You might remember Joe Weber, one of Aurora’s biggest fans. He’s the young photographer and pilot – born and raised in the area – who last year chronicled the sky-high repair of the Star of Bethlehem that sits atop the 22-story Leland Tower Apartments. From the time he was a kid, Weber has been intently focused on the beauty of downtown Aurora, which is why he began capturing the area with a camera whenever possible.
“We just have a very unique skyline. We have the beautiful river valley and the architecture and the diversity of people,” said 26-year-old Weber. “There are a lot of opportunities in this hidden gem to portray to the public.
” Turns out, Weber is far from alone. In fact, there are so many talented photographers like him that a group of them recently formed the City of Lights Camera Club. “Aurora is such a photogenic city,” insisted the club’s founder, 58-year-old Garrick Gillette, who like Weber has been capturing these scenes “even as a kid,” and in his case, “long before digital” came around.
Because his mom worked at the YMCA, Gillette, who now lives in Yorkville, grew up in and around that recently razed landmark structure, fully appreciating downtown Aurora’s European-style buildings set against Mother Nature’s flowing river. But it was only within the last three or four years that he “really got into” the streetscape element. Gillette told me he likes to hit the streets early in the morning or in late afternoon to captu.