Chicago Water Tower
Taken while in Chicago in the fall of 2012. This water tower survived the Great Chicago Fire of 1871
Taken while in Chicago in the fall of 2012. This water tower survived the Great Chicago Fire of 1871
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Dec, 2016Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo in Chicago, while my family and I were walking around the area of the historical district. As someone who appreciates history, the water tower's significance stems from the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. This was one of the few structures that survived the inferno along the Chicago River.Time
It was during the winter time in Chicago, in the middle of the afternoon. The sun was out and the lighting was perfect.Lighting
It was the perfect time of the day for a shot like this. The sun was highest in the sky, which greatly added character to the shot. While there was a shadow from nearby buildings; it was smooth and even. This added to the character of the image.Equipment
This was shot on a Nikon D300 with a Nikkor VR 18-70mm f 3.5-4.5 zoom lens. No other equipment was used.Inspiration
As someone who appreciates history, the water tower's significance stems from the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. This was one of the few structures that survived the inferno along the Chicago River. I have always had a love for historical structures and unique architecture. The Chicago Water tower epitomizes both of those qualities. It also impressed me how this structure survived the destructive power of a catastrophic fire in which a large portion of the city was reduced to rubble and ashes.Editing
I am for the most part a purist, and do not do a large amount of post-processing on an image. I learned photography when there was no such thing as digital photography. I am fearful that the more an image is post-processed, the more the image's integrity get compromised. The only post-processing that I did was initially converting the image from RAW to jpeg, and cropping. Additionally, I converted to image to black & white to bring out and enhance the historic nature of my subject.In my camera bag
Besides my Nikon D300 body, I of course, have my very versatile Nikkor 18-70mm zoom lens, Nikon Speedlite flash unit, with SC-58 TTL sync cord and Stroboframe Camera Flip frame. I also have two additional lenses, one of which is my Tamron 200-500mm zoom and Quantaray 70-300mm zoom.Feedback
It is all in the composition. What I do is assess the foreground and background surrounding my potential subject. I additionally look for an angle that will bring out the the subject, while having the backgrounds as clear as possible. It is also always important to assess lighting, whether it is natural vs. artificial vs. available light and adjust your settings accordingly. This kind of care saves you on the post-processing time of the image.
