Street Photography in Chicago

This is the core of Chicago street photography. The green steel of the L runs above Lake, Wabash, Van Buren and Wells, and it throws striped shadows onto commuters below. Taylor Keeran suggests standing under the tracks at Lake and Wabash for light patterns, or on the Adams/Wabash platform for trains layered against towers. On sunny summer mornings, LaSalle Street near the Board of Trade gets harsh shadows and office workers in suits. Composition idea: wait until a train passes overhead and shoot a walker crossing a bar of light. Caution: the view from the Clark and Lake parking garage is popular, but a photographer quoted by InsideHook calls its legality a grey area. If staff ask you to leave, leave.

The Riverwalk runs along the south bank of the main branch of the Chicago River, below street level. You get walkers, runners, kayakers and people eating by the water, with bridges and towers stacked above them. One local on Reddit walks from the Roosevelt Orange Line stop to the Riverwalk on a different path every time. Midday works here because the river reflects light up into faces under the bridges. Stand on a bridge and shoot down for graphic frames of people on the paths. Summer is the liveliest season, and snow makes it quiet and cinematic. Caution: some sections get crowded at lunch, and the steps down from street level are easy to miss, so check a map first.

The Magnificent Mile is the shopping stretch of Michigan Avenue north of the river. On a normal day it gives you shoppers and tourists with big shop windows behind them. On a snow day it gives you much more. Geer describes a girl taking selfies in a snowstorm here, and weather is the reason to come. Go when it is snowing or raining, find a dark background such as a shaded storefront and shoot falling snow against it with a flash or backlight. The bridge over the river at the south end is good for silhouettes. Caution: sidewalks get jammed around the holidays, especially the weekend of the lights festival in November.

Cloud Gate, better known as the Bean, is a polished steel sculpture that reflects the skyline and everyone around it. It is always busy, which makes it a good place to practice. Skip the standard view and walk underneath, as Half Half Travel suggests, where the curved surface warps reflections of people into strange shapes. Look for people photographing themselves and include both the person and their distorted reflection. The plaza around it and the Crown Fountain nearby are full of families in summer. Go early, before the crowds build. Caution: personal photos are fine, but professional shoots in the park need a city permit.

The West Loop was once a meatpacking district. Now its old brick warehouses hold restaurants and offices, and the sidewalks fill with diners at night. A Reddit user who lived there names it his favorite area, roughly north of the Eisenhower Expressway up to Kinzie and west of the Kennedy. Chicago Culture Couple, quoted by InsideHook, like Sangamon Street between Hubbard and Kinzie because it is far enough from downtown to fit the skyline behind the street. Come in late afternoon, when low sun lights the east-west streets. Composition idea: shoot from a corner looking east so walkers stand against the towers. Caution: it is quiet on weekday mornings.

Navy Pier sticks out into Lake Michigan with rides and a big Ferris wheel. It is a summer spot. From June to August it fills with families and tourists, and the lake light is open and bright. Walk to the far end and shoot people against the water and sky, which gives clean, simple backgrounds. At dusk, use the lights of the wheel as a backdrop. Nearby, Milton Lee Olive Park is popular for wedding photos from spring to fall, which gives you another kind of subject. Caution: winter is empty and windy, so save it for warm months.

Chicago Chinatown is centered on Wentworth Avenue between Cermak Road and 24th Street. Keeran points to red lanterns and food carts, with the Chinatown Gate as a good opening frame. Take the Red Line to Cermak-Chinatown. Mornings are best for bakeries and shoppers. Signage gives you color and text to layer with faces. Try shooting through a bakery window as people come in and out. Ping Tom Memorial Park, a short walk north, puts people against the river and skyline. Caution: shops are private property, so ask before you shoot inside one.