The Austin graffiti wall
Do you ever shoot graffiti? It can so beautiful!
Do you shoot graffiti? It's something that I do love to shoot, and I find that some of these graffiti artists are INCREDIBLY talented. I'm a fan of Banksy, for example, and have seen and shot a couple of his pieces. It's awesome.
Of course I don't want someone to spray paint my house, and I agree it can be a nuisance if it is randomly done somewhere it shouldn't be. But like I said, it can be interesting, beautiful, and even educational.
I am not sure of the history, but this spot in Austin is an open zone for graffiti artists, and as far as I can tell, has been for some time. I think that's a great idea, as it can encourage them to express themselves through their chosen art form, without the collateral damage of defacing someone else's property.
Anyways, I need to get back there because it's different every time I go. Last time I was there I grabbed this wide angle view of the wall. Usually I zoom in on particular pieces, but wanted to show the size of the place and if you enlarge the photo (just click on it) you can see some of the interesting bits of work here.
Leake Street graffiti
There is some awesome graffiti in London!
There's a lot to see in London - but I bet you already knew that. :-) There's Big Ben and Parliament (Look kids!), St. Paul's Cathedral, the London Eye, all sorts of museums (the Natural History Museum being my favorite) and there's the graffiti tunnel at Leake Street. (That's not a comprehensive list, by the way.)
What? You didn't know about the graffiti tunnel there? Well, you are missing out! Obviously you have to have some interest in graffiti, otherwise this will totally bore you. But if you do have some, then be sure and check this place out - it's awesome.
It's also just a 5 minute walk from the London Eye, so it's easy to visit when you are there, because we both already know that you will find yourself at, on or underneath the London Eye at some point in your trip, right?
It's ever-changing so I try and visit whenever I am there, although I admit I don't always succeed at that. But each time I go, it looks totally different. So this is one of the places you actually can shoot every time and know it will vary! Have fun!
More graffiti from Austin
Just a quick post from the Austin Graffiti Wall - such a cool and interesting place to take a camera! It's great that the city has a place like this for urban artists to explore their creativity. I know some folks don't like graffiti and consider it an eyesore, but I really think it is art, especially when it is done well.
You can find this on my list of Top Photo Spots in Austin, which is here:
At the Austin Graffiti Wall
I am a fan of graffiti. There, I said it. I know lots of folks don’t like it and consider it ugly or a nuisance (or both) - and in some cases it is. But many times, I find that it is beautiful. I have seen some incredible stuff in my travels, and these folks are true artists.
There is an awesome spot here in Austin which is a graffiti wall - it’s open for graffiti artists to go crazy on, which I consider a great idea. It gives them a place to artistically express themselves, without defacing someone else’s property (which is most people’s issue with graffiti, I assume).
I was there recently and fired away for a bit, taking home a LOT of photos. So, here’s the first one - pretty cool huh?
Back in the alleys
Howdy folks - thanks for stopping by today! I took the last few days off from the blog due to the Thanksgiving Holiday here in the US - which I enjoyed immensely. I also took a few pics which will find their way here pretty soon.
Today's post is from another back alley in Bratislava, Slovakia. I took a lot of shots like this while I was in Bratislava, but I find doors interesting in the first place, and when you surround them with graffiti and smash 'em up a bit, I just can't resist! And for the record, I found Bratislava to be a very beautiful city, so I guess I better show some of that next time I post about this place!
Morning on the rails
Ok, a little break from my Ireland/Scotland shots, just to mix it up a bit. I'll have more from that trip that I will post next week. This one comes from a little closer to home. In fact, it was real close to home since I took it in downtown Austin a while back. This is a fun spot to shoot, since you have the train tracks and the decaying building with graffiti all over it. It's like a perfect combo of all the cool stuff!!
Off the beaten path in London
I have posted some shots from this spot in London before (which I took last year while there for a few days). It is the Leake Street graffiti tunnel, and I still have a lot to share. Stuff like this just makes for a more interesting visit, in my opinion. I hope you enjoy seeing these types of shots!
One reason I am posting a London shot is that I am posting this from London. I have been in the UK all week (though not here), and flew into London last night, and now off to the airport to catch a flight home. Sadly, no time in London to shoot with my friends here, as it was just a quick stopover on the way home. I did though have some time to shoot in Dublin, Ireland and outside of Glasgow, Scotland this week, and have lots of new stuff to share with you all! I haven't been online much this week, so I just want to thank those of you who did pop by and leave comments, etc - I really appreciate it very much!
