The Rookery

One of the sights Kathy and I wanted to see in Chicago during our 2023 visit was the Rookery building which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Construction was completed in 1888. In 1905 Frank Lloyd Wright was contracted to redesign the stunning two story lobby. The public can access only the street level floor but we found that the Frank Lloyd Right Trust (who has an office in the building) offers tours. We quickly decided to get two tickets which would allow us to see more of the building. It also helped that the hotel we were staying in was next door, which make for a short walk.

Walk on water

Walk on water, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

It had been raining really hard for about an hour in Chicago's Millennium Park. Me, my backpack, tripod and camera were huddled under the umbrella I decided to bring with me on a whim. As the rain tapered off to nothing, I saw this little boy go running through what had been a very still giant puddle that had accumulated between the two lighted towers of the Crown Fountain. I thought the reflections were particularly interesting. It took some strategic maneuvering by his dad to recapture and return the kid to dry land. Walk on the water whenever you have a chance. That's my advice.

One Mean Bean

One Mean Bean, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

I've often said that HDR was designed with reflective objects in mind. Reflective materials just seem to soak up HDR goodness. Cloud Gate or "The Bean" as it is more commonly known, is no exception.

Chicago Blues

Chicago Blues, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

Located in Millennium Park, the Crown Fountain's glass block towers pour an amazing amount of water down their sides while projecting video of the faces of common Chicago citizens. If it's windy, like it was when I took this HDR sequence, the water tends to fly around everywhere and seems especially attracted to expensive DSLR's!