Category Archives: Chicago

Wolf Point Development

Wolf Point sits at the place in the Chicago River where it splits into the north and south branches.  When I lived in Chicago, it was a park.  It sat in front of the a building with a Holiday Inn and the Sun Times located within.  It had a great view along the river in all directions.  That view was obviously too valuable.  The park is gone a some towers are now going up.  One was already there when I visited and work is underway on the others.  I’m afraid this is a shame to have lost a nice location.  Also, if you were in the building across the river that had a view along the main branch, I imagine you are not too pleased to have lost your view and instead be looking at another tower!

Southwest Scimitars and the Inaccuracy of Online Truths

Online forums can be a great source of information.  They can also be full of rubbish.  With the introduction of the split scimitar tips on the 737 fleets, Southwest was an early adopter on their 800 series jets.  However, I read that they had not been happy with performance and had stopped adopting them.  They definitely weren’t going to have them on the 700 series.  Above is a 700 series with split scimitars.  A number of airframes have now been fitted including this one so I guess those people were not the most accurate source of info!

Inlet Vapor for the Heavies

More shots from a fun shoot a while back.  If the wind is coming from the west, evening departures from O’Hare provide plenty of opportunity to get some shots.  The heavy departures to Europe leave later in the afternoon and in to the early evening and, as the sun drops down things are getting better and better.  The nice thing about this day was that we got a combination of good conditions.  Earlier in the afternoon, while the light wasn’t as good, a storm had not long passed through and there was plenty of moisture in the air.

The result was a lot of vapor in the inlets of the jets as they climbed out at high thrust settings.  Some of them had clouds sitting in the inlets for long periods of time.  Others would just pulse with the vapor as they climbed away.  They would also puff up little clouds over the upper surfaces of the wing as they fought to gain height.  As the afternoon wore on, the air dried out a bit and the vapor went away.  However, the light was then getting better so no reason to go just yet!

777 Freighters at O’Hare

Nothing terribly timely about this post.  These shots were taken quite a while ago during a visit to Chicago.  (At least they are so old that they are from when I lived there.)  There was a time when the 747 was the freighter of choice.  There are still missions for which the 747 is still required but few loads require the nose loading and the most versatile of the big freighters these days is the 777.  (It seems that the 777 is taking over everything that the 747 used to do.)

One afternoon at O’Hare included a couple of 777 freighters.  AeroLogic had one of theirs in town.  I saw it coming in and also got so see it head out again.  I don’t know where it was coming from or going to.  Meanwhile, Air France also had one of their freighters making an appearance.  It’s a shame that the 747 is not so prevalent anymore.  It is a cooler looking jet and the 777 freighter is barely distinguishable from the multitude of 777s on passenger duty.  However, that is the way it is these days.

Puffy Cloud Backdrops

My personal preference is to shoot planes tight.  I like to see the detail up close and usually strive to get that in my shots.  However, sometimes I remember that there is more to it than that and there is something interesting about the context of the shot.  It doesn’t have to be a detailed shot of the plane.  It can be a wider shot when no one is looking at the plane expecting to see the intricacies of its structure.

Having some nice clouds to play with is an important part of the story.  Going wide when the sky is blue is not really going to add any drama.  However, some nice puffy clouds will certainly be appreciated in this situation.  In this case I was with some friends at O’Hare shortly after a storm had passed through.  Things had cleared up nicely but there was still plenty of evidence in the air of what had been dumping water on us a short while before.

I doubt closer shots would have been much use anyway.  With the amount of moisture in the air and the warmth that was quickly coming back now that the sun was out, heat haze would have destroyed an detail with a longer lens.  Going wider was probably the only option.  It was certainly worth it though.  The texture of the clouds after the storm was there to see and to be emphasized in the shots.  The plane provides a focal point to explore the image from but is not too important itself.  You can’t just do this but, from time to time, it is good to fight your normal style.

The Lions Show Their Love for the Cubs – And Why Not????

AE7I6241.jpgTo be fair, the lions are pretty flexible when it comes to affiliations.  When the White Sox went to the World Series, they wore White Sox caps.  Bears helmets and Blackhawks helmets don’t cause a problem since there is only one team for each sport in the city unlike supporting one or other of the baseball teams.  However, the lions do appear to be fans of whichever team is winning!  (For those of you not familiar with the lions, they flank the entrance to the Art Institute of Chicago and they get into the spirit if a team is doing well.)  By now, of course, we know how it all worked out! Let’s go Cubbies!

