Home Architecture Talk - What are some good places to take photos in Chicago?

What are some good places to take photos in Chicago?

My daughter and I want to wander around with our cameras this weekend and take some good scenic shots (gardens, architecture, water features, maybe a few of eachother with a nice natural backdrop, whatever). Just looking for suggestions on good places that we can spend a day without spending a fortune and get some pretty shots. I have a few ideas, but looking for something out of the ordinary that I might not have thought of yet. Thanks for any suggestions!

Public Comments

Some places around Lincoln Park are really nice - beautiful architecture, vegetation (more so than most of the city anyway), etc. There are some nice places around the lake as well. Grant Park is beautiful as well - pretty much the whole area.
Buckingham Fountain and the lakefront with the city skyline in the background are the most often used in picture postcards. City Hall Square with the Picasso in the background is another. You might also try the porch at the back of the Museum of Science and Industry. While we're on the subject of backgrounds ALWAYS LOOK AT THE BACKGROUND FIRST!!! Move to where the background is best, THEN put your subject if front of it and LOOK AGAIN. You don't want a tree branch growing out of your daughter's ear, or a street sign coming out of the top of someones head. And in general, the best light is when it is coming from over your shoulder. If it's not, then unless the effect "makes" the picture anyway it's best NOT to shoot the shot right then. Wait and come back tomorrow at a different time if you have to, or use fill in flash.
One of my favorites is Millennium Park for several reasons and angles. First it is a clearing where you can see the wall of Michigan Avenue very clearly. One unique angle is to stand at the west side of the bean, northwest and southwest, and take a picture of the skyline as a reflection on the bean. Very cool. The Crown Fountains are always fun. And the BP Bridge is so sculptural. Great skyline shots can be taken from the Shedd Aquarium area. Most anywhere along the river but especially the main branch coling off the lake. I haven't been down on the new Riverwalk yet and that might have some good cavernous angles to see the city too. East of Michigan on the north river bank there is a fountain at the end of McClurg.
The Sears Tower is an excellent place for photos, especially since they have the new sky deck. You can step onto the deck and look straight down. The view is great on a clear day. Also, take a sightseeing cruise on Lake Michigan or the Chicago River. You'll get some great shots of the skyscrapers. Lincoln Park is a nice place to get in some photo opportunities and it's free.
The Oriental Theatre and Chicago Theatre are really cool to take pictures in front of (even though they aren't really natural). The bean is really nice and the library, too.
All over the loop and the ethnic neighborhoods like pilsen, greek town, little italy chinatown, etc...
The view from the Signature Lounge at the top of the John Hancock Building The area around the Water Tower on Michigan Ave. Millennium Park The area around and near the entrance to the Lincoln Park Zoo and the Chicago Nature Museum (both are near each other so you can easily see both). The Oak Street Beach area (great view of the towering city skyline. Riding the Red, Purple or Brown line north (they offer the most picturesque train views of the city, the houses, the apartments from a unique vantage point, although some parts of the Orange line run are nice too) The Garfield Park Conservatory The area on the South Side of Soldier Field (they're landscaped it and it has some interesting views). The Clarke House and the area surrounding it (it claims to be the oldest house in Chicago and the area around it has been kept pretty much original) The area around Northwestern University (not that hard to get to; you can catch the Purple Line in downtown Chicago and it will take you to Evanston express. Lost of classic architecture in a tree-filled setting)
Rose Garden in Grant Park- next to Buckingham Fountain Lurie Garden in Millenium Park (scroll down in Chicago Traveller link below) Promontory Point at new Burnham Park- 39th + lakefront Peggy Notebeart Nature Museum (great for kids, thursday free day, but other days $9 admission
Adler Planetarium--Best skyline shot you will ever get. night or day.
Millenium Park, Sears Tower, John Hancock Center, Navy Pier, Museum of Science and Industry, Brookfield Zoo, The Mag Mile, Wrigley Field, Pilsen Neighborhood (BEAUTIFUL murals there), Soldier Field, the new wing at the Chicago Art Institute, and the Crown Fountain.
The area behind the Shedd Aquarium off Mcfetridge.The best lake skyline shot in the city.You should also get on the ferris wheel at Navy Pier.There is a boat taxi that takes you from one to the other.You could probably get some nice shot from that taxi as well.