Houstonist and Houston Photobloggers recently held our first joint photo contest to find out what everyone loves about Houston. We had a lot of great entries and want to thank everyone who shared their photos and stories with us.
Below are the winning photos and the accompanying explanations from the photographers, followed by info about the people who took these shots. Next week, we'll include some other great shots that earned an honorable mention.
Untitled by Phototainable
What I love about Houston, well it’s certainly not the traffic, it’s not the concrete and for the most part it is not the weather. However, in addition to being the oil capital of the western world, Houston is a recognized arts centre across a variety of disciplines, and believe it or not, this picture speaks to this. The picture was taken in the grounds of the Menil Collection. While the art inside the building does attract me, it is actually the outside of the building and the grounds that surround it that I love. To me this is a wonderful public space to pass the time, read a book, take a stroll or above all else cruise around on your bike (and of course with a camera on your back). There is always a relaxed atmosphere which genuinely allows me to forget about the hustle and bustle of Houston.
When I took this picture it was, in fact, the first time I had visited the Menil. I had obviously come prepared, but I had no expectations as whether I would take a picture or two. But the moment I arrived I felt inspired by the architecture of the building, its angles, the shadows it casts, the richness of the grass, the trees and the way people were interacting with the building. When I saw the sidewalk running parallel to the building and lawn, it just seemed like a perfect spot to explore the idea of motion and fun. The pink cruiser, the legs flying wide off the pedals, simply reflect the relaxation and enjoyment that this space promotes.
I can speak honestly and say that every time that I have returned to the Menil, I have felt passionate about taking pictures of family or strangers alike interacting with this wonderful public space. So what do I love about Houston? I love the Menil Collection. It is a wonderful public space hidden away from the chaos of America’s fourth largest city. It’s free and it inspires me!
More after the jump ...
"The Machines Rest at Night" by Ian Rees
A city is a device for human interaction, and the mechanism is the street. Houston and its contemporaries are defined by the automobile; our grand avenues are the three-ring, thousand-lane freeways. Like our approach to nature, our approach to transportation is pragmatic and unsentimental. We build for efficiency, effectiveness, and minimal cost. Any aesthetic considerations beyond that of simple engineering elegance are secondary; but elegant we are. Houston's freeway system is one of the most effective in the nation. Three rings, with spokes; a model of interconnected, redundant failover, with lane-miles to spare. In certain circles, Houston's system is admired for simplicity and beauty; we have some of the finest 5-level interchanges in the world.
"What I Love About Houston" by Chris Wardwell
I like the 8 days of fall and the 13 & 1/2 days of spring (on the good years).
I like the four days that it has snowed since I was born here in 1966.
I like the small independent places holding off the onslaught of fast-food and chain stores.
I like barbecue houses guarded by giant armadillos with mirrors for armor.
I like the music of Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys wafting through the air when I'm wiping away the sweet brown sauce that spilled onto my bearded chin.
About the photographers
Name - Phototainable
Personal Info - I am not a native Houstonian, or a native American. I'm from across
the Big Pond in England and just find myself lucky enough to be
transient in Houston right now.
Photographic info - First got into photography in my teens borrowing family Olympus cameras. Finally received my first proper camera, a second hand Olympus OM2, at 18 and used and abused it on a number of scientific based travels across the globe (ending up with endless boxes of slides). Somehow, I lost my way and didn't return to photography until about three years ago when I bought a Canon Rebel XT and a new Mac Powerbook G4, and with that I entered the world of digital photography. Ever since that time I have found it difficult to put the camera down. I recently upgraded to a Canon 30D!
Name - Ian Rees
Personal Info - Occupation: Graduate Student (Ph.D., 2nd year) in Structural and Computational Biology and Molecular Biophysics (SCBMB) at Baylor College of Medicine
Interests: Structural biology and programming, Classic 35mm cameras (Leica M, Nikon F & S, etc), and modern rangefinders (Zeiss Ikon, Bessa, Xpan, Epson R-D1, etc.) Camera design and haptics. Architecture, urban planning, transit issues. Foreign films.
Photographic Info - Nikon D70 Ancient, bargain-bin off-brand 80-200mm f/4.0 manual zoom @ 80mm. f/8, 2.5s, ISO400
Name - Chris Wardwell
Personal Info - I'm a native Houstonian
I'm a teacher at St. Thomas High School.
Married to Christine; we have one son, Jacob.
I'm a musician as well, and have played guitar in bands around Houston over the past 15 or so years but have not played around much since becoming a dad. For a number of those years I was in the band Screaming Waheenees (with fellow Houston Photoblogger Chris Loudermilk aka "cpl").
Photographic Info - The picture was taken just outside of Goode Company's Armadillo Palace on Kirby Dr. I used a Kiev 4 with Fuji Reala film.
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