The grimy side of London
Grime is good! (and so is graffiti)
There is just so much to see and shoot in London - one can never get it all done! But keep trying because it sure is fun! For example, here is a secret little spot that you might not find if it weren't for a little help. I got my help from two friends who live in London - Mike Murphy and John Esslinger. In addition to being great photographers, they are genuinely nice guys and excellent tour guides for photo spots and pubs :). We were doing the photowalk thing and had finished up shooting Big Ben at sunset (which was awesome, BTW), when they asked me if I was interested in a little graffiti. Um...heck ya! This is only about a 5 minute walk from the London Eye but is sorta tucked away. Without their help I would not have known about it. This entire tunnel is graffiti'd from one end to the other - a HDR heaven in London!
I also compiled a list of what I consider the Top Photo Spots in London, which you can read here. Also check out Mike's and John's shots as they have plenty from this wonderful city by the Thames!
Thanks for stopping by today!
Native graffiti
I love graffiti, or "street art" as it is sometimes referred to. I find it interesting and sometimes inspirational. Plus, it can be fun. Obviously I wouldn't want someone splashing paint across a building that I owned, unless I requested it, so I can understand the point of those who think it is a bad thing. But, since I don't own any buildings, I will keep photographing cool spots that I find. This one was in Santa Fe, NM. We were parking the car along Canyon Road, heading to all the galleries, and found this. I just couldn't resist. What do you think it represents? Seems like a message about Native Americans trying to break free of their constraints.
Sadly, on the left side it appears someone has defaced this otherwise beautiful art. That's the thing with this sort of work - impermanence is a given. Another good reason to take the shot when it presents itself to you!
Glasgow graffiti
As you have heard here before, I enjoy taking shots of graffiti and street art. It's usually pretty interesting, and really creative too. Some of these folks have some real talent! I found this piece of work in Glasgow, Scotland while I was wandering there. It is grungy and colorful, so it caught my eye! I had been shooting along the River Clyde, which runs through town, and was making my way back to the hotel. I cut through a side street, and BAM! I'm glad I did.
Eyes on you
This is some wild graffiti I found while wandering in the Deep Ellum district of Dallas. For anyone who hasn't been there - well, bring your camera. I spent a couple of hours wandering down there, and I have a ton of cool, weird and random graffiti shots to share - stuff like this. So, more to come! Thanks for stopping by and I really appreciate the visit!
I have a bridge in London
I love bridges - they are just great photographic subjects. I usually try to shoot from under them or at least get most of the bridge in the shot but I couldn't do that this time. I was finishing up a photo walk in London with Mike Murphy and John Esslinger, and we were headed to grab an ale after several hours of very productive shooting. As we were crossing the bridge, I saw this train bridge next to us, and the graffiti on it caught my eye. I enjoy taking shots of graffiti, and in this case since it had my name on it I just had to fire off some brackets!
Handbills at the market
When we were in Seattle a little while back, we found ourselves walking up to the Pike Place Market via some back streets and alleys. Normally that isn't recommended per se, but with a camera it is always an adventure. Lucky for me, we came across some interesting stuff, like a wall of gum (more on that in another future post) and this wall which was totally covered in handbills and some graffiti. In the old days (that is, prior to being a photographer) I would pass this by without much attention, and possibly consider it ugly and defacing. These days however, I consider it something worth closer inspection and I actually find it rather compelling (I will stop slightly short of calling it beautiful, but I think it has some beauty about it). Isn't it interesting how things change when you look at life through the lens?
I heart Charlie
Not much to share here - just an interesting bit of public art I encountered while wandering around Carmel, CA one morning. I actually walked past this, because the wall it is on was sorta tucked out of view, but thankfully was looking around a bit and it caught my eye. I guess that's a lesson I try to remember - always keep looking, because interesting stuff to shoot is literally EVERYWHERE. Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!
London graffiti
When I was in London last week, I met up with Mike Murphy and John Esslinger for a wonderful photo walk. We spent several hours hitting some great sites, and of course they showed me things I would never have known about otherwise. This is one of them. Just a short walk from the London Eye there is this little tunnel and as you can see the walls are covered in graffiti. It was awesome! We spent a while in there, and I grabbed a million shots. It wasn't quite an urbex experience, though it certainly had that flavor to it. More to come from this spot!