How we photographed wildfire smoke enveloping Chicago

This week’s top photo comes from Visual Journalist Anthony Vazquez. Follow him on Instagram.

What makes this photo important?

An aerial perspective was crucial to showing Chicago’s hazardous air quality this week. On the ground, you can sense the smoke and maybe see hints of it in the distance, but you don’t grasp its full density until you take a step back and see it from afar. Framing the skyline behind the Ferris wheel at Navy Pier emphasizes the sheer thickness of the haze that people are walking through.

How did you get the photo?

I initially had to wait at Navy Pier for the heavy haze to clear enough to be safe and shift slightly before I could get a clear shot. I chose that vantage point specifically to frame the Ferris wheel in the foreground, using it as a point of reference aiming back toward the city skyline. By positioning the shot this way, I was able to capture the stark silhouettes of the buildings in the background, making the heavy layer of pollution and wildfire smoke sitting over the city immediately visible.