Street Photography In Houston
Street photography in Houston isn’t always easy. You just don’t see a lot of people out and walking around as the normal state of things. Public transportation exists but it’s not a major factor in getting around for most people. In Houston, it’s all about cars. We drive wherever we’re going. In addition, Houston can be hot so we don’t spend a lot of time outdoors when we get to our destination. We make a dash for the A/C.
I’ve mentioned this (ok, complained about it) a couple of times (here and here). However, I really like street photography so I’m not about to give up trying. I’ll take inspiration from my earlier street photography in Houston shot, Dream Big, and keep trying.
My wife had jury duty in downtown Houston one recent afternoon. Since she doesn’t like to drive downtown I drove her down and took advantage of the opportunity to do some street photography. Fortunately, my persistence paid off and I was able to get 5 shots I really liked.
Perhaps it was the time of day. I was there from roughly noon to 2PM when she got released from jury duty. Perhaps it was the weather. It was a warm day (80°F) for February but cloudy and it was rather pleasant. Perhaps I happened to stumble on some good locations. I think it was a combination of all three. A nice day is a great incentive for people to leave their air-conditioned offices and have lunch outside. Whatever the reason was, I was grateful for the opportunity.
The Shots
– Food Trucks
Food trucks provide an opportunity to get some really great candid shots. People are milling around, looking at the menus, trying to decide what to order. They’re talking with their friends or if they’re alone their focus is on the food truck as they wait for their order. What’s great about this is that no one is looking at the guy with the camera. You become invisible and can get shots to your heart’s content.
– The Metro
After the food trucks I decided to take the Metro down to the Med Center. The Metro train in a nice way to get around the core of Houston. I found a good seat, got my camera ready and hoped I’d find a good opportunity on the 15-minute ride to the Med Center. The train wasn’t crowded but after a few stops a man entered my car and stood patiently waiting for his stop. He had a weary look on his face which made for a great storytelling image. He got off the train after a few stops but I was able to get this shot.
– The Med Center
The Texas Medical Center (TMC) is the world’s largest medical complex. It’s home to 21 hospitals, 8 specialty institutions, 8 academic and research institutions, 4 medical schools, 3 nursing schools, 2 pharmacy schools, and 1 dental school. As a result, there are a lot of people working and visiting there everyday. So, I figured this would be a good area for some street shots. Afterall, it was lunch time on a nice day. Who want to stay inside and eat hospital food?
Here are a couple of shots that l liked.
I would have stayed around longer in the TMC but I thought my wife might be getting released early (which turned out to be correct) so I headed back downtown to the courts complex.
– The Courts Complex
Killing time I strolled around the courts complex and noticed two Jehovah Witnesses trying to save souls. I guess the courts complex is a good target for saving souls as well as street photography. Afterall, if you want to save sinners you need to go where all the sinners hang out.
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How do you find good street photography locations? Please leave a comment in the comment box below.
