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Barry Butler never would have predicted that a broken \u00adcollarbone 25 years ago would launch him into a second career. We chatted with him recently about his work as one of Chicago\u2019s favorite photographers and the special place he has in his heart for the Hancock.\u00a0 This interview has been edited for length and clarity.<\/h3>\n

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How did you get started in photography?<\/h4>\n

I broke my collarbone playing hockey about 25 years ago. With one arm in a sling, there wasn\u2019t much I could do, so I decided to teach myself photography. If I\u2019d had the choice, I would have started by shooting concerts and sporting events because those were my passions, but with only one arm to work with I had to use a tripod and a camera, which led me to landscape photography.<\/p>\n

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Landscape photography and Chicago seem like a unique combination.<\/h4>\n

It is! Unlike a traditional landscape, Chicago is ever-changing.\u00a0 <\/em>When I was trying to teach myself landscape photography, I used Chicago as my lab, going all over the city, setting up shots and learning how to photograph.\u00a0\u00a0 I shot around Chicago as practice for my trips to Ireland, all over America and around the world.\u00a0 I still like to travel and photograph those landscapes, but my Chicago friends really loved my photos of the city. Eventually, one of my friends convinced me to start posting them on social media, and that\u2019s when things really took off.<\/p>\n

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You now have more than 250,000 combined followers on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and Chicagoans have come to rely on you for your daily sunrise and sunset photos.\u00a0 Tell us a bit about how you create them.<\/h4>\n

Everything in Chicago is weather-dependent, so I plan my shots 24 hours in advance by checking the weather.\u00a0 In the morning, I try to get up about 90 minutes before sunrise \u2013 often before 4 am \u2013 and then I head out with my dogs to get my morning shot. I\u2019ve already decided where I\u2019m going and what I\u2019m shooting. It\u2019s all about chasing the light, and I\u2019m constantly framing photos in my head. I learned to shoot with film, so I don\u2019t do a lot of editing. \u00a0I process my images similar to how you used to get your color prints in the day from places like Fotomat.\u00a0 Once I\u2019ve got my shot, it\u2019s up on social media within 30 minutes. I go through the same process at night for my sunset shot.\u00a0 It can make for some long days, especially during the summer, when we have early sunrises and late sunsets.<\/p>\n

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What\u2019s your favorite time of year to photograph Chicago?\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n

Winter is great because horrible weather is dramatic. My favorite days ever were during the polar vortex in late January 2019. The wind chill was minus 50 degrees for two consecutive days and I was in heaven. I got some great pictures and some really great ones of the Hancock.\u00a0 Fall offers the changing of the leaves, and the beginning spring can be nice, but during the summer there\u2019s just not a lot to work with. It\u2019s a beautiful time of year, but it\u2019s just more challenging to photograph.<\/p>\n

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Those of us who live at 175 East Delaware Place have noticed that you feature a lot of photographs of our building.<\/h4>\n

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I\u2019ve taken tens of thousands of photos of the Hancock! It\u2019s my favorite building to photograph. If there\u2019s an opportunity to get the Hancock in a photo, I\u2019m there.<\/em> I\u2019ve got an emotional connection with the building that goes way back. When I was in my teens, I started working for (radio affiliate) Shadow Traffic, which was where the Observatory is now. I also used to fly in the helicopters, and back then the skyline was relatively simple. It was pretty much the Hancock, the Sears Tower and the Aon Building. I was there for about 20 years and I developed a real good idea of the city and its skyline.<\/p>\n

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But beyond my affinity with the building from my days working there, the Hancock is just such a great building. I love the look of it. It goes wide and it goes in and it has all those diagonals.\u00a0 The sun reflects nicely off of it. And, of course, I\u2019ve positioned the moon between and on top of the antennas. That\u2019s always fun.<\/p>\n

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Do you have a favorite photo of the Hancock?<\/h4>\n

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One of my favorites is a shot I took recently of the Hancock framed inside a tree.\u00a0 I was out walking with the dogs one day and I saw the shot. I\u2019d been shooting in that area for years, but I\u2019d never seen that composition. \u00a0I couldn\u2019t believe I\u2019d missed it!\u00a0 I vowed that when the spring buds came out, I\u2019d be there. I waited two months for those buds, but it was worth it.<\/p>\n

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You won\u2019t be surprised to learn that many of our residents also love photographing the Hancock. Do you have any tips for us about how to get that special shot?<\/h4>\n

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Take photos you love. If I were a photography traditionalist, I would find fault with some of my photos, but I don\u2019t care about the faults. If I love the photo, then to me, it\u2019s a good photo. Also, don\u2019t worry about the gear. Probably one of the most important cameras you have is with you pretty much all the time \u2013 and that\u2019s your phone. It works great.\u00a0 As Ansel Adams said, \u201cThe single most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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You\u2019ve been at this now for well over 20 years while also working full time. Does it ever get old?<\/h4>\n

Absolutely not!\u00a0 The days can be really long, but when you\u2019re doing the stuff you love, the long hours don\u2019t matter. It was never a plan, but lo and behold a career emerged for me out of shooting photos of Chicago. \u00a0In fact, every so often I pinch myself saying, \u201cI can\u2019t believe I\u2019m doing this.\u201d The skyline of Chicago changes every year, unlike the landscapes of Ireland, so there is a fresh look developing often and new compositions.<\/p>\n

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Editor\u2019s Note:<\/strong>\u00a0 You can follow Barry Butler on Twitter<\/a>, Instagram<\/a> and Facebook<\/a>.\u00a0 You can visit his website, where you can purchase photos, books and puzzles of Chicago at BarryButlerPhotography.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Question:<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 Do you have a photo of the Hancock that you would like to share?\u00a0 If so, please email it to <\/em>175asstmgr@sudlerchicago.com<\/em><\/a> and we will consider featuring it in a future story.<\/em><\/p>\n

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\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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