This photo of a lakefront view of downtown Chicago was taken during my rust belt tour earlier this year. Although most of the trip was focused on finding the beauty in the decayed and neglected industries, we would take moments like this one to see the beauty in the modern city as well. This is a high dynamic range (HDR) shot using three bracketed shots combined into one image.
I love the perspective of this piece. It was taken in an abandoned steel and wire company in Chicago.
Every time I look at this photo, it draws me in, spins me around and spits me out. I love that momentary sensation in my stomach like I’m on a spinning ride at Lakeside.
When I was in the rust belt shooting urban decay and the fall of American Industry, I worked on a series of telephones. All the different types of phones stamped a date on the closing of these plants. Each one was unique and told a story. This one was in one of the last buildings we shot in Chicago. The Chicago Steel and Wire company. To see some images that my brother Josh took of the same facility, check out www.ballmultimedia.com
This building is part of the Santa Fe Grain Elevator Complex in Chicago, IL near Interstate 55 and Damen Rd. It was build in 1906 and then rebuild in the 30’s after a grain elevator explosion. There are several buildings including a power plant, a drying building, a rail car repair shop and several large grain silos measuring 40′ wide by 100′ tall. At one time, this complex could process and store 1,700,00 bushels of grain.
The whole complex is now abandoned and is the substrate for graffiti artists, sleeping quarters for a few homeless and the muse of urban explorers and photographers. When I was on the site, I could just sense the productivity that it once had. It is also flanked by a small waterway and frames the downtown skyline of Chicago.
This image is of the only one story structure on the complex that still stands. The eerie feel of this image is exactly what the space felt like. It was very calm with the only sounds being the dull roar of a nearby highway and the creaking of metal hanging from the roof as they blew in the wind. Despite the beauty of the sunset, I couldn’t help but feel disturbed by the piles of debris and wet insulation that littered the space.
As my brother, Joshua and I explored forgotten buildings throughout the rust belt, we noticed a relationship between the man made structures and nature. As the wind, rain and sun work on breaking down many of these old buildings, plant life begins to invade. Often the plants will grow on the roof tops or inside the building where the roof has failed. The roots can crack foundations and shift walls creating even more opportunities for mother nature to do her work.
This image was taken at sunset on our first day in Chicago. We spent much of the day searching for imagery with little luck. Our determination and faith that we would find something lead us to this complex of buildings and silos just off Highway 55. I was able to capture this image using 3 bracketed shots and a fisheye lens borrowed from Joshua.
