©2010 Chicago Tribune/Alex Garcia
Walking through the Garfield Park Conservatory, I realize that I forget what it means to breathe deeply. The air is so rich with oxygen, I find myself inhaling and exhaling with a smile on my face like a giddy hippie. My assignment was to photograph the staff dyeing a pond green for St. Patrick’s Day. But as I was lingering on my way out, I noticed a spiral staircase that became a service walkway at the very top of the Palm House. I asked a horticulturist watering plants nearby if there was a way I could make a few pictures from above. To my surprise, she agreed without hesitation. Within a couple minutes, I was walking the length of the greenhouse at its highest point, taking in the unique view. In a previous post about photo tips, I talked about how sometimes you have to feel a moment to really photograph it. As I was looking from above, I was hoping to find someone who shared my sense of the beauty and grandeur of being surrounded by our green Earth. And that’s when I saw this man – wearing a green shirt, of course.