So, to continue from the earlier post...
Stunch, my lovely girlfriend, Clay, and myself have just eaten dinner and are now primed to take as many photos as we could stand, it's just shy of 1am and time is a tickin'.
A bit about myself, I tend to be a junkie for interesting lines and darkness. This contest was out of my comfort zone and I sort of welcomed the challenge. To be fair, I know the area well, despite the constant ebb and flow of clubs and eateries due to being a mediocre DJ back in the early part of the 00's and having spent many late nights and early mornings here.
Deep Ellum has a wonderful selection of neon signage and new development that sits beside derelict buildings and remnants from a day gone by. Anything and everything that you could want is on display normally next to one another. I'd up until now resisted her siren song citing a myriad of reasons to not venture out with my gear and take photos.
No longer.
A bit about myself, I tend to be a junkie for interesting lines and darkness. This contest was out of my comfort zone and I sort of welcomed the challenge. To be fair, I know the area well, despite the constant ebb and flow of clubs and eateries due to being a mediocre DJ back in the early part of the 00's and having spent many late nights and early mornings here.
Deep Ellum has a wonderful selection of neon signage and new development that sits beside derelict buildings and remnants from a day gone by. Anything and everything that you could want is on display normally next to one another. I'd up until now resisted her siren song citing a myriad of reasons to not venture out with my gear and take photos.
No longer.
As I stated in the title this was a contest to sum up the entirety of Deep Ellum in one photo. I don't know about the others, but to me this was a daunting task due to the sheer number of things to shoot and the finite amount of time and resources. For myself I decided to try to capture the ever resurgent spirit of Ellum.
15 years ago when I was a frequent visitor, there really wasn't much in the way of empty buildings and the club scene was incredibly thick with lines out the door and every variety of music and subculture catered to.
10 years ago, things had really tapered off and many of the clubs that I'd walked past or had friends DJ at were no longer in existence, just empty fronts of buildings waiting for the next occupant.
5 years ago, the resurgence was small, mostly at the front of the district nearer to downtown. A few restaurants decided to stake out space and try to cater to the neighborhood. This was Deep Ellum starting to rise from the ashes on the back of a few enterprising people.
Now... there are more "family friendly" places in regards to food, the club scene is still building itself up on the bones of those that came before them. It's been a very interesting evolution to be a part of and to watch. It was a blast to be able to capture the nostalgia I have for certain areas and the increasing growth in others.
15 years ago when I was a frequent visitor, there really wasn't much in the way of empty buildings and the club scene was incredibly thick with lines out the door and every variety of music and subculture catered to.
10 years ago, things had really tapered off and many of the clubs that I'd walked past or had friends DJ at were no longer in existence, just empty fronts of buildings waiting for the next occupant.
5 years ago, the resurgence was small, mostly at the front of the district nearer to downtown. A few restaurants decided to stake out space and try to cater to the neighborhood. This was Deep Ellum starting to rise from the ashes on the back of a few enterprising people.
Now... there are more "family friendly" places in regards to food, the club scene is still building itself up on the bones of those that came before them. It's been a very interesting evolution to be a part of and to watch. It was a blast to be able to capture the nostalgia I have for certain areas and the increasing growth in others.