A City in Fog
Yesterday I took an impromptu trip downtown after noticing the fog descending on my commute home. Ever since I first saw fog in Chicago, I've wanted to take a day (or an afternoon) and capture the mysterious gloomy aura that the city gains from it.
With the opportunity finally arriving, I loaded my bag and hopped on the train, getting off at Washington & Wells. One of my first shots was on the train, heading towards my stop from Merchandise Mart:
While not the foggiest shot, it still was striking. A city that normally stands tall and imposes on its viewers for once felt like it itself was being imposed upon by nature. The vibrance of man's ambition dulled by the greys of nature.
After I got off the train, I walked back up to the Riverfront, knowing I wanted to get even more shots from the walk below, taking advantage of the more extreme shooting angles.
The incredible verticality of these structures just feels hauntingly isolated in the grey overcast, and with the top of a certain tower fading into the clouds, there was an ominous mood to the structures. Some editing after the fact to bring out the blues in an otherwise black monolith, and highlight the yellow of office lights, and we're left what feels like a building filled with the ghosts of its workers, toiling for eternity in the name of capital.
As I walked down I captured a few more shots on the Riverwalk, but still not enough of what I was truly hunting for, spots where the fog truly descended upon the city, engulfing its skyline. So I came back up to street level, and walked my way down Michigan Avenue, cutting back towards the lake.
There I found what felt like a trove of opportunity waiting, multiple office buildings / hotels almost entirely engulfed by the fog.
There are more shots that I do love, but didn't quite get edited in time to upload here from this section of my afternoon, but the fog just consumed so much of these buildings it felt like I was almost in an alternate dimension version of the city.
As I turned back towards Michigan Avenue, I spotted the backside of Michigan Plaza and the buildings surrounding it. On a whim I ascended the stairs and caught a few shots of the angles of the buildings, capturing a start contrast of the dark black glass against the almost-white greyness of the clouds above. I thought they were decent shots, but it wasn't till I got home that I realized amongst that crop would be my favorite shot of the afternoon:
The angles of the buildings is superbly satisfying, the sharpness, the contrast, they all work together to make an incredible image. The aspect that blew me away the most is how naturally desaturated the image is. The colors above are what came directly out of the sensor, I did no post-processing to this image aside from denoise and adding my watermark. Part of what makes me extra proud of this shot is that it's in this state in it's raw, captured state.
As I moved on down Michigan Avenue, I approached the normal tourist hotspot of The Bean. The fog and cold didn't stop tourists, who seemed to be there a plenty that day. I took a few shots, hoping the fog and reflection would be interesting, but none of the shots I took really inspired me.
Thankfully, as I was leaving and descending the steps, I noticed a young woman taking a photo of something ahead, and I realized the elevated platform next to the staircase aligned with a through shot of the city. I waited for her to get her shots, then pulled out the tripod and got to work taking shots of my own.
Sadly, most of the shots I took weren't in focus, and just couldn't be saved. However, one of my more experimental, bokeh shots came out beautifully, and after some edits to pull the warmth of the various yellows in the shot, we're left with a beautiful abstract of the city, presenting a warmth that almost feels nostalgic of another time:
That being said, my lesson is learned, my smaller tripod just isn't sturdy enough for taking stable shots downtown, the winds can be far too fierce for it to remain still. Next time I'm bringing out the big one that I can stabilize with the weight of my camera bag. At least I got this beautiful shot out of that lesson.
Overall, I got some great shots, and had a lot of fun. I think the next time the fog rolls out in the city, I'll have to spend some time exploring outside of downtown and capturing the mystique and beauty it brings. Until then, enjoy the photos, and wherever you are, stay warm and dry.
