HQ Residences for OKW Architects

Late last October- and again in early November – I photographed the newly-opened HQ Residences for my friends at OKW Architects.

The project is a 6-story, multifamily property with 88 luxury apartments and townhomes, and a cafe — Coco & Maple –  which is a nice perk for residents.

Built on the site of Prospect Height’s former fire station, HQ Residences sits directly across the street from the Prospect Heights Metra Stop along the North Central Service line.

The scope of the shoot was fairly tight. OKW only needed a handful of exterior images. They didn’t need comprehensive documentation of the project.

HQ Residences in daylight

My first daytime visit was actually planned as a scout. But the low, warm October sun and deep blue sky were perfect – and the upcoming forecast wasn’t great. The sunlight was falling perfectly across the façade, pulling out the variation in the mixed brick tones, while shadows emphasized the building’s massing and setbacks. I ended up taking shots that I though could be “final” instead of taking a handful of test shots to compare angles and perspectives for a proper shoot later.

In the end, I and the OKW team agreed that the shots I took on this scout visits were usable as final images. And they helped set the plan for the dusk shoot.

Chasing Twilight

A few days later, I went back out Mt. Prospect on a clear evening for a blue hour session. This shoot was trickier. Though the daytime shoot informed the angled I’d recreate, evening sessions like that are a bit of a race against the clock.

Brick doesn’t reflect the waning twilight the way a glass curtain wall does. With a full-glass building, you can work the reflective glow of dusk a little longer. I had to work quickly, juggling exposures and angles before the sky darkened and streetlights and car trails took over the scene. There’s a narrow window where the ambient sky still lifts the masonry while interior lights begin to glow.

Luckily, the building’s orientation worked in our favor. For the hero angle we were after, the front of the building was was fully illuminated by the bright, but soft, twilight. Here’s the final result