I took this on my trusty 75-300mm lens. I love small birds, and I especially love blue jays and cardinals. I've never gotten a picture of a blue jay, though. I have plenty of slightly-not-publishable pictures of cardinals. This is one of my favorites, for a couple reasons. One, it had better have been worth lying in the ice for an hour and a half. All of my joints hurt. Two, it captures tons of detail, and also that adorable moment when a small bird is shaped like a tennis ball in hopes of keeping warm in the winter. I have a huge issue with my 75-300mm lens not capturing shots as sharply as I'd like. So many come out slightly soft, and unusable, but I can't afford to replace it. So I was VERY happy this one came out.
Originally, I wanted to shoot a sunrise while I was in Chicago. I walked down to the riverfront at 6:30 in the morning, braving the biting, bitter cold. The sun never showed. I saw a general lightening of the environment, but the mist hid the warmth behind cold, wet curtains. At first, the only sounds were pops from metal posts expanding and contracting in the ice. Then, the geese began waking. I captured this image as a flock of geese fled the creaking, groaning docks.
At 6 in the morning in February-era Chicago, you don't find many people on the streets. The vast majority of people on the streets at this cold, bitter hour are in cars or warm places. I had my boots, coat, and a pair of gloves to help stave off the gnawing cold. I was on my way down to the harbor, hoping to catch the sunrise over Lake Michigan. I came across this tent under the tunnel. I did not check if it was occupied. I didn't want to disturb whoever had found a safe haven from the city for a night. I am glad, however, that nobody seemed to have bothered him and left him safe to get some rest.
