no need to head to landmarks to shoot Pictures, make your own

Don’t practice photography in extraordinary places. Especially ones you had to make plans for with extra costs. Instead, mix in a bit of the ordinary into your daily shots. If you can make the ordinary seem more wonderous, then congratulations. You’ve made a picture instead of going out and searching for one.

As I continued to improve on my pictures, I went out of my way often on weekends going downtown or to certain landmarks to practice. It took a lot of time to carve out places, and at certain times, to do something I could be doing in my own neighborhood. Planning takes time on top of your day shooting. It can also be disappointing when you head somewhere you’ve long admired, only to find you only have a handful pictures you only liked.

On my earlier posts, I mentioned going on photography walks in my own neighborhood and challenging myself to hide evidence of the city. I did that after spending lots of time on the weekends at certain landmarks. Each time I practiced, little by little, my photography improved. Not only overall, but I had better quality pictures earlier on as I found my subject.

Once I noticed the improvements, practice time became a priority. So I went out more and figured any practice was good practice. I walked in my neighborhood at golden hour. Or spontaneously shot as I walked in different neighborhoods. I would even practice on drives on day trips. The goal was to make the ordinary feel special.

Better than heading to the most picturesque places and taking the same shots everyone else is taking. Practice takes lots of time playing with your subject, or the environment. If you go to landmarks, crowds will be both a distraction and an obstruction. It can be a great challenge to work around or embrace the crowds. But sometimes you want to slow down and take more time with your subject.

Another pivot would be to head over to landmarks on unpopular days. As in, cold days during work hours in the middle of the week. But you’ll have to go out of your way to do that. This is something I’ve done to avoid crowds on my walk in Lincoln park.

By the time you get to your favorite landmarks, you’ll want to have lots of hours under your belt. Of course, interesting places can be a great motivator and pique your curiosity. That can help you improve. Or you might find an even greater sight than what you came for. This happened to me on a visit to Chinatown for the Canal St. Bridge and I immediately found a great place to see the Chicago skyline.

But that doesn’t always happen. And it’s much easier to pile up hours by incorporating photography into your day on a regular basis. The ordinary it is. A greater challenge leads to a higher triumph. Time is difficult to carve out. Early morning, evening, or night are the main options for most people. Myself included, and I find early morning is easier for me than evening.

On Chasing the Sun in Indianapolis, I gave up sleep to catch the sunrise over at Monument Circle on a quick trip with little free time for pictures. It was a great experience and became something I did even when timing was tight as I traveled to other cities. First thing early morning is better for me and I can make use of nature’s photoshop– golden hour.

But where? I like to spot out places where you can view the skyline from different parts of the city. Illinois is very flat, so this is easily doable. On my daily commute, I often spot the skyline as long as there’s no fog over a bridge. Or more so, an overpass over a railway. There’s a few railways, rivers, or simply overpasses I find really interesting to shoot to catch a different side of the city. More industrial, factories that are like beating hearts, keeping the city alive.

There’s one overpass, over a railway, near my work. I think about shooting there sometimes right after work, if the sun’s setting or on a rainy day. I’ve seen rainbows in this area. It’s also much more accessible than other overpasses where there is a sidewalk but only to a certain point.

The goal was originally catching the skyline. But at that distance, I quickly abandoned the skyline at dawn. Drawn more to the railway and trains. Also, a flock of pigeons coming and going. The skyline was tiny anyway. This overpass is on the southwest side of Chicago. It was taken mid-November at dawn. Plenty chilly, and a foolish idea in terms of time of year. But I insisted on practicing, while bearing 40 minutes in the cold.

Beginning while it was still dark out, but dawn breaks. Color spilling, spreading out as you wait for the sun. The silhouette of bare trees can be seen in the distance. Dark telephone and electricity poles are the only thing I can see clearly. Plus, the tops of reed grass are the only things I can detect on the dark ground.

In the far distance, a factory or two, identified only by its stream of smoke. It’s a quiet morning up to a certain point. I’m on the sidewalk of the overpass, essentially on a hill, but on a huge multi-lane road. A group of construction workers are on the other side. I’m sure they thought I was nuts when they realized I wasn’t passing by. I came here for dawn pictures. But it’s morning, it’s cold, and they’ve got work to do on the other side of the road.

Sounds of the railway were comforting, which might be why I was drawn to it. A steady beat of trains passing, a hissing sound as the trains slow, then stop. But just because the trains below stop, doesn’t mean cars aren’t passing behind me on the roads. When the trains start up again, I’m hearing chains hit against the carts as they roll on by.

Think of the slow build as you rise on a rollercoaster. But quieter. You can even hear the weight of the trains hitting the metal rails and the railroad ties (aka the wooden parts of the railroads, used for support of the metal rails). Coming together, it brings a peaceful start to your morning.

The colors of the trains stand out. A red rectangular train rolling down capturing my attention. The color is peeling off, showing a light grey underneath. Right next to a black bulbous train, holding liquid (or gas?). Black train with white shading on top. Can’t tell if it’s due to exposure and time or just a marking of some kind.

Graffiti randomly on the trains. I’m wondering when people were able to do this. Are trains traditionally on the graffiti bingo card? Or just a random chance of opportunity? I think buildings and billboards when I think of graffiti. But apparently, trains too. Some put more effort than others. It strangely adds to the rustic look of it all.

More black trains, this time ones that look like classic trains. That burns coal, and I don’t think it’s carrying anything. Parts of trains traveling to be used elsewhere. All different shapes, and I don’t know enough about trains to identify anything. But it’s fun to watch.

A flock of pigeons randomly making their way around. Flying in circles over the railway. Somehow, all at once, they decide to sit on the electricity lines. Facing the sun. Bathing in the sunrise as it’s making its way. The birds lining the wires, sitting peacefully for a few minutes.

As animals do, they somehow signaled to each other to start flying around in circles again. Even heading off to the other side of the roads, taking a turn on those electricity lines. I wasn’t watching too long, they flew off but kept returning. Circling around for a while, then all at once, taking a break on lines near me again.

This was how I spent one morning after thinking about it for several mornings as I passed by this overpass. Still got a great photo session with little planning. No need to search the internet for picturesque photo stops, popular landmarks, or go exploring in the hopes of finding an interesting sight.

Leaning into more rugged environment, one could still find beauty in the grit.

This is your cue to pick places near you, even ordinary places you pass every day. Instead of a photography walk, hang back and let something interesting find you. I never got those skyline pictures I originally wanted. The comforting hum of the trains and the birds chirping drew me to the true subject.