REFLECTION

I gravitate toward cohesive themes, so I chose two locations: the Museum Campus and the Chicago Cultural Center as my studio. There are also some photos taken during my walk over to the Cultural Center. These two locations also happen to be two of the most photogenic places in the city. The appearance of the photographs at the Museum campus came about through temperatures hovering around 39 F degrees and NW wind gusts up to 30 miles an hour.

I really enjoyed this assignment because I got to make it my own, however squeezed for time I felt. I enjoy being able to add some creative elements to the photographs, such as the interior and exterior of the dome to fulfill the assignment.

Rule of Thirds - With my paintings and designs, I break this rule rather frequently, but the rule of thirds is so important and I preach it frequently. I also love using it with landscapes to create more visual interest and movement.

Fill the Frame - The Tiffany Dome at the Chicago Cultural Center, once the Chicago Public Library, is a stunning sight for locals and tourists alike, as it is the world’s largest Tiffany dome. Without editing, it doe not photograph as it appears in person, boasting shimmering light blue glass and gold trim. Unfortunately, I was unable to stand directly underneath for that “perfect” angle because the mayor’s office was holding a private event. I have been part of many events there and have spent countless hours lying underneath the dome.

Viewpoint - While we marvel at support structures such as the flying buttress, few seem to find glitz and glamour in the exterior of the Tiffany Dome, based on the lack of people taking photographs of the exterior as opposed to the interior. I lack access to being able to photograph from outdoors, so there are some lamp reflections coming through the glass. I took many shots of this but it was challenging to keep it from looking underexposed, even though it did not seem to be. I still love this photo.

Framing - I actually had a happy accident for this but then I came across this at the Cultural Center and had to take use this. I love the mosaic around the window that quietly frames the hustle and bustle of Michigan Ave below and the foliage beyond. Learning how to set focus came in handy here as I changed it to the outdoors to get it to look more vibrant. The hint of the column peeking from outside the building is a nice addition to the frame. I am still tempted to share the other photo.

Leading Lines - This is a running path along the lakefront. I chose to take these photographs because of the unique colors created by the cloudy/sunny day. One of my favorite photographs.

Symmetry and Reflection - The Adler Planetarium sits at the end of the Museum Campus and was unexpectedly closed on a Tuesday morning, allowing for an unusual and eerie opportunity to capture it sans humans.

Foreground and Background - This was on my walk to the Cultural Center, and I feel it may be underexposed, but I got distracted and it was getting close to noon, and some of my best composed photos were beginning to look slightly overexposed. Not my favorite shot for this area.

Horizon - I wanted a horizon-only photograph, but all my other photos were either not level or had motion blur. I decided to use this photo because my main motivation for going out to shoot at this time of day was the beautiful colors (both warm and cool) created by the sunny cloudy day.

Isolation - This massive bronze Nicolaus Copernicus Monument required that I climb on top of a 4-foot planter to properly get a decent photograph. An image for reference to the Adler Planetarium is included. My only regret about my photos is how monochromatic they seem due to they cloudy weather.