West Chicago woman's photo captures eerie image of skyline

After spending a long weekend at Chicago's Air and Water Show, Kathleen Iannacco Kraft and her husband, Art, were looking forward to an easy voyage north to return their boat.

Instead, the couple ran into fog so thick they could barely see anything around them.

"It was very eerie," Kathleen said. "Had we known the fog was going to be like that, we probably wouldn't have left."

As they moved away from Burnham Harbor near downtown, they reached a clearing just north of the city that revealed a perfect view of the skyline and a perfect opportunity for a photo.

Kathleen captured the moment with her Canon Rebel digital camera, along with first place in the Daily Herald's photo contest for the month of August.

"I always see the pictures in the paper, and I really love some of the ones people enter," Kathleen said. "I thought it would be fun to submit one of my own."

The couple, residents of West Chicago, were headed to Winthrop Harbor near the Illinois-Wisconsin border when she captured the image.

The fog, Kathleen said, created such an awesome setting that she took several photos along the way.

"There are actually a ton of other photos I considered entering, but I liked this one best," she said. "It was crisper and the effects on the lake are really cool."

DuPage Photo Director Scott Sanders said he was impressed because of the unique way the picture captured the city's skyline.

"I think the fog makes this photo into a very unusual cityscape that separates it from the usual skyline photo of Chicago," he said.

For her efforts, Kathleen will receive a $50 gift certificate from PJ's Camera in Pickwick Place Plaza, 662 Roosevelt Road, Glen Ellyn.

"I'm so excited," Kathleen said. "I was just trying to get a cool picture of the skyline, and this shot was the clearest view we got."