Photo Walk

The Christmas Lights are Back

It’s December and that means it’s Christmas time in the square. The Christmas event began while I was on my cruise but Frisco Square’s Christmas in the Square goes on until January 3rd. Recently I took some photos of the decorations. It was a wet foggy night. Not many people were out. I was able to get a few good photos. All but the last three photos were taken with my Sony RX100M6. The last three, let’s call them atmospheric photos, were taken with my iPhone. They were more snapshots, not much time was put into taking those three.

You’ll also find below a quick video I made of the Christmas lights. It’s actually all test footage playing with my latest camera, DJI Action 3. When I created a video using LightCut turned out decent enough. Photography and videography are about experimentation. Several of the photos I took and the video footage were just tests to see what I could do with the camera in my hands.

Here is a quick video I made with my DJI Action 3 and edited with LightCut on my iPhone. The video I took was really more of a test than anything else. I took about 20 minutes of video, the editor chopped it down to 28 seconds. I then fine tuned what part of the clips I wanted to see. LightCut is for quick videos to share with friends and family, or to create a kind of trailer for a longer form video you have coming - it’s a pretty slick tool. I’ve been very impressed with the whole package. You can use LightCut with video from any device too, not just DJI. It’s just designed to play very well with DJI cameras.

PhotoWalk: Frisco Fresh Market

Photowalk: Frisco Fresh Market
Last weekend I headed back over to the Frisco Fresh Market. I’ve not been there in some time when it’s open. I’m usually working on those days. The selection of fresh fruits and vegetables remains good. There are several coffee vendors there and now they have a few places you can grab a quick bite to eat. It’s a very cool idea I just wish it was more popular and open more days of the week. Currently they are open on Saturday and Sunday. It’s located at the corner of Main Street and Frisco Street. There is plenty of parking, even when they are super busy.

Canon EOS 80D ISO 2500 f/5.6 1/125s 278mm with EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II USM

Canon EOS 80D ISO 250 f/8 1/125s 126mm with EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II USM

I went there for the photo opportunities and I was not disappointed. There were plenty of people and things to photograph, and most paid me no attention. In the end my little photowalk netted some nice photos.

There were plenty of fruits and vegetables which usually have lots of texture and imperfections making each unique. They are common everyday items but so often overlooked.

Lots of people frequent a market all focused on whatever they are looking to get, each on their own world. It allows a photographer to capture them in a moment, even something as simple as using their smartphone.

Sony RX100vi ISO 250 f/4.5 1/200s 200mm with 24-200mm f/2.8-4.5

Canon EOS 80D ISO 2000 f/8 1/160s 70mm with EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II USM

Canon EOS 80D ISO 4000 f/8 1/160s 70mm with EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II USM

I found signs fun to shoot. Again the are objects that often have various imperfections. Sometimes it’s due to age. Sometimes it’s due to the type of material the sign is made from. Often it’s a combination of the two. In the cases of these two signs, they appear victims of time. They are also made from wood, so they are covered in texture. This gives each sign a unique essence far beyond the simple message of the sign.

Feel free to tell me what you think. Feedback is always welcome. -Kelly

PhotoWalk : Downtown Dallas

DART Train - Red Line at Union Station

Photowalk: Downtown Dallas
I had no specific plan, just to head downtown and see what I see. To me that’s the very best type of photowalk. You know where you are headed but not where you are going. It’s that mystery that opens your eyes and helps you to see what you might not normally.

So many beautiful old buildings with amazing textures and beautiful materials.
The Old Red Museum was probably the most ornate building I saw. The stone workmanship is just amazing. It looked particularly cool with the whispy clouds overhead.

A few weeks ago I took the opportunity to go on a photowalk of downtown Dallas. Parking downtown can be complicated and I hadn’t been to Downtown Dallas in a long time, so I took the DART light rail from Plano to Dallas. There was a time I took the DART train daily to get to work so I’m quite familiar with the system. It remains an incredibly easy and enjoyable way to travel and see the Dallas area at the same time.

The Old Red Museum of Dallas Culture & History

The adventure was fun. I’m sure I’ll do it again. Maybe visit uptown next. Plus I want to head to downtown Fort Worth too. Photowalks are simply a wonderful way to relax and have a good time taking photos.

Old Dallas West End Building, Back Ally