The fountain still

During the summer months, Buckingham Fountain and its surrounding plaza are a very busy place. Tourists, newly weds (and their attendant photographers), and locals alike mill about the place either to absorb the relative peace of the gardens and fountain or to sample delectables during the Taste. Long before those folks and the fountain stirred, I set up for a very long exposure with twilight hanging on the Lake Michigan horizon. Now that fall has begun in earnest, this huge fountain will no longer draw its crowds and will instead winter in peace.

What I love about this photograph is the motion blur in the water. Although the fountain wasn’t running, the wind created some movement on the water’s surface, which I turned into a soft blur using a 64x neutral density filter. I think the exposure was something like 5 minutes long. I also like that you can clearly make out the memorial inscription for Clarence Buckingham, something that is easily missed in the harsher light and busier atmosphere of mid-day.

Photo by Justin Kern – Feel free to use images with links and credit – no commercial use without permission.