City Skyline

After work I had gone down to the beach to take a few pictures (see previous posts) before my soccer game. During the game the sky was turning this really pretty color and the clouds were amazing (I will post that picture next.). Right after the game I snapped this shot real quick. Where we play is right off the lake with a great view of the city and during the summers we could see the fireworks going off at Navy Pier. It was a pretty neat night and I like how this picture shows off not only the city, but the active life that goes on in the city. There are constantly teams, leagues, and pick up games going on around these fields, which makes it fun to be out there with everyone.

North Ave Bridge

I love this bridge in Chicago. It's the North Avenue Bridge that connects to the beach. I know it's a little off center, but I still love the way the bridge looks with all the flowers along it. It is so pretty when you walk across it and can look right at the skyline of downtown.

Day at the beach

One day after work I decided to venture out to North Avenue beach to see if I could get some inspiration for some photo stuff I've been working on. I literally just turned around and snapped this picture randomly. I kind of love that it feels like I'm on vacation or somewhere at the ocean because if you look into the distance of the photograph you can see what looks like a light house. Hmm, maybe I'll print this out and hang it up as a calming picture to look at daily :)

Beauty at Sunrise

This is another picture from the sunrise session. I went a little farther south to get a good view of the sky and it turned out pretty great. You never really know how the sky will be when you get out there so early and this morning there happened to be a lot of clouds. I still like the way it looks, but there were some mornings where it was completely clear and the colors were amazing. Hopefully I'll be able to drag my butt out of bed another morning and get some good sunrise shots again :) It's just so unreal what nature does. It's one of the only guarantees in life that I can think of... you always know the sunrise and sunset will be beautiful.

Sunrise at Belmont Harbor

There were many mornings this past summer that I was up before work running or taking a walk along the lake. Almost every morning the sunrise was so amazing and I just wish I had my camera at those moments. So the idea to get up in the morning and make it down to the lake before sunrise was pretty much a no brainer. This picture was taken right at Belmont Harbor (for all you Chi-town folks). It was so peaceful to look out into the calm water and hear only the birds chirping. At that time in the morning there aren't many people or cars out and it really makes for some great alone time away from the busy city. I will post a few more pictures from this session... Aren't the colors great?

Reading by the lake

This picture that I took (and no, I don't know this person-creeper? yep, definitely) is a great representation of what I love about Chicago. Lake Michigan is my favorite place to be when I'm in the city. Whether it's running at sunrise or sunset, taking a walk, laying out, or simply going down there to read my book. It's where I go to relax and think. I love the simplicity of this photo and how it shows that life in the city doesn't always have to be so hectic.

Wrigley Field

I had to share this photo. This picture is from my first time out taking pictures with my DSLR last September (2010). It was a perfect fall evening and I was so excited to be able to finally begin my journey into photography. I didn't even care that I looked like a total tourist with my camera hanging around my neck walking around taking pictures of Chicago landmarks. It was well worth it. I gave this picture an antique look, but trust me, the sky in this picture is a very beautiful blue. Maybe I'll post it at a later date.