City Shadows by Chipka
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Description
It was hot on the day I made this photograph; I’d gone with Corey to attend to a boring bit of business and then spend the remainder of the day, nabbing shots of the city. I’d just returned to Chicago from Prague. I still heard Czech (at least in my mind) and felt a pervasive twinge of culture shock. Where were the cobblestones and the scent of hops in the air? Where were the belligerent ducks, the kind that act as if they have switch-blades tucked under their wings? Where were the things made to human scale, and the giant, faceless babies, crawling up a tv-tower? Where were the scruffy skateboard punks, making use of the ruins of Stalin’s pedestal? Prague is a Czech city, a central European city, a beer city. As such, she lives at a different, casual pace and at an intimate, human scale. Beer cities are slow: you get from one place to another at precisely the speed your body allows. There are tall things in Prague: Communist-era monstrosities, but in comparison to Chicago and other young cities, these tall things still bear some intimate relationship to human proportions. They were built to dominate humans, but to also allow humans inside, to marvel at their efficiency.
Chicago is different. Everything is fast. Car horns blare incessantly. Chicago is a coffee city. Coffee is a stimulant—speed in a cup. Where Prague moves only as fast as a human might move (by foot power or tram power) Chicago spins its wheels, careens around corners, and plows hapless pedestrians into a chunky-salsa pulp. Things happen in Chicago. No one notices. Things happen in Prague, but no one is ever surprised. They’ve seen it all before. They’ve seen it coming and at a slow, human pace.
On the day that I made this picture, I craved a beer in a cellar older than the entire span of US-American history. I wanted to hear accordion music, or Amy Winehouse blasting from ceiling-mounted speakers in a room full of smoke. I wanted to hear people singing along: zey try to make me go to rehab and I say no-no-no. I suppose I could have heard such things, but it’s the accent I wanted, the honest incongruity that can only come out of a situation dominated by humans. Chicago offers such situations. They go by quickly. Chicago is a city full of iPod people, zonked on caffeine. It’s easy to hear the high-frequency whine of overloaded synapses.
Though it was loud on the day that I made this photograph, I’d settled into a different mental zone. I knew what noises surrounded me. I could hear their messages. As I’d only been in Chicago for a few, short months, big things surprised me. Straight-line streets were something of a novelty. But no one sang in the streets. I think that’s the thing I missed the most. I miss it now, and often wonder: What is a city without drunk people splattering song lyrics all over the place?
Ah, but a city is many things. Prague is one. Chicago is another. There is no way to compare them. They’re different animals altogether. I’ve seen shadows in Chicago, the likes of which cannot exist in her smaller, Czech sister city, and perhaps it’s the shadows, and the strange orthography of light-splotches that make up for the absence of drunk people singing with gleeful, tuneless abandon. I like Chicago’s shadows and its rusting, graceless bridges. I know that—later—I’ll return to where drunken songs color the night. I know that when I return there, and to places a bit more Russian, I will miss Chicago’s massive display of Attention Deficit Disorder, and the shadows of the el—those strange, strange shadows, loud with the rattling-clatter of overhead trains. It isn’t music, not by a long shot, but it’s strangely pleasant.
As always thank you for viewing, reading, and commenting, and I hope you’re in the midst of a pleasant and productive week.
Comments (31)
Sepiasiren
very nice the light play is fabulous--post work is excellent as well--all around captivating shot
dreampaint
nice playing with shadows and light look like urban pattern. nice shot.
Feliciti
very warm lighting and shadowplay for a city shot !! like this peeling tex on the right side too !! great capture !!
MadameX
Wonderful shot, Chip! What I love most is reading your commentaries, your insights, and feelings for each image. I like that you share a bit of yourself and your life with us.
sandra46
AMAZING COMPOSITION
photosynthesis
Very nice composition. The bridge framework, the rivets, the shadows & even the buildings with their repeating rows of windows peeking through all contribute their own geometric rhythms to this image.
charpix
Beautiful shadows and colors.
CoreyBlack
I remember this day! As I recall it was rather hot and sticky and the shade of the bridge was very welcome. Love the angle on this and the way you caught that wonderful play of light and shadow in the bright sun and reflected superstructure of the bridge. In addition to being nicely arty, this shot also gives you the look and feel of the more nuts and bolts "industrial" aspect of the city. And your comments on Chicago life, are as usual, spot on. Love the bit about ADD. Very funny, and SOOOOO true. This is a wonderful pic.
beachzz
City scenes--there are an endless supply of them. And big cities such as yours, well, wow--gritty, urban and REAL. GREAT shot!!
whaleman
For me, the photo doesn't invoke sounds so much as light. This, when I was young, was exactly the type of bridge that made the light flash as you passed through it and I liked that flashing effect. For iron, it's amazing how warm you have made this photo feel!
evinrude
Like a noirish abstract. Beautiful light and texture.
kgb224
Superb capture my friend. God Bless.
jayfar
Super capture of light and shadow.
Lashia
Awesome shadows and lighting, a very cool perspective- thanks for sharing! :) Also, you should check out the Halloween Photography Contest! "Zombie Apocalypse!"
durleybeachbum
Amazing and very interesting! This would be a really challenging image for making into a lino or block print!
icerian
Yes, this is big "theatre vof shadows", like Laterna Magika in Prague. Well seen, dear Chip.
helanker
What a marvellous capture. I just love the light and shadows in this shot and the rusty bridge. This is an exquisite Capture and I SO enjoyed your narrative to this shot. I just love both.
belasebok
The play of light is great!
flavia49
marvelous image and prose!!
RodS Online Now!
I never could much get into Amy Winehouse, may she rest in peace, but your photography, my friend is brilliant, and your writing inspiring. Keep 'em both coming! This is simply gorgeous photography, Chip! I love this kind of photo - the shadows, the texture, the color, the leading lines... And the truck just entering on the left is absolutely perfect. A wonderful metaphor for the busy city atmosphere.
0rest4wicked
A great narrative, what can one say, it's human nature! A fine image!
auntietk
I love this bridge! I want to walk across this bridge, or one just like it. Can I do that? I think it will be on our way to a certain restaurant. I know you must think I'm about as odd as odd can be, but that is one exciting bridge!!
moochagoo
Really wonderful composition and find.
snakemove
I love the light play, that makes this image extra special. There is so much detail in this picture, just cool !
MrsRatbag
What a wonderful capture; I can feel the heat, and the bright hot sun that can be escaped by taking just one step into the darkness. I can hear the rattle of the trains passing, and the traffic. A little piece of the city, well done!
jac204
Great shot and narrative.
jocko500
like the light and shadows here. cool shot
myrrhluz
I love this shot! I love the shadows, with the easily recognizable tracks in the foreground and the more abstract collection of geometric shapes under the bridge. Wonderful depth and clarity. From the yellow and copper framing structures to the deep cavity of the underside of the bridge. I love the angle too and the passage down to the square at the end. Excellent shot!
NefariousDrO
I love this shot, I think the El is my favorite part of Chicago. There's a strange rhythm that the trains generate, and while many won't consider it musical, I always think of Tom Waits, and the legacy of hobo-musicians in this country when I hear the elevated trains pounding through the city. The way it echoes off the buildings and is amplified by the steel frameworks is positively hypnotic to me. Wonderful photo!
dashboard_jehovah
Outstanding shadows and texture...love it!