Friday Postcard: Buckingham Fountain

Now with bonus ear-worm!

Jun 20, 2025

∙ Paid

Happy Friday, photo enthusiasts! Today’s postcard is from the last time I was in Chicago: August 2015. My how things have changed since then…

Chicago is one of those (seemingly) overlooked places when it comes to urban photography. Everyone talks about photographing NYC (I mean, duh), but Chicago has a vibe all to itself. Whether it’s the skyline, the architecture, or the numerous art installations along the lakeshore, there’s something for everyone here. Plus you get that midwestern vibe that is just… inviting.

I like to think of Chicago as being photographically rich like New York, only cleaner and less congested (sorry, NYC, I love you). When Chicago was going through rapid urbanization and development in the early 1900s, Montgomery Ward (yes, the retailer) made a huge decision to fight development of the lakeshore and ensure that the area was developed as a series of parks. That’s why you can stand in Grant Park and see the skyline behind you. To get the whole city in your shot only requires a short trip to the Adler Planetarium/Shedd Aquarium/Field Museum complex. In New York, you need to take the subway across the river to Brooklyn or go to New Jersey if you want to photograph the skyline. You can’t do it from Manhattan (at least not easily).

Anyway, you’ll find the famous Buckingham Fountain right in Grant Park, across from the Congress Plaza hotel (where I’ll be hosting my Into Chicago photo workshop later this year). It’s lit up in the evenings and it makes for some great blue-hour photography. And if it looks familiar, here’s why: