Postcard from Chicago

Here is one photo from downtown Chicago I‘ve never shared before. Not sure how I missed it, but I did. Obviously I got a little creative here. The tilt effect was not done in Photoshop.  Oh no! I did the tilt on site. Every once in a while, especially when shooting architectural scene, I like to tilt the camera slightly in one direction or another. It gives one a different perspective in looking at a scene. Try it sometime…it works with any camera.

The tall red building in the background is known as CNA Plaza. It stands out in the Chicago skyline because of its red color. Its only 44 stories tall, short compared to other buildings in Chicago, but when looking at the skyline of downtown Chicago, your eye is drawn to it because of the color. FYI, it is on Wabash Ave, just one block off of famous Michigan Ave.

It was completed in 1973 and it has a bit of a history, both good and bad. During a 2004 renovation of the lobby the entrances were hard to find for pedestrians. So the entrances were clearly marked with "Enter Here" while other portions of the black plywood wall were marked with a yellow dashed outline of a person and the legend "Don't enter here. You'll get splinters."

In 1999, a shard of glass fell from a 29th floor window and killed a woman on the other side of Wabash Avenue. The ensuing investigation revealed the window had been cracked for months and the building had a history of cracked windows for more than 20 years. The glass couldn't cope with the level of thermal expansion it experienced and when the accident occurred, more than 40 windows were cracked. The building's owner paid a huge fine to the city, settled a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family, and replaced all 3,000 windows in the building.

As for the other two buildings in the photo, Google Maps says the building on the right houses the Chicago Department of Revenue. The other building appears to be an apartment complex…my best guess, anyway. What makes this photo work is that all three buildings are completely different styles of architecture…and having one of them be red is a major plus. Chicago is indeed a playground for a photographer.

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com

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