Tribune Tower

Tribune Tower, Chicago

The best-laid plans idiom bounces around my head as I stare at the neo-gothic masterpiece, the Tribune Tower. Looking down at my phone, I thumb through light tracking applications and recall the line from Mr. Incredible, "I've got time." I really didn't. I had a detailed capture plan that did not include the building I was staring at. The plan was to start with a scouting session of the Wrigley building, capture a couple angles of the Marina towers as the sun lowered, and then finish the session with a golden hour shot of the Reid-Murdoch building. Something was getting scrapped, but I needed to figure out what. I broke out the tripod defiantly, gingerly screwing on the arca-swiss head. I decided on a shot directly across the river.

I wanted to see the structure's full height and frame it with the Equitable Building on the right. As I contemplate the focal length, a party of 6 walks up, requesting a group pic with their phone. Honestly, my wife is my go-to when taking photos of people. There's a reason I specialize in architectural and commercial real estate photography. I would not explain that to them as I lifted the phone, bunched everyone uncomfortably close, and rapidly fired about 20 pictures. The composition was pleasing, and everyone was in the frame. One of the twenty pics should have one or two without somebody blinking. I was more worried about standing 15' away from my gear, with half my photography business lying bare on the sidewalk. The party thanked me for the pics and walked away, and I finally noticed how crazy busy it was, not to mention the heat. Chicago was a month away from the DNC and had a run of hot and humid weather. I finally decided on 24mm. 35 was too tight, and I figured I could crop a bit in post if needed. I secured my gear onto my back and started shuffling back and forth to get the alignment just right. As I was about to lock the camera down, a guy from the party walked back up to tell me that his group really liked the photos. I was surprised as the interaction happened a few minutes earlier, and his group was halfway across the DuSable Bridge. I responded with my default "No worries" as I was unsure what else to say and waved bye. My wife's talent may have rubbed off on me as I look back at the camera to check the alignment… nope, it's off; back to the crab walk. I shuffled some more and finally got the camera to rest where I wanted it. After a few more minutes dialing in angle and focus, I take my first test shot and RUMBLE. A bus passed behind me on the street, and everything shook. E Wacker Dr., where I was set up, has Lower Wacker running under it… an excellent recipe for soft shots.

A sinking sensation of time wasted pops into my head. I could have packed it in there and saved some time… or continued being stubborn. I pushed through, timing sets of brackets between the streetlights and the rush of cars shaking the roadway. I previewed a few brackets, soft, soft, okay, and better, but not great yet. I liked the composition, but something was not translating. Then, as if to validate trusting my gut (or at least that is what I told myself at the moment), the light began to filter through the haze on the horizon. It cast this render-like lighting on Tribune Tower, illuminating the top left corner just enough and providing soft, even illumination. This beautifully isolated the tower and really made the crown stand out. I was ecstatic, letting the shutter roll through shot after shot. I had that giddy feeling of "this going in the portfolio." Happy with the capture as the base shot, I started the second phase, hunting down compositing elements and looking for the right amount of movement. The problem was there was so much movement. Too much movement; damn, it was busy. This was one of the few times I had to look for ways to minimize movement for the final composite. There were party and tour boats all over the river, with people lining up on the riverwalk to board more. The incredible all-glass Apple store on the riverwalk also drew a heavy crowd. I captured a few tour boats cruising past, but they kept drawing my attention away from the building. I decided that unless I go crazy in post trying to minimize the crowds, I might as well just own it. The river, on the other hand, was going to be a problem until this tiny river taxi that could hold no more than 8 people puttered into the frame. I said to myself out loud, "You perfect little shit!" I knew I wanted a little soft movement, so I dialed my shutter back to 1/15th, my go-to for pedestrians. I figured it could work since the boat was going a touch faster than walking speed. I rattled off 3 shots and managed to get one center frame. That's the one!

Now for the consequences of my actions. Scouting for the Wrigley building was scrapped. My Google Street View planning would have to suffice. The Marina Towers shoot was dialed back, and I flubbed a shot when I bumped the tripod out of place (smooth). Then, I missed the golden hour for the Reid-Murdoch building. That will be a story for another time, but I made it work as a blue-hour shot. I still had another day in Chicago, which included some sunrise and sunset work. "I've got time," echoed in my head again as I came away, stoked by the Tribune Tower shot.

Over the next day, the Tribune building kept drawing me like a sailor to a siren call. Okay, sorry, I may be a little heavy-handed with the reference, but I wanted more after the shot the afternoon before. I found myself perplexed; I'd never been a fan of neo-Gothic architecture. I gravitate towards Art Deco, Mid-Century, and modern design aesthetics. After a pre-sunrise wakeup, I found myself across the street from the Tribune Tower, staring at the top and deciding whether to throw a wrench into the morning plans. An overcast cloud layer moved in from the lake, dashing the idea of a morning golden hour shoot. The flip side is the soft lighting provided more time to work, and I managed to fit in another shot of the structure while standing in front of the Wrigley building. Given the distance, 17mm did the trick. I waited for some early morning pedestrians to add a little life to the scene and got another shot in the bag.

Tribune Tower, Chicago

The last shot I got of the Tribune, I was not expecting. It was late afternoon, and the heat from the day burned off most of the overcast clouds, leaving behind the familiar filtered light from the previous day. It was nearing the end of my time in Chicago. I decided to go full tourist mode and take the architecture boat tour. I was getting ready to geek out over more architecture factoids I could tell my friends at parties, and they would respond with their second, "That's crazy," while desperately trying to find a way out of the conversation. 

My wife and I had to cross the DuSable bridge to get to the boat as I regaled (annoyed) her with my tale of taking an expert iPhone pic for some tourists the day before. I looked up and saw the Tribune building again taunting me. The late afternoon sun was coming through between the Wrigley Building and the shadow of the River Tower. It was less filtered than the previous day, but the way it illuminated the top looked incredible. At this point, my wife knows that look on my face. It's the look of we're gonna be here awhile.

We really didn't have time for me to set up all my gear, break out a manual focus lens, and dial in a shot. Before the trip, I decided on a whim to bring my 100mm macro lens. It's great at capturing little details and is a good portrait lens in a pinch. Since it was lightweight and had a built-in stabilizer, why not? I decided to throw it on my camera, and with a quick snap, it was pointed squarely at the buttresses atop John Mead Howells and Raymond Hood's design. The last shot was wrapped after several deep breaths and a steady few shutter clicks. I had never used a macro in my architectural work before, but I was really surprised by the sharpness throughout the image. Looks like I'll be lugging around another lens in my travel kit from now on.

Tribune Tower, Chicago

Is there a lesson here for a photographer? Maybe it's to trust your gut. If something catches your attention and you can't shake the feeling, there's probably a reason, even if it isn't apparent. It may be the way the light is being cast or filtered, the specific composition, the architecture, or something else that comes through in the edit. 

Also, maybe bring a 100mm macro lens as well.