Last November, Kurt and I had the opportunity to spend a couple days in Chicago because I had been summoned to the Consulate of France to sign some papers.

We traveled on the Amtrak from Saint Paul, MN to Chicago, IL. As the train stopped in small towns to load and unload passengers, Kurt would briefly step off to take advantage of the light and capture the miniature travelers in a non-city setting.

Once in Chicago, we decided to walk from Union Station to the hotel to look for photographic opportunities along the way. We came across the Civic Opera House and Kurt was immediately drawn to the architecture and the feel of the building. He knew this will be a great spot to photograph an old wealthy widow and her chauffeur (see video).

The next day, we started out early and walked down Michigan avenue. Next to the Tribune Tower, taxis were picking up and dropping off customers. The location inspired Kurt to shoot the miniature taxi competing with the rest of the traffic (see video). Later in the morning, the appointment at the consulate lasted about fifteen minutes, we spent the rest of the day exploring and shooting the miniatures.

Kurt didn't really have specific scenes in mind, he walked the streets and let the city inspire him. On both days, we were blessed with soft diffused light and temperatures in the mid-fifties which allowed Kurt to shoot from morning until night. I attempted to capture his creative process on video. Here is the edited piece:

Last night, Kurt and I were hanging the artwork on the walls of Common Roots Cafe. We showed up after hours around 11 p.m. Andy (the manager) was really kind and helpful. We enjoyed our time there, the 3 hours went fast. Below a few pictures from last night: