Chicago | {Workshop and more!}
Just last weekend I was in Chicago for a few days and thought I would share a peek at what I was lucky enough to see (and do) while there. A workshop with Audrey Woolard is what brought myself and a friend there. It was a wonderful workshop, focusing on shooting in full sun and working with some great “tweens” who were not only beautiful girls, but all very sweet and fun to get to know. On the first day of the workshop, we had gorgeous weather…about 75 degrees and not a cloud in the sky…talk about a perfect fall day! The second day was even warmer! An added bonus on the second day was that it was the day of the Chicago Marathon, which is one of the six major world marathons…and the course took it RIGHT in front of the studio! How lucky were we…getting to see the VERY first group going by, including the handcyclers and then the first group of runners (with the top finishers being in that group!). Of course, we all had to take a few photos of the runners, who could pass up an opportunity like that, as well as a chance to cheer them all on! I traveled with a good friend, Connie, and we had a day on each end of the weekend to see some of the sights. I’ve been to Chicago before, but Connie had not, so it was fun to show her some of the highlights!
Millennium Park
A friend mentioned something about popcorn…OMGoodness, if you ever go there, stop at Garrett’s and try their mix…it’s delicious and irresistible!!
Traffic and lots of skyscrapers…so much to see!
It was really impressive to see the well planned bike system they have in the downtown area!!
More fun and views at Millennium Park!
Navy Pier…it was under construction, so there was less to see than we’d hoped for.
The skyline view from Navy Pier was stunning!
A little fun with a photo looking over the Chicago River at night!
Saturday morning…shooting in full sun, with Audrey explaining positioning, settings and more!
One of our beautiful models…such a natural!
Another great model…we were lucky to have such fun girls to photograph!
And the last of our models…she was a character, so pretty and a great sense of humor!!
These girls all rocked it during the workshop… 🙂
The wheelchair participants…very impressive and so intense! The top photo has the male winner, the one in the middle in the white shirt!
This is the first group of runners…they were amazing! The winner was Dickson Chumba of Kenya, who was in the back row in these photos, in the middle in the yellow shirt.
What determination all of the participants showed, it was really awe inspiring!
The front female runners, with Florence Kiplagatin, also from Kenya, in the front (in the red), being the top female finisher.
Some of our workshop participants watching the marathon runners.
Nighttime at Millennium Park at Cloud Gate, or “The Bean” as I call it!! 😉
Some fun at the Crown Fountains at the Millennium Park!
The Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago Tribune Tower
Under the Cloud Gate at Millennium Park
The beautiful and historical buildings in the downtown area are incredible…so amazing to see these buildings!
Oak Street Beach with Lake Michigan behind us.
View from the Willis Tower…103 floors up. The building is 108 floors tall and the second tallest building in the US.
The W at City Center…our home during our visit in Chicago!
We had clear skies during the flight back home…with some great views!!
A gorgeous sunset welcomed us back to Seattle…it couldn’t have been any more perfect! A great trip, wonderful workshop and great memories!!