North Branch of the Chicago River
The Chicago Avenue Bridge offers a classic urban waterway shot, looking south down the North Branch of the Chicago River as it stretches toward the downtown skyline. The combination of the river's calm surface, industrial and residential buildings lining the banks, and the repeating geometry of bridges in the distance gives you strong compositional material to work with. Position yourself on the bridge railing and use the river itself as a leading line pulling the eye toward the city. A telephoto lens helps compress the background architecture and stack the bridges together for a dramatic effect. Early morning is ideal, when the light is soft, foot traffic is minimal, and the water tends to be glassy. Golden hour in either direction adds warm tones to the building facades reflecting off the water. The bridge is pedestrian accessible and easy to reach from the surrounding neighborhood. (Chicago, Illinois, United States)
