fourpointedstar

The concrete and glass exterior of the building on the south side of Wells becomes the perfect canvas for abstract architecture presented by the stepped exterior of the top of the building on the north side of Wells.

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This fantastic oddity was captured from street level, and I just love all of the distortion. I’ve photographed the curved fascade of the building on the corner of Wells & Hubbard a few times, but always from the 4th or 5th floor of the parking garage with light trails in mind.
(This photo was from a photo walk that I led back in April.)

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The shadows from the melting ice or snow rolling down the glass were the perfect addition to all of the angles in this photo.

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Santiago Calatrava’s buildings never fail to impress. They’re almost always futuristic, but often can be mistaken for an animal in some kind of animated reality. Even his art installation in Chicago has a fluid and natural motion to it.

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If you crane your neck and look UP under Calatrava’s wonderful design, the view is magnificent!

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Perhaps someday I will grow tired of capturing the Quadracci Pavilion at the Milwaukee Art Museum, but for now, I love visiting that building. The whites and blues and sunlight are the perfect painters of abstract patterns; I can’t wait to go back!

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I’m drawn to reflections; the warbling that a window provides adds so much more interest to the scene. In this photo, you are actually looking at 3 different buildings, can you see each one?

Not all buildings are architecturally interesting. But every building has aspects that can lead to an interesting photo – like this stairwell in a parking gararge! And yes, I know that these doors are not in the correct stoplight order.

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Maybe it’s just me, but seeing the Sears/Willis Tower poking out from a scene was THE Chicago moment growing up. For a few years, my family lived on the south side, and it was a contest among the siblings to see who could see the skyline, specifically the Sears Tower, first when we would drive into the city.

On a recent photo walk, I found this little “window” created by the L tracks, the incredible rusty exterior contrasting with the sky, the Willis Tower, and the Merchandise Mart. I had to hop in between traffic on 2 different occasions to get this exposure correct; the afternoon sky was quite the contrast compared with the shadowed steel. This photo is one of my Top 3 favorite recent Chicago photos.

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The simplicity of this photo is what allows the three distinct shades of blue to stand out.

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I took this photo while on a walk with my daughters.  While the effect of the straight roofline “feeling” curved is fascinating, but overall, the complex simplicity of the facade is what drew me to this capture.

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Would these buildings be considered twins, just wearing different clothes?
Siblings?
Cousins?
Either way, these two buildings on Grove Street are wonderful examples of Elgin’s historic downtown.

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Elgin has so many wonderful buildings. This one on Douglas Avenue is very interesting, the fancier façade partially extends to the side which implies that this wasn’t going to be as visible, but there are windows which implies that there wasn’t going to be a building immediately next to it… (Ok, so maybe not “very interesting” only “interesting”.)

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I tend to edit my photos based on how they “feel” and one of those feelings is balance.” The photo should appear balanced, but the sad part is that I don’t know that I could quantify what makes a photo balanced … but I know it when I capture the photograph or in most cases, when I edit the photograph.

Sarah and I took a day trip up to visit family in Milwaukee and on the way took a walk through Milwaukee. I may enjoy reflections in windows more than any other kinds of architecture photography.

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I know, I know … all that I did was turn the photo sideways, but when an architect lays out clean lines, and there’s a wonderfully warped reflection, well … that’s all that I needed to do, right?

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cz

As Sarah and I walked past 833 Michigan Street, we both noticed the modern abstract fixture hanging in the lobby. The installation definitely feels at home inside of the the large glass lobby, but the reflection of the US Bank building in the same windows blocked the view of the fixture. Fortunately, the contrast between the two makes a compelling photograph.

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cz

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If you start looking, the reflections of any town will provide dynamic views and photographs. I love the unfinished nature of this photo; how the angle of the foreground building gives the appearance of an unfinished canvas that drops into the negative space provided by the soft blue sky. You will find many reflections throughout my architecture photography, and I know that there will be more to come as well!

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Some of my favorite images over the years have been my more abstract images and the images with a strong use of negative space. The “bird’s wings” floating in the void of the blue sky was absolutely beautiful on the day of our visit, and I also enjoy the simplicity of the monochrome image.

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Anytime that I visit a location for a second or third time, I want to take photos that are unique to each visit. Which means that with each visit the photos get more challenging but the images get more inventive. The intersection of lines in the pavilion is full of unique images and surprises.

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Each glass facade was a different shade, with the 3rd panes being pink. Overall the exhibit was simple and yet delightful; I’m not one for reading into art, but I definitely enjoyed viewing and attempting to capture the Icebergs uniquely.

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There are always new views and angles at the Milwaukee Art Museum. The spire that supports the suspension bridge is such an understated portion of this entire building. The simplicity of those understated lines leads to the entire building’s exceptional beauty.

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Can 16 pieces of glass arranged in 4 identical sets be photogenic?

After seeing a few fellow photographers capture this installation, I wanted to see the abstract art. I have photographed Calatrava’s Quadracci Pavilion before, and I really enjoyed integrating that architecture with “Iceberg”.

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I have a collection of stairs photos; so from the moment that I saw Lauri’s photo of this staircase, I knew that I had to photograph it and add it to my collection.

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