Chicago

starky987

I'll be in Chicago May 13-15 for a conference and will have all days on the 13th and bits and pieces of the 14th and 15th free. I've never been to Chicago so I'd love to know of some good places to shoot as well as just some fun things to check out while I'm there. Thanks!!

grimace

Buckingham Fountain (the one used in the intro of Married with Children) should be running by then and it makes for a great shot either day or night as well as a foreground shot with the skyline in the back.

The Watertower on Michigan Ave. makes for a great night shot showing off the details of the bricks.

The Fourth Presbyterian Church is nearly next door to the Watertower and makes for a great indoor shot.

One of the best locations for a city skyline shot is from the Shed Aquarium. This will give you a great chance for a pano and you will be shooting across water so you can get a nice reflection shot.

If you are looking for a nice shot of the John Hancock Building you should consider going out to Navy Pier. This is also a great place to get a shot of the Ferris Wheel, get nice candid shots and water reflecting photos.

The Hancock has an observatory floor that provides wonderful sky views of Chicago. I beleive it is on the 84th floor and it is $10 to go up their. They do not allow tripods any more and if you decide to go up the following day it is only $4 with your receipt from the following day. I've gone up for an evening shot one day and went back the following day for a day shot.

Millennium Park is another great place to shoot. It's home to the famous reflecting bean. You can get a nice photo of the skyline reflecting in the bean but I've never been there at the right time of day.

Millennium Park, Buckingham Fountain and the Shed Aquirium are near each other and on the south end of Michigan Ave.

The church, Hancock and the Watertower are all in view of each other on the north end of Michigan Ave.

I hope this helps. Feel free to drop me a PM and I can give you a couple of other locations.

ElginetPhotos

grimace wrote:

Buckingham Fountain (the one used in the intro of Married with Children) should be running by then and it makes for a great shot either day or night as well as a foreground shot with the skyline in the back.

The Watertower on Michigan Ave. makes for a great night shot showing off the details of the bricks.

The Fourth Presbyterian Church is nearly next door to the Watertower and makes for a great indoor shot.

One of the best locations for a city skyline shot is from the Shed Aquarium. This will give you a great chance for a pano and you will be shooting across water so you can get a nice reflection shot.

If you are looking for a nice shot of the John Hancock Building you should consider going out to Navy Pier. This is also a great place to get a shot of the Ferris Wheel, get nice candid shots and water reflecting photos.

The Hancock has an observatory floor that provides wonderful sky views of Chicago. I beleive it is on the 84th floor and it is $10 to go up their. They do not allow tripods any more and if you decide to go up the following day it is only $4 with your receipt from the following day. I've gone up for an evening shot one day and went back the following day for a day shot.

Millennium Park is another great place to shoot. It's home to the famous reflecting bean. You can get a nice photo of the skyline reflecting in the bean but I've never been there at the right time of day.

Millennium Park, Buckingham Fountain and the Shed Aquirium are near each other and on the south end of Michigan Ave.

The church, Hancock and the Watertower are all in view of each other on the north end of Michigan Ave.

I hope this helps. Feel free to drop me a PM and I can give you a couple of other locations.

Yep....what he said. ;-) Bring a parka though.....we're gonna freeze tonight. (literally!)

Bring some sandbags for your tripod too. The Windy City is just that....and any kind of time exposure gets easily trashed here if you don't secure that camera.....

Between 7pm and 9pm are your best dusk/night shots. Northerly Island (where the infamous Meigs Field was destroyed) by the Adler Planetarium no longer allows you to park along the drive. Be prepared to walk a bit, but it's probably the most famous place to shoot the skyline.

Good luck!

BradfordBenn

Also don't forget the Museum area and Navy Pier.

starky987

Thanks for the advice. I'll be there next week and am looking forward to getting to these locations!