Leica IIIf, 06 December 2011

Yes, I’m back in business with a computer, so now I can get back to playing around with my film scans and such. No, it isn’t a new computer, but it works, so I’m not complaining.

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Photo Information:

Camera: Leica IIIf
Lens: Leitz 50mm f/2 Summitar (Photos 1 & 2); 35mm f/3.5 Elmar (Photo 3)
Film: Kodak TMax 100 (135)

Photo 1:
Location: Chicago, Illinois; Lakeview Neighborhood

Yup, another view of the underside of the CTA elevated tracks. I love these old tracks!

Photo 2:
Location: Chicago, Illinois; Streeterville Neighborhood

This is one of the lanterns next to the main entrance to the Drake Hotel (completed in 1920 and designed by Marshall & Fox) in the Streeterville Neighborhood (a few blocks north of the John Hancock Building). Given the name of the hotel, the motif of the lanterns sure is appropriate, ain’t it?

Photo 3:
Location: Chicago, Illinois; Edgewater Neighborhood

Now part of the Chicago Parks District as an indoor recreational facility, the building was originally built as an indoor ice skating rink (completed in 1916 and designed by Carpenter & Weldon; formerly the Winter Garden Ice Skating Rink, then the Broadway Armory); considering that the building was completed during the height of World War I, it is not known whether or not the building was ever used for its original intended purpose. Following the WWI, then Illinois National Guard modified the building into an armory and training facility, though it was also opened to the public as a recreational facility.

Enjoy.

Zeca Bettax, 27 September 2011

Yup…back to this camera for now. What can I say? As I’ve mentioned before, it’s quite compact for a 6×9 medium format camera, and it produces good results – what more can one ask for?

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Photo Information:

Camera: Zeca Bettax
Lens: Schneider-Kreuznach 105mm f/4.5 Radionar
Film: Ilford PanF+ EI50 (120)

Photo 1:
Location: Chicago, Illinois; Edgewater Neighborhood

This is a shot of the lower portion of the Belle Shore Hotel (completed in 1929 and designed by Koenigsberg & Weisfield) at the northeast corner of Winthrop and Bryn Mawr in Edgewater. While it takes a close inspection to notice, the Art Deco details are loosely inspired by ancient Egyptian architecture. The sign at the corner of the building is also a plus in my book.

Photo 2:
Location: Chicago, Illinois; North Loop

This is an east-facing view of the Chicago River as seen from the Wells Street Bridge. Visible in the photo are the following buildings (from right): the R. R. Donnelley Center (completed in 1992 and designed by Ricardo Bofill Arquitectura with DeStefano & Partners); the Blue Cross – Blue Shield Building (completed in 1968 and designed by C. F. Murphy Associates), between the Donnelley Center and the Leo Burnett Building; the Leo Burnett Building (completed in 1989 and designed by Kevin Roche – John Dinkeloo & Associates with Shaw & Associates); the United Insurance Building (completed in 1962 and designed by Shaw, Metz, & Associates), previously the Unitrin Building, as emphasized by the large logo at the top of the building, but now the Kemper Building (yes, these corporate restructuring deals are pretty insane, aren’t they?); the Jewelers Building (completed in 1926 and designed by Thielbar & Fugard with Giaver & Dinkelberg), now known only by its address at 35 E. Wacker – I once worked for an architect who had his offices in this building, though most folks will likely recognize this building as the central location of the climax of the recent Transformers movie; the Carbide & Carbon Building (completed in 1929 and designed by Burnham Bros.), recognizable to moviegoers as the setting for the opening scene of the recent film, Wanted; just to the left of center, you can see the Hotel 71 Building (completed in 1960 and designed by Milton Schwartz & Associates), originally the Clarion Hotel Chicago, and which served as the location for Bruce Wayne’s penthouse in The Dark Knight; to the left of Hotel 71 is the Mather Tower (completed in 1928 and designed by Herbert Hugh Riddle), which is quite possibly the narrowest skyscraper in the city; to the left of the Mather Tower is the London Guarantee & Accident Building (completed in 1923 and designed by Alfred S. Alschuler), which is at the southwest corner of Michigan & Wacker; finally, on the far left is one of the “corn cob” towers of Marina City (completed in 1067 and designed by Bertrand Goldberg Associates). Whew! I don’t envy the folks who have to do the research for the Chicago Architecture Tours!

Photo 3:
Location: Chicago, Illinois; Belmont Harbor (taking location)

I’ve photographed this view many times before (from the tip of the northern breakwater at Belmont Harbor), but I don’t easily tire of it; this time around, there were some nice, fluffy clouds in the sky and a sailboat or two on Lake Michigan for added fun!

Photo 4:
Location: Chicago, Illinois; North Loop

The subject of this photo is the LaSalle-Wacker Building (completed in 1930 and designed by Holabird & Root with Rebori, Wentworth, Dewey, & McCormick), one of the more dramatic examples of Art Deco architecture in Chicago. While Michigan Avenue is well-known for its retail establishments, LaSalle Street is geared towards financial engagements, with a plethora of banks lining its sides, and the Chicago Board of Trade capping the southern end of the street at Jackson.

Photo 5:
Location: Chicago, Illinois; River North

This is a view from the Merchandise Mart stop on the CTA Brown Line, facing south towards the Loop from the northbound platform.

Enjoy.