candid chronicles

I've made a conscious effort while out and about to not take our quiet and safe environment for granted. I appreciate the calm environment where my son is growing up, knowing that I can come home to him every day and hold him tight.

Earlier this summer, I took a mid-day walk for a mental health break (a frequent activity these days…) The downtown riverside walk, from Jackson to Randolph and back again, always offers me the view of the towering Sears Tower on Adams, a pass by the Civic Opera House, and a turnaround near the Lake Street bridge as the river starts to turn east. It struck me that I've taken our beautiful city for granted, and my son has years ahead of him to fully grasp the fact that he lives in Chicago. Since moving to the suburbs, our city adventures have become less frequent, but I can't wait for him to look up from these streets and witness the incredible architectural landscape.

It's a reminder of the excitement I felt when I began architecture school at IIT, where this city served as my playground, amplifying my architectural education and allowing me to explore the hard work and achievements of 'starchitects'. I had the privilege of growing up surrounded by a favorite, Frank Lloyd Wright, which provided a fantastic foundation as I headed to architecture school.

When I embarked on my photography journey, I mentioned in my previous newsletter how Instagram played a significant role in kickstarting my photography. I was sharing pictures of architecture and urban textures, which I affectionately called "architextures." I received compliments and 'likes' for my daily cityscapes and eventually started tagging all of my photos with #chicagoincolors, which now boasts thousands of local tags. However, I began to feel discouraged as I sensed that my architectural photos were plateauing and becoming merely pretty pictures. As I grew more inspired, my photos were getting buried.

Then, I had a realization—What are people interested in? People. So, I decided to start incorporating my network of individuals in front of these "architextures." It was so much fun to meet up with people for coffee and ask them to pose in front of the latest mural. Early in my photography career, I received inquiries with words like "I love the urban backgrounds you put people in front of." Terms like bridges, shadows, geometry, contrast, textures, brick, and graffiti were frequently mentioned.

I find architecture (and always “architextures”) to be the North Star influencer in my photography to date. I prefer urban playgrounds as part of our shoots, and even in the post-editing phase, if my photo is not perfectly adjusted to the objects in the background, I won't rest until it is.

In the next week or two, look up and report back on what you notice about your city. Better yet, snap a picture and show me your perspective! I'd love to see. (Bonus points: post it and tag me on instagram @beccawaterloo #lookupandsee for me to reshare!)

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seasoned reflections