I wandered around the city trying to find something unique to photograph for my first blog post. Should I focus on bustling Christmas shoppers? Maybe highlight Chicago’s tourist attractions? Frustrated, I sat on a cold, metal sidewalk bench to gather my thoughts. And then I saw it. The distorted, yet beautiful reflection of one building in another. The sky was a bright blue and the sunshine emphasized the images layered on the exterior walls. Reaching in my camera bag, I fumbled around for a blind inventory of the lenses I’d carried with me. I pulled out the first lens that felt like the one I was hunting for and was thrilled to see my 28-105mm with a polarizing filter on it.

A polarizer cuts out the glare and reflections in shiny surfaces. They’re also great for saturating colors and making skies more dramatic (deeper blues and brighter clouds). The more I walked around, the more beauty I discovered, and I realized something; this photography blog isn’t going to only help others to “see”. It’s going to make me open my eyes to view what I take for granted on a daily basis as well.

I hope you enjoy my images.

~SAW