Chicago Fine Art
Architectural Photography
Workshop 2027

MAY 14-16, 2027

Chicago is the birthplace of the skyscraper and home to one of the most extraordinary concentrations of architectural achievement on the planet. From the soaring geometry of the Loop to the steel and glass of the lakefront, every corner of this city offers an invitation to create. Sharon will guide you through a carefully curated selection of locations, helping you see beyond the obvious and develop images that are expressive, bold, and unmistakably yours.

PART I

Pre-Course
Zoom Training

2 three-hour Zoom sessions (6 hours total) before you arrive in Chicago. Sharon will teach her signature Blurred Cityscapes technique and explore the diverse ways each workshop location can be approached and photographed — so you arrive on day one already primed to create.

Additional topics: abstract, expressive, long exposure, image stacking, advanced B&W post-processing.

Recordings provided to all participants.

WORKSHOP STRUCTURE

PART II

Field Shooting
in Chicago

Three days of guided, on-location shooting through Chicago's most compelling architectural environments. Sharon gives personal attention to each participant, helping you develop a range of fine art architectural styles as you move through the city.

A Meet & Greet takes place on the evening of May 13 — the night before shooting begins — at the hosting hotel.

During the field days, we will also hold a 3-hour mid-workshop classroom session for image review and real-time course correction while you still have shooting days ahead.

Session 1: [Placeholder date] · 10:00 am–1:00 pm PST

Session 2: [Placeholder date] · 10:00 am–1:00 pm PST

PART III

Post-Course
Image Review

After Chicago, the work continues. 2 additional three-hour Zoom sessions (6 hours total) in which participants submit 6 images from the workshop for critique. Sharon reviews each image individually, providing detailed feedback on vision, technique, and post-processing.

This is where raw captures become polished, exhibition-worthy work — and where the full value of the experience comes together.

Recordings provided to all participants.

Session 3: [Placeholder date] · 10:00 am–1:00 pm PST

Session 4: [Placeholder date] · 10:00 am–1:00 pm PST

WHAT YOU’LL PHOTOGRAPH & CREATE

Blurred Cityscapes

Sharon's signature technique — transforming Chicago's streets and towers into expressive, painterly impressions of the city.

Image Stacking

Combine multiple exposures to produce images with extraordinary depth and tonal richness.

Abstract Architecture

Find graphic tension, geometry, and rhythm in facades, structures, and reflections.

Long Exposure

Use time as a creative tool — turning movement, light, and the city's energy into fine art.

Expressive Styles

Explore the full spectrum of fine art architectural photography — from the purely abstract to street-level human moments.

Advanced B&W

Master the art of extreme black and white post-processing — dramatic, graphic, and deeply architectural.

MIND GAMES - TULIP
Where Abstract Architecture meets Expressionism - No boundaries to the imaginative mind. — MIND GAMES - TULIP Where Abstract Architecture meets Expressionism - No boundaries to the imaginative mind.

MIND GAMES - TWIRL
Inspired by Escher. — MIND GAMES - TWIRL Inspired by Escher.

BLURRED CITYSCAPES - Combining the old, gritty L-Train surrounded by brick buildings yet peppered with the modern, classy skyscrapers. The Blurred Cityscape techniques convey the feel and motion of the city.

BLURRED CITYSCAPES - abstracting the city in black and white.

BLURRED CITYSCAPES - a nighttime impression of Chicago.

MIND GAMES - ARROW
Letting creativity lead and I just follow... — MIND GAMES - ARROW Letting creativity lead and I just follow...

BLURRED CITYSCAPES - A different kind of skyline.

Urban Floral Tapestries - A work in progress.

WHY CHICAGO

The Architecture Capital of North America

Chicago gave the world the skyscraper, the curtain wall, and a century of architectural ambition that has never stopped. The Loop, the Riverwalk, Millennium Park, and the lakefront — each offers a completely different visual language. For a fine art architectural photographer, there is no richer city on the continent.

May Light, Scale & Energy

May in Chicago is ideal for photography: long golden-hour light in both morning and evening, comfortable temperatures for extended outdoor shoots, and the city fully alive and in motion. The blue-hour reflections on the river and the gleaming facades of the Loop in late afternoon light are among the most rewarding subjects you will encounter anywhere.

A NOTE ON VISION

Above all, this workshop emphasizes developing your Vision — the ability to
approach any scene and create a fine art image that is unmistakably yours.
You leave with a body of work, not just a collection of snapshots.

To get the most from this workshop, a working knowledge of Basic and Intermediate Photoshop is recommended — specifically layers, masks, selections, pen tool, and gradients. The fundamentals of Image Stacking and Long Exposure will not be formally taught, but will be demonstrated and discussed on location. If you need to build these skills first, Sharon's Online Workshops cover them in detail and run periodically throughout the year. Alternatively, consider joining Sharon’s Learning Lab Tier on Patreon, in which you can watch pre-recorded videos and follow the step-by-step teachings of Photoshop.

PRE-REQUISITES

HOSTING HOTEL

Our hosting hotel is Club Quarters River Hotel, also known as The River Hotel (75 E Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60601). Feel free to make your accommodations there or anywhere else you choose and connect with the group from your location. I do highly recommend booking your accommodations as soon as possible (but with flexible cancellation options) as prices tend to go up if you wait until the last minute.This hotel was chosen for its proximity to our key shooting locations in the Loop and along the Riverwalk — making it easy to maximize every hour of shooting light. Staying nearby is not required, but strongly recommended. We leave together each morning from the hotel.

It's worth arriving a day or two early to settle in, explore on your own terms, and arrive at day one fully ready to shoot.

IF REGISTERING, PLEASE READ THE RECOMMENDED WORKSHOP GEAR PAGE

REFUNDS AND CANCELLATIONS - PLEASE READ