

“Even in the crane industry, few people get a chance to see a growing city from a tower crane operator’s perspective. Ken Derry has been working with giant cranes for thirty years, and taking photos from his cab throughout his career. They give a unique insight into a life worked above the clouds.

Derry’s photos give a new appreciation of the work that goes into building the modern city: days that start as the sun rises and ends as its sets, ironworkers who spend their lives among the lattice work of cranes hundreds of feet above the ground, and crane operators who view it all from their swaying perches.

From this height, the city is seen with new eyes. Instead of the canyons that soar above us as we walk along Michigan Avenue, Derry sees the city’s skyscrapers as glass and steel islands in an ocean of cloud; where the city might feel cramped and enclosing on the ground, from the sky Derry sees an open prairie of twinkling lights.”

Will North, Deputy Editor

Cranes Today

