the “S” Curve photo was taken. It’s a public parking lot that is free if you are traveling by foot. I looked at the view from different floors but in the end I decided to take the photo from the 4th floor. This level is just above the tracks of the “El” and provides a good vantage point to capture the image. There are open glassless windows on each floor that allow you to set up your camera even in bad weather.

The blue location on the map is another parking garage in the area that has a great vantage point of the same S curve. I’ve been to the roof of this garage but not to capture this image. This could be an interesting spot to capture a similar image from the other direction with the city 

in the background. I love to scout public parking garages for photo locations because they provide a perspective that most people don’t see or bother to explore. 

How to Get There 

Just to the left of my photo is the Merchandise Mart Brown line stop. This is the closest stop to this location. Take the Brown line if you have access to it and if you can’t get to the Brown line you can take the Red line to Grand Ave and State Street, about a six block walk. 

The Photographer's Guide to Capturing Chicago

This post is part of an eBook I wrote about the best places to photograph Chicago. If you enjoy this post consider buying the ebook to support my site and to get access to all the best locations in Chicago!

Chicago From Above - The Preview

Some of you may or may not know that before I was into still photography I was into making short films. Well, short films may be a generous statement but I dabbled in making amateurish videos of me and my friends. I've never stopped dreaming of making short films but my mind and time has been focused on producing great still photography. Things have changed a bit now that I have my DJI Phantom 2 Vision+.

The videos and angles I can now capture have opened my mind to endless possibilities. Places I could never access are well within my reach. The Phantom is not the best camera I've ever used but it is more than serviceable and shoots RAW files. Since purchasing the Phantom a few months ago, I've become much more comfortable flying it and have started to explore the neighborhood where I live. 

Since starting to fly I've discussed putting together a video of Chicago with one of my friends who is an excellent editor. We are in the process of shooting all the footage and expect to shoot throughout the summer and possibly into the fall. Below is a preview of some of the video I've shot so far. It includes the Adler Planetarium, redeveloped Northerly Island and a few other iconic views of Chicago. If you like the project, consider donating using the Vimeo tip jar. It will help fund all the coffee we will need for the late night edits. Thanks again and I hope you enjoy the video.

Music Credit:

ODESZA - Memories That You Call

Amazon

iTunes

Chicago Botanic Gardens - The 2015 Orchid Exhibit

The Chicago Botanic Garden is an 385 acre plot of land about 20 miles north of Chicago full of perfectly manicured rows of hedges and small orchards of fruit trees. From time to time the botanic garden has specialty shows. In February they had their annual orchid show.  The show consisted of 3 greenhouses full of all different species of orchids.  I've seen a few varietals of orchids before but have never experienced the wide range of colors, shapes and sizes that were on display during the show. 

The show also hosts a yearly photography contest with a grand prize winner. To help capture that special shot the gardens designates one day a week to allow for tripods in the show. I missed the deadline to submit my images but I'm impressed with the winners this year.

The Chicago Botanic Gardens also has a free monthly photo walk starting in May. I've never participated but I think it's something that I'm going to take advantage of this year. The location is so expansive that a guided tour would definitely help cover the best areas of the garden. 

Thanks again for reading and sharing my posts. If you like my work consider buying a print through my store or purchasing a copy my soon to be released book. Thanks again for your support!

The Rockhouse Jamaica

I recently had the opportunity to visit the renowned Rockhouse Hotel in Negril Jamaica. The hotel sits right on the cliffs of Jamaica and has some of the bluest and clearest waters that I've ever seen. 

Rockhouse - Jamaica - Views of the villas during sunset. 

We left Chicago on a snow filled winter day in February and were delayed almost two hours due to the de-icing procedure. So much for a good start to our trip. But luckily that was the worst part of the trip. Once we were in the air the plane felt like a party bus with everyone sipping on cocktails and enjoying the relatively quick 3.5 hour flight straight to Montego Bay. 

Rockhouse - Jamaica - In just a few minutes the sun changed so much. 

As we landed the hills and mountains in Jamaica were hard not to notice. Everything was lush and green and once the cabin door opened I could feel the warm air revitalize my cold hardened Chicago skin.

We quickly navigated customs and headed out to find our driver. After a 90+ minute drive through winding roads and some pretty desolated villages, we found our way to the parking lot of the Rockhouse Hotel. It was tough to tell how beautiful the hotel was at night but I could tell that the morning would bring a great reveal. 

Rockhouse - Jamaica - Views of the stars at night. 

The next day I wasn't disappointed. The hotel sits directly on the cliffs of Negril with a small coral reef in its bay. The water was clear and the view facing west was nothing but blue ocean. Since I was only there for three nights and I missed the first sunset, I knew I would have to take advantage of the rest of the days. The first day I witnessed one of the Jamaican sunsets that everyone raves about. 

The rest of the trip I spent some time wandering the resort shooting a few shots but the sunset shot was the one I wanted to get and I'm thrilled with the result. I've since moved this photo into my portfolio. Although the trip to Jamaica got started with a few bumps, I had an amazing time at the Rockhouse and hope to one day return. 

Rockhouse - Jamaica - Look at that water!

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18th Street Bridge

There are many great places to capture the Chicago skyline. I personally love the view from the Adler Planetarium but one of the better kept secrets is the 18th Street bridge. The area I'm writing about is between Clark Street and Canal Street on 18th street. This area is just north of Chinatown and just south of Ping Tom park (which is another Chicago secret).  From this location you can capture the full skyline as well as the Chicago river and the now defunct St. Charles Air Line bridge which is permanently up.  You can also head just west of the bridge toward Canal Street and you will get a great view of the Amtrack train station which has many tracks that lead directly toward downtown. 

If you are in this area I would also consider heading east down 18th street to the pedestrian bridge that crosses the train tracks into Soldier Field. This bridge gives another good view of downtown with Soldier Field in the frame. It is also above the Amtrack train line so you can capture a moving train in your shot if you choose. If you love to photograph Chicago and have never explored these areas, I highly suggest doing so.