Where do YOU go?

[FrankParis]

No, I'm sorry just trying to brain storm with you.
Back in the late 70's there was a WWII submarine there. I do know you can get special permits to hold photoshoots at places like that. At a small cost if you clean up behind yourself even less of a cost.
I know Playboy did a thing on one of the obsevation decks of the Sears Tower. Chicago's tallest building if it's still called that.There is a fashion company locally here that makes use of parking garages. Those shots turned out really cool.

[Al_Nowak]

I've been in the sub in Chicago. It's a captured WWII German sub if I remember correctly, U-238 comes to mind but I won't swear to it.

Anyway, let me caution you that the inside of that sub is VERY cramped. Being of the tall persuasion myself (6'8") I went through it about bent double. The hammocks for the crew to sleep in were no more than 5 feet long and stacked three high in little cubbyholes. The crew slept in shifts in the same hammocks!

They specifically selected small guys for sub duty. The hatchways are about 4.5 feet and the corridors are very narrow. If you are thinking in terms of the galleys and open bridge areas you typically see in movies, especially on the nuclear subs, think again.

I think while photography may be possible in that sub, it would definitely be a challenge. There just ain't much room to maneuver around. Also I think you would run into some problems with getting permission, I am sure you would have to have a large insurance policy to cover them if it was possible at all.

Another place in Chicago I've always wondered about shooting at is the coal mine in the Museum of Science and Industry. They have those huge low mining machines that work a coal face, a miner's rest area where they do a demo of a carbide lamp, a miner's elevator, and real coal lined tunnel areas. Alas, I think it would take some really powerful friends to pull off a shoot there, but ya never know... For those who have never been there, go... It's the closest thing to being 500 feet underground in a coal mine you're likely to encounter.

[wgiles]

It's actually the U-505. U-238 is an isotope of Uranium. Still, it's not a bad guess. I was curious what you had in mind for the coal mine, being that I'm a mining engineer that works at a coal mine. Have you ever been to any of the copper mines in the Michigan UP?

Bill

[glennusdin]

location scouts.

every major city, including Chicago, has people who have the sole job of cataloging and presenting various locations for film and video crews.

In Chicago, you can also contact the Chicago Film Office and they will refer you to locations that they have on file, here is the contact info:

Chicago Film Office
(312) 744-6415 (Chicago, IL)
(312) 744-1378 fax

good luck!

[Al_Nowak]

Oops, it's indeed the U-505.... Senility strikes again!

Here's a link for those who have no idea what we are talking about.

Chicago sub tour

[Al_Nowak]

Nope, I have not been to a mine in the UP though I've been in that area a number of times. (Upper Peninsula for non-Michiganders, "yoopers" for the natives)...

I seem to recall that they were open pit mines, essentially big holes in the ground, but I may be wrong.

There are the gravel pits on the south side of Chicago visible from some of the interstates. But aside from the big machines, I don't know that they offer much photographically. Sort of like putting a model on the edge of the Grand Canyon.

As far as what you could do in the coal mine, the first thought is obviously models in hard hats with dirty wife beaters, radically cut off jeans, and work boots doing what miners do. A second approach would be to use that pitch black coal face as a sparkly backdrop for some high fashion stuff. Finally, there's a very claustrophobic feel to the place since as far as anyone else would know you are 500 feet underground. I'd probably try to come up with something to exploit that darkness and fear factor while being a bit sexy. Can't give away all my secrets...

[wgiles]

There were a number of underground copper mines in the UP. The one that comes to mind is the White Pine Copper Mine, although that mine operated until recently.

The cutoff jeans, hard hat and miner's boots ideas with maybe a pick or a shovel are doable, but the only place that is black is the freshly cut face. Every place other than the face is white with rock dust. The darkness is absolute. I have occasionally turned off my cap lamp to see how far I could go before running into something. When your light goes out, you sit down and wait for some one to find you. Everyone tags in and out, so we know when someone hasn't come out.

It would not be practical to try to shoot this type of thing in an underground coal mine. Flashes are simply not allowed at the face because of the danger of a Methane ignition. It is possible to paint light with a cap lamp. but I've never seen it done. I would think that it would be possible to simulate the environment above ground. Our faces are 20 feet wide and 7 feet high. I think that some metal mining scenarios with rock drills and similar tools could be managed. It was common for a couple of miners to work a face, drilling, loading and shooting a round and then loading the ore.

It strikes me that it is harder to see the possibilities in places that are familiar to us than it is to see the possibilities in places that are not familiar.

Bill

[Al_Nowak]

The Museum of Science and Industry mine exhibit actually doesn't actually cut into the mine face so there's no rock dust as I recall. Besides, they gotta keep the place fairly tolerable for the tourists...

Thus as I remember the exhibit's coal faces are sparkly black, but it's been many years since I was in the exhibit and I may have forgotten what's actually there...

The huge face grinder and low ore trucks are impressive though.

[wgiles]

It has been almost ten years since I was last at the museum and I understand that they finally have the sub in its permanent display. Much of the mining equipment that is on display is obsolete today. We still see some of the loaders and cutting machines once in a while, but most have been sealed up in the old underground workings. The equipment that we use today is much larger and would be difficult to photograph in an underground setting. Rock dust and roof bolts weren't in common use at the time represented by the museum display.

Bill

[candacecorey]

Cool! I will check into that.