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Welcome to PentaGRAFX.

Before you read this, please take a moment to read the previous blog entry. I’ll wait.

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This morning, as I was doing some copystand work (photographing old photos and memorabilia) for a video I’m producing, I was half-listening to the radio, just to cut the dead silence in the house while I worked.

The news came on and there was a story about a 19-year-old Jordanian, Hosam Maher Husein Smadi, who had been caught in an attempt to blow up an iconic Dallas skyscraper, Fountain Place. The FBI apparently caught him in a sting operation after watching him for several months and the “bomb” had been rendered harmless.

Fountain Place

First, I was furious that someone had made an attempt on a building here in Dallas. Then, I was relieved that the attempt was only that and that no one had been harmed.

Once my relief subsided, I became furious again. Why? Because, quite likely, I may not be able to photograph buildings in downtown Dallas or the Dallas skyline — one of my favorite subjects — for months. . . or even years because of this Muslim bastard. That’s right, I called him a Muslim bastard. The chances of the failed bomber being a Christian or Hindi or pagan or anything else is slim to none. And Slim’s outta town.

My experience with a Homeland Security wannabe the other day as I shot a 360° panorama of the Dallas skyline (in the rain, I might add) at Harwood and Woodall Rogers left a bitter taste in my mouth. It was my very first run-in with someone claiming I couldn’t photograph something from a public thoroughfare, which happens to be perfectly legal despite what some over-zealous fools would have photographers believe.

The likelihood of being left to pursue my photography in peace has suddenly diminished by several orders of magnitude. And I’m pissed. So, it looks like I won’t be shooting more photographs like these for a while — unless I want to be harassed by some big guy with a badge, a gun, and a nasty attitude. Who knows? I’ve taken bigger risks. Hell, I’ve beaten cancer! What are they going to do to me? Eat me?

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This past week, during the wettest ten days we’ve seen in Dallas in a very long time, I decided to do something a bit different. Actually, it’s not different, just more precise.

The Swiss Avenue Project has me shooting a lot of handheld panoramas. And while they work on a small scale — say, 3 to 5 photos stitched together into a single photo — shooting a 360° panorama requires more precision. (I’ll spare you further technical details.)

Here’s a 5-image panorama from The Swiss Avenue Project. Not bad if I do say so, myself. But try holding the camera steady and rotating around an invisible point inside the lens in a complete circle. Not easy, my friend. This is where special equipment comes in handy.

A quick trip to a rental house and I was in business. Or so I thought. In spite of the rain, I was determined to make some dramatic photos that were different from the run of the mill — full of detail and epic in scope.

My first thought was to photograph downtown from the end of Swiss Avenue, as a capper to the project. There’s a sweet spot beneath Central Expressway where it runs just on the east side of downtown Dallas. If you stand in the right place, you can see the end of Swiss Avenue and get a good view of the city skyline. Unless you’re homeless or on the lam, you may never see this view. I’ve done the work for you so you can enjoy it. What you see here doesn’t truly do it justice, however; the original is about 190 inches long and 24 inches high. 24 separate images. Epic.

Next, I thought I’d take in the view from Woodall Rogers. Finding a parking spot, I hiked over to the overpass on Harwood, overlooking traffic on the freeway. It was spitting rain, just enough to make things more difficult than normal, slowing me down so I had to struggle to keep the lens dry. I finished, shouldered my gear, and hiked back to the car. As I got to the car and stowed my equipment, I was approached by a big, burly dude in a suit. He had a badge and he wanted to know what the hell I was doing. So, I told him.

Evidently, photographing city skylines with big-ass equipment that nobody would ever not notice is suspicious. Besides, there was a ground-breaking (or is that mud-slinging?) ceremony nearby in the Arts District with the mayor and a bunch of VIPs in attendance. Can’t be too careful; y’know?

I’m beginning to believe we have truly lost our minds.

More panos soon.

Back to the top

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Since January, we’ve been deeply involved in The Swiss Avenue Project, a photographic documentary of Swiss Avenue from La Vista to the edge of downtown Dallas during the course of 2009.

Since DART’s new Green Line light rail intersects Swiss Avenue on Good-Latimer, we decided it would make an interesting piece of news — and history — for the project.

The most striking thing about the Deep Ellum Station is the 38-foot tall, stainless steel sculpture called Traveling Man. We predict he’ll become Dallas’s newest tourist attraction, particularly if DART develops the property adjacent to it with some sort of retail that makes it a destination rather than merely a train stop. Presently, there is nothing else at the location to draw visitors, although the magnificent Latino Cultural Center is a block’s walk away and the ever-fading Deep Ellum is about the same distance in the opposite direction.

But what’s lacking is an entry point. My background is in graphic design and marketing communications. In any piece one produces to target and communicate with a market, there needs to be a place on the page that says, “This is where you start.”

In the weeks since Traveling Man was unveiled, I’ve watched many dozens of people approach the sculpture, taking photographs of it and each other, interacting with it. In psychological terms, I believe it’s called anthropomorphization — imposing human-like qualities on a non-human object or entity. The downside is that once they’ve finished admiring the sculpture, they’re done. Pleh-pleh-pleh-pleh-pleh…. Okay, what’s next?

What’s needed is a small retail area that can serve as that entry point, give visitors (DART train riders) a reason to go there. It’s not only a starting point…it’s a place to end a visit to Deep Ellum Station, as well. Here are a few ideas:

• A specialty coffee shop — locally owned (no Starbucks allowed)
• A gift shop
• A travel related shop
• A small grocer/restaurant (a la Jimmy’s on Bryan at Fitzhugh)
• An art gallery

These are just a few of the kinds of places that could work in this location. Can you think of others?

I’m told by a well-placed employee of DART that much, if not all, of the property around Deep Ellum Station is owned by DART and that high-rise buildings could be built in the area. While that’s not something I would endorse because of the proximity to much smaller buldings on that end of Swiss, it does make developing the area around Deep Ellum Station a wide-open field full of possibilities.

Let’s see what the future holds. In the meantime, visit The Swiss Avenue Project to see images from the new DART station as well as hundreds of images from life on Swiss Avenue during 2009.

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If you follow us here or on any of our other blogs, you may be aware of The Swiss Avenue Project, a year-long photographic documentary project that shows life on Swiss Avenue during 2009 — all the homes, businesses, people, and events.

The most recent event was the Swiss Avenue Mother’s Day Tour of Homes & Art Fair. We spent the day Read More...