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Lightning Photography

QB5Y8912.jpgWhen I shot film I had a go at shooting lightning a number of times but never with any success.  I would try and react to get the bolt but it was always gone.  When you are using film and having a very low success rate, things get too expensive.  Consequently, I gave up on it.  The move to digital opened up a new range of possibilities.

My new approach doesn’t involve much skill (but then neither does using an electronic trigger).  I set up the exposure to have a reasonably long shutter speed.  Then I put the camera on continuous mode, plug in the cable release and lock the shutter open.  Then the camera takes a steady stream of shots.  Of course, when there is a slight gap between shots, you can imagine when the lightning will strike.

C59F3770.jpgI used to shoot a lot from the apartment in Chicago.  Set the camera up and go and do something else.  Unfortunately, the heavy rains that would accompany the storm activity could result in the sky glaring out but you still had a chance.  Some of the shots were okay and every once in a while you would get a really cool outcome.  The Trump Tower was next to us and it would be struck occasionally but it was too close to get a good look at.  You could hear it though!

No Need to be Koi

AE7I8884.jpgDuring our walk around the Chicago Botanic Gardens, we walked across a couple of the bridges over the lakes.  The lakes are home to a variety of wildlife including plenty of koi carp.  I guess they are pretty smart fish as the appearance of a few people seems to attract them rapidly.  I guess they get fed enough times to learn.  So much for fish having short memories.

AE7I8879.jpgThese guys showed up in force.  They came up from the depths so, for a while they weren’t apparent but then suddenly their form would solidify.  They would drift around making it look like it was a coincidence but soon they were right underneath us.  Obviously this was no coincidence at all.

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Trying to do Something Different with a Southwest 737

AE7I9870.jpgIf you want to go with a rather easily achieved photo, a shot of a Southwest 737 would seem to be about as common as they get in the US.  I was staying in a hotel near Midway recently and, after dinner, I decided to see if I could get something a little different to my normal shots of a plane I spend a lot of time sitting inside!  I wasn’t hampered by some rather helpful weather conditions.

AE7I9950.jpgI was close to the approach path so I wandered off to find what line worked best.  My best results came from two spots.  One was directly on the flightpath.  The other was slightly offset to one side.  At this location, the planes are just short of the field so are pretty low.  I include a couple of shots that show the rooflines of some of the houses to give you an idea of the surroundings.  The shots from under the nose are interesting but there is only so much you get from that angle.  I was pleased with a few of the, but I did not spend a lot of time in this spot.

AE7I9526.jpgBeing offset provided a more interesting angle.  I only had one lens with me so I was a little limited in what I could try by having a longer focal length.  Being full frame does now give me a bit more width at the short end of the zoom though.  Therefore, I could get some shots from almost underneath that provide a slightly more dynamic angle.

AE7I9890.jpgSince it was evening, the light was getting better and better.  What certainly helped was that there was a hint of storm activity in the distance and some clouds were bubbling up.  They made for a far more interesting backdrop than the empty sky.  Overall, this was a pretty satisfying evening.  I did get some other arrivals that while I was there and I will possibly give them their own post at some time.

Early Morning at Chicago Botanic Gardens

AE7I8888.jpgThe Chicago Botanic Gardens open at 7am.  This is something I was totally unaware of when we lived in Chicago.  During our recent visit, we were staying a short distance away and had some free time in the morning.  We decided to go early, have a wander around, get some breakfast there and then go back to the hotel to be ready for the day.  We might not have been there spot on 7am but we weren’t much later.

AE7I8871.jpgEarly morning is a great time to look around.  It was a hot weekend that weekend so we were able to enjoy the gardens before they got too hot.  We were also able to enjoy them pretty much alone for a lot of the time.  The crowds have not shown up yet and the place is occupied by the regulars.  In some of the more central parts of the gardens, the groundskeepers are still busy at work sorting things out before the majority of visitors appear.

AE7I8816.jpgWe wandered around a good portion of the grounds.  Heading towards midsummer, even that early in the day is long after the sun comes up so it isn’t the perfect light.  It is a lot better than later in the day though so worth taking the camera.  With so few people, the chance to get unobstructed shots is worth it in itself.  Having not been for a while, the chance to walk the grounds again was a treat as well.

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