Hot Day at the Taste

Jennifer Hudson at the Taste

Home Court

Best home court advantage I've ever seen...

Sweet Dance Floor

This is the semi-permanent dance floor in Grant Park that is used for Chicago's Summer Dance Lessons.

All Roads Lead to Home

A tad bit on the grainy side of things, but overall, some of my favorite shots of this city I call home. Taken from the 11th street bridge in Grant Park.

Grant Park Buildings

These are the main apartment and condo buildings surrounding Grand Park. GORGEOUS!

Photo Class: Location #6

The next photo class location took us to the beautiful Buckingham Fountain. Buckingham was dedicated in August of 1927 and is one of the largest water fountains in the world. It only operates April through October so it's important to catch as many light/water shows while you can! It is definitely in my top three favorite locations in the city. It's absolutely breath-taking and if I ever manage to get a wide angle lens, this will be the first spot I hit up. I'm still perfecting my photos at this location, it is a tricky one for me and I find myself continually getting mad at tourists who walk in front of my shot... but it's fun to keep trying!

Morning Stroll Through Grant Park

I often get the impression that people think Chicago is one big concrete jungle full of nothing but buildings, unfriendly business people, taxi cabs, and littered streets. This is simply not the case. I am very surprised with the amount of parks, playgrounds, trails, flowers, tennis courts, fields, and green spaces. The lakefront trail spanning 18 miles is downright impressive. Lincoln Park, Millennium Park, and Grant Park are among the 8.2% of Chicago's land that is dedicated solely to parkland. I'm telling you, this city is beautiful. Here are a few photos from my Saturday morning stroll through Grant Park.

Agora

So I realize my last photo was pretty lame, so I'll try to step it up a notch or two here.

This series of photos is of one of my favorite pieces of art in Chicago. Agora is the name of a group of 106 headless and armless iron sculptures in Chicago's south loop. (It's sounds a little creepy, but it's really not). These guys are located in the south end of Grant Park and not even three blocks from our place. I have always been fascinated with them, especially after I found out that each pair of legs is supposedly facing a different direction. All 106 of them! The statues are on a permanent loan from the Polish Ministry of Culture. A fun fact about Chicago is that there is a HUGE Polish population. Something crazy like the largest Polish population other than Poland.

It has also been reported that actor Robin Williams contributed over $700,000 to bring these statues to Chicago. The figures are approximately 9 feet tall and made from hollow pieces of iron that has been allowed to rust.

This work has inspired just as many negative interpretations as positive ones. The general idea is that all these pairs of legs are apart of a group, yet they are all still individuals doing their own thing. So are they brainless followers acting on command or are they all independent individuals with the ability to be a leader? I'll let you decide. (And why don't they have arms or heads?)

This piece of art has had very mixed reviews in Chicago, but it gets a big two thumbs up from this girl. They are a tricky group to take photos of, because you have to account for the different lighting. However, I had a lot of fun trying out some different angles. I may or may not have been laying down on the ground for the last two shots - but check out the framing! My high school photography teacher would be proud. :)

Grant Park Statues during the Blue Hour

One of the best times to take photographs outdoors is during the blue hour. The blue hour is the period of twilight each morning and evening where there is neither full daylight nor complete darkness. The quality of light during this time period is outstanding and the sky always looks amazing. This statue is located in Grant Park and is being lit by nearby streetlights. I love the colors - the sky, the leaves, and the statue.Have you taken any photos during the Blue Hour? The next time you are out taking photos, aim to take a few during this precious time of day, you will love how they turn out.

Color vs. Black & White

Ever think that changing a photo to from color to black and white makes that much of a difference? I think it does.

Take a look at a few photos I took tonight and form your own opinion. Do you enjoy one coloring vs. the other? Do you notice different things or focus on different things in color vs. b/w? Does the b/w shot make you feel something that the color shot did not?

Grant Park Trees -

Jay Pritzker Pavilion during tonight's concert -

Art Institute/Skyline -

So what do you think of these shots in color vs. b/w? Do you generally like one over the other?

Finally, completely unrelated, why does this child have a grass costume on? He and his friends were definitely trying to scare someone. The things you see in the city... gotta love it.

To be a kid again...

What do you think? Which one do you prefer? Does the coloring change what you look at or how you feel?