From Ansel Adams to Annie Leibovitz, the art of photography has seen many true talents. However, all artistry aside, these photographers lack one particular quality which prevents them from gaining our full respect—names that begin with B. To compensate for this concentration of “A” names in the photography world, we gathered Chicago-inspired photos from our agency’s 11 most promising photographers and asked them about the methods behind their madness.
While we admit that our photographic genius may have peaked with our emotionally-stirring, yet professional headshots on the agency website, we nonetheless invite you to enjoy the Top 11 Photos of Chicago, as photographed by our talented team of shutter-Bs.
11. Sarah T | Looking east from Ashland Green Line stop overpass | iPhone
Q: What’s going on here? Were they shooting the next Batman movie?
ST: No—it’s an honest and true electrical storm.
10. Ashley M | Cloud Gate (The Bean) at Millennium Park | Instagram on the iPhone
Q: Who’s that there on the right?
AM: Ha! Just another Bean enthusiast who probably thought I was crazy to also be there in the less-than-photo-worthy weather.
9. Julie H | Michigan Ave | Samsung Galaxy S3, filter 1977 Fo Lyfe
Q: What was it like being the still photographer for Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds”?
JH: It was scary because although I didn’t get attacked by any birds I did get attacked by the lamp pole I ran into while looking up and running trying to catch the birds in my viewfinder.
8. Carolyn B | Lakewood and Schubert in “Linkin” Park | Instagram via iPhone 4S
Q: Why the hell were you out in the snow?
CB: Because this is Chicago. I didn’t know we had an option?
7. Cole O | Traveling north on Lakeshore Drive | VSCO camera and Instagram via iPhone
Q: Is that a UFO in the corner?
CO: I’m not at liberty to say. Next question.
6. Stacy B | Second City on Wells | Instagram via iPhone 5
Q: Why did you take this picture?
SB: To prove that I was actually attending my Comedic Writing 1 class.
5. Terry M | Shopping on Michigan Ave | iPhone
Q: How long have you and your family been building self-portraits?
TM: That actually was a good representation of my family at the time, which is why I snapped it. Although I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing a top hat.
4. Samantha R | Shedd Aquarium | Sprint HTV Evo (yea, an Android!)
Q: Were you stung while taking this photo?
SR: Yes, but I’m from Key West & I’m a ginger; I’m immune.
3. Joe K | State Street Bridge | Pocket Digital Camera
Q: Are you ever scared of being on the bridge when it goes up?
JK: I would LOVE to be on it when it goes up. I’ve thought of ways to sneak onto it when they open!
2. Shawn C | Downtown Loop CTA Intersection | Canon T2-I, 18-85mm zoom lens, polarizing filter and a little Photoshop
Q: How expensive was it to rent a jet pack for this shoot?
SC: They’re actually quite reasonable if you know a guy.
1. James P | Looking west from Lake Michigan | iPhone 4S
Q: Are you prone to getting stranded in lakes and taking pictures of mirages that look like Chicago?
JP: Drinking beer can do that.
