Steel and Glass: Exploring Chicago's Architectural DNA
A photographic journey through Chicago's iconic architecture, from historic facades to modern skyline giants
Published 2013-11-15
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A photographic journey through Chicago's iconic architecture, from historic facades to modern skyline giants
Chicago is one of my favorite cities to shoot. Light off glass and steel, shadows between buildings, and a wild mix of architectural styles. I never run out of frames.
Walking through Chicago with a camera is like having access to the world's greatest outdoor architecture museum. Every corner offers something new: intricate details on a historic facade one moment, bold geometry on a modern skyscraper the next.
On this trip I kept coming back to the contrast between Chicago's historic buildings and the modern skyline. Each era left its mark in stone, steel, and glass. The streetscape reads like a timeline you can walk.
I like photographing both whole buildings and their details. A building might be impressive from a distance, but zoom in on the craftsmanship of a corner detail or the pattern of windows, and you discover an entirely different kind of beauty.
The light and shadows on these surfaces change throughout the day. Early morning light catches the eastern faces of buildings, while late afternoon sun creates long shadows that emphasize the three-dimensional qualities of the architecture.
For this series, I focused on:
From the ornate facades of the early 20th century to the clean lines of modern minimalism, the city's architecture reflects the evolution of design philosophy, engineering capabilities, and cultural values.
I like seeing buildings from different eras on the same streets.
You can view the complete collection of images from this architectural exploration on my Flickr album. Each photo captures a different aspect of Chicago's architectural character, from sweeping cityscapes to intimate detail studies.
Shot with various lenses on my Canon DSLR during a weekend exploration of Chicago's downtown and surrounding neighborhoods.