High-Rise Views on a Clear April Day

April 2008. I found myself with some time in Chicago, mostly spent observing the city from a high floor. The day was incredibly clear, and the view out over Lake Michigan was vast. From up here, you really get a sense of the city's grid and its relationship with the water.

I spent a while just watching the traffic move over the bridge on the Chicago River, seeing where it emptied into the lake. The water was a deep, cold blue under the spring sun. You could see boats in the marina, and even a few larger ships way out on the horizon, heading toward the industrial shoreline in the distance, puffs of smoke rising from some distant stacks.

The city itself felt like a collection of glass and steel canyons. Looking down between the buildings felt a bit dizzying. I took some shots in black and white to try and capture the lines and the stark geometry of it all, stripping away the bright blue of the day to focus on the forms of the architecture and the infrastructure below.