When I first moved to Chicago in November 2020, one of my first stops was North Avenue Beach—known by some local photographers as "Photography Point," and for good reason.
On that initial visit, I captured a similar shot, but it lacked something. It was midday, and the light was flat, with no dramatic effects; the composition was nice, but the overall image felt uninspired. Later that summer, I returned to the spot, this time arriving at 4 a.m., hoping that the sunrise would bring the extra energy the shot needed. And it did.
I shot this at 50mm using my Canon 24-105mm on my 5Ds. The exposure was long—about 1-2 minutes. In editing, I focused on dodging and burning, spot removal for sensor dust, and some selective cloning.