Show and Tell

Jack Siegel is a Chicago-based photographer who traverses the streets of Chicago with camera in hand. Jack's practice includes architectural photography and urban landscapes.

Archive

All in Urban Landscapes

May 12

May 12 (un)Familiar

Architecture, Urban Landscapes

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There is a channel that leads into the Diversey Motorboat Harbor in Lincoln Park. On the south side of that channel is the tiered landing pictured here, with just a few trees. I've walked past it several hundred times over the years. Yet, its simplicity continues to fascinate.

It was a lovely afternoon to experiment with infrared photography. Yes, unlike Instagram, this photograph was created in camera using a camera that had had its Beyer filter removed.

Elks National Memorial

May 12

May 12 Elks National Memorial

Architecture, Chicago, Urban Landscapes

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The Elks National Memorial located just to the west of the north end of Lincoln Park is a reminder of the sacrifice of the many Americans who fought and died in World War I. Planning for the memorial began two years after the war ended in 1918. The organization selected New York architect Egerton Swarthout's design.

Lake Point Tower

May 6

May 6 Lake Point Tower

Architecture, Urban Landscapes, Windows

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I went out this afternoon looking for a pair of shoes. I decided to travel light, so I took my Leica M with the 12mm Voightlander wide angle lenses mounted, with a 28mm and a 90mm lenses in a small bag. 12mm equals insanity. You either have to be extremely close or the object needs to be very large--although I did find an exception to that rule. By day's end, I had some nice photographs, but no shoes.

Apr 20

Apr 20 Firecakes

Chicago, Architecture, Urban Landscapes, Street

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I decided to take a little walk today. Down Roscoe, down Broadway, down Clark, down Wells, down Franklin, and arrive three hours later in back of the Merchandise Mart.

Apr 15

Apr 15 6103

Demonstrations, Street, Urban Landscapes

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26 U.S.C. § 6103 Returns and return information shall be confidential, and except as authorized by this title, no officer or employee of the United States, . . . shall disclose any return or return information obtained by him in any manner . . . .

Sunset at Lincoln Park

Apr 11

Apr 11 Sunset at Lincoln Park

Architecture, Chicago, Urban Landscapes

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Richard Misrach is one of my favorite photographers. He undertook a three-year project in which he photographed the Golden Gate Bridge from the same vantage point from his front porch, located somewhere in the vicinity of Berkley. Misrach was demonstrating that photography is often more about the light and the weather conditions than the specific subject matter.

Corrosion in Woodstock

Apr 7

Apr 7 Corrosion in Woodstock

Urban Landscapes

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These tanks are located about 2 to 3 blocks off the main square in Woodstock, Illinois. That square served as the location for Bill Murray's 1993 classic film Groundhog Day. There are plenty of plaques commemorating the film.

Apr 6

Apr 6 Reflected

Chicago, Architecture, Street, Urban Landscapes

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The sun continued to burn with intensity as the afternoon turned into twilight, spaying the the Chicago River with intense light. It was so intense that it lit the underside of the bridges, which is what caught my attention. You gotta love the clouds and that deep blue sky.

Apr 6

Apr 6 Lamposts

Chicago, Architecture, Urban Landscapes

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The afternoon light was magnificent. The shadows finally came out after almost 10 days of unrelenting gray and white skies, with lots of fog and rain. What can you say? It's a geometric progression on the Chicago River. Simple, but powerful.

Apr 6

Apr 6 Shadow

Architecture, Chicago, Street, Urban Landscapes

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Here is one more from Thursday afternoon's excursions. The colors are gorgeous, if I don't say so myself. That the Fuji GFX 50s at work, handheld medium format.

Mar 24

Mar 24 Balmy

Architecture, Chicago, Urban Landscapes

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Not exactly the sunniest day, but pretty good considering that the Tribune 10-day forecast predicted clouds and rain for the next ten days. When I left the house, the temperature was in the mid-60s.

Goethe Statue and Meis

Mar 22

Mar 22 Goethe Statue and Meis

Architecture, Chicago, Urban Landscapes

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I am not a big fan of photographs that feature statues, particularly of historical figures in representational style. Yet, I have always enjoyed the superhuman statue honoring the German philosopher and writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) that sits at the north end of Lincoln Park, with two Mies van der Rohe apartments serving as the backdrop.

Mar 21

Mar 21 Puff

Architecture, Chicago, Urban Landscapes

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I thought I might go to a jazz concert tonight, but I didn't have the energy, so I hopped on the 151 and headed to North Pond. I took 68 exposures over a 2 hour period without once moving my tripod. This is the second to the last photograph of the session.

Mar 19

Mar 19 Soon

Architecture, Chicago, Urban Landscapes

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Soon the leaves will return to the trees, which will make this a particularly interesting scene for infrared film. Shot from the bridge over the lagoon just southeast of Cafe Brauer, this photograph is pretty standard fare for me.

Mar 13

Mar 13 Finally

Architecture, Chicago, Urban Landscapes

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March 13, 2017. Chicago had its first snowstorm of 2017. Up until today, there hadn't even been a flurry. Unfortunately, the storm was relatively minor, dropping somewhere between 6" and 12" inches. By rush hour, the roads were clear, but the clouds still blanketed the sky with white. No contrast and no falling snow: The city just doesn't look that great, which is why I headed to Lincoln Park.

Mar 10

Mar 10 Streaks

Architecture, Chicago, Urban Landscapes

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"Streaks" is today's world. The sky had some interesting dark streaks running through it. This is most pronounced in the space between the Wrigley Building and Trump Tower, but the upper sky also had dark streaks. Unfortunately my sensor had streaks of dust--not just spots--so it took some effort to remove the spots and streaks.

Mar 3

Mar 3 Allerton

Architecture, Chicago, Urban Landscapes

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The Allerton Hotel was originally a men's club with hotel facilities when it opened in 1924. It is noted for its set backs, which served as inspiration for many of the other taller buildings subsequently erected throughout the Chicago downtown area. The building's price tag came in at $4 million

Feb 26

Feb 26 Wrigleyville

Architecture, Cubs, Chicago, Urban Landscapes

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Sunday afternoon, and this beer bottle is still so nicely balanced on the fire hydrant on Clark Street just a block south of Wrigley Field. I can only wonder if the person who put it there--presumably late on Saturday night or early Sunday morning--was as equally well-balanced.

Feb 18

Feb 18 Bahá’í Temple

Architecture, Chicago, Urban Landscapes

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I find the Bahá’í House of Worship for North America to be both at odds and complementary to its surrounding. Visually, it fits nicely into the neighborhood, sitting on a bend in the road and at the inland start of a harbor. Yet, Wilmette is a plain vanilla suburb, albeit it wealthyYou just don't expect to find a house worship of a religion that originated in Tehran in the mid-19th Century in a Midwestern suburb.

301 Taylor Street

Feb 17

Feb 17 301 Taylor Street

Architecture, Chicago, Urban Landscapes

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Nothing like standing in urine when making a photograph. It apparently had dried, but the smell was quite pungent. Before I set up my tripod, I looked for feces, which has been here in the pastI am standing on a bridge, with the tender's station building. It is possible to walk behind the station, providing a sheltered observation post, which is why I think it serves as public toliet.