Up until very recently, I spent a year working the early shift starting around 6 a.m. every day. Sometimes there’s things to photograph in the morning, like the scene of a shooting still being investigated, or a portrait of a someone before they head off to their job, other times there’s nothing.
I’ve tried to use the slow instances to get to know the city better. Having only lived here a relatively short time I’m still learning new areas every day and there’s no easier time to explore the city than when the roads are clear most people haven’t left home yet.
One of my favorite things became watching the sun rise over the city. I’ve seen the sun come up from nearly all the beaches and most of the parking garages and buildings I could get into that offer any sort of skyline view. I’m hoping to make some sort of essay out of all the pictures one day.
Rush University Medical Center, set back on the western side of the city, has to be one of the best places to see the sun rise over Chicago. Recently breaking news reporter Peter Nickeas and I stopped by to have a look after a night of reporting on gun violence.
It was Nickeas who noticed the refection at the bottom of the frame here, which is actually the roof of a dark colored car in the parking garage.
