While in attendance at the VRMA Spring Forum in Chicago, I captured the following images.

The majority of the images were captured in one evening with the help of my impromptu tour guide, a kind lady who noticed me shooting while standing outside her apartment building. She joined me in my walk around the city, showing me popular landmarks (including some locations from iconic scenes from one of my favorite movies, The Dark Knight), and shared her love for the city she’d called home for 50+ years.

This trip was my second time leaving my comfort zone to shoot photography alone in a new city. (Old San Juan, Puerto Rico was the first!) and just like the first time, what an experience. The freedom to roam random streets, take my time, and sit in a location as long as necessary to frame a shot the way I see it in my mind is…everything. The fear of not knowing if you’ll find anything or if you’ll take a wrong turn. It’s peaceful, terrifying, and calming. It’s perfect.