Houston Ship Channel

[Urban Crawler]

Does anyone know where I can go on the Houston ship channel and not get into trouble for taking pictures?

I would really like to go someplace to get early morning pictures of workers loading/unloading freight but I don't know where I could go and still be within my legal rights to take pictures.

Any help is appreciated, thanks for reading.

[ScottBH]

Do you know where in the ship channel? My husband works down there in the Sea Brook area.

[Urban Crawler]

I really just think it's an interesting, urban environment. Ideally I would like to get pictures of workers loading and unloading freight or cargo, but the opportunity to take pictures there (anywhere) would be awesomeness regardless.

[pbyd]

Originally Posted by Urban Crawler

I really just think it's an interesting, urban environment. Ideally I would like to get pictures of workers loading and unloading freight or cargo, but the opportunity to take pictures there (anywhere) would be awesomeness regardless.

I think after 9/11 your chances of that kind of photography without the feds picking you up seem slim. I have a friend that works at the ship channel and she must jump through loops to get to work each day.
Wayne
Photography by Design

[Urban Crawler]

Originally Posted by pbyd

I think after 9/11 your chances of that kind of photography without the feds picking you up seem slim. I have a friend that works at the ship channel and she must jump through loops to get to work each day.
Wayne
Photography by Design

That's unfortunate. Well I definitely don't want to stir up any trouble, so thanks for the advice.

I'll still keeps my eyes open though for any opportunities that may come up

[Steelsun]

Yep, access to all Port and related property now requires the TWIC card, basically an enhanced biometric/rfid card that you need to take an extensive background check to get.

Thus any place you would be close enough to shoot good pictures of loading/unloading would require that card, plus the consent of the operators.

Other places that you could access publicly would pretty much require the use of a long telephoto to even attempt such shots. And that is almost sure to invite someone to check you out.

The Port even has a free tour boat to view operations close up, but they ban all camera use on the boat.

All that being said, I've had some good shots taken using telephoto and normal range lenses at the park where Battleship Texas is. There's a nice embankment abutting the ship channel where people fish/site-see/etc

Also there's a cemetery at the NE end of Center street just a few miles south on 225 from loop 610. Follow the signs for the historic marker for a bridge (I think it's Vince's bridge - it's where Santa Anna tried to escape). The cemetery has some views of the channel near a highly industrial area. The road is a dead end with little use, so you won't get much traffic to interfere with you. Also the cemetery is pretty neat.

[lfmerrell]

Many years ago there was a public access observation deck or elevated walkway.
Has that been closed off?

[Z_Malloc]

As others have said, most stuff where unloading would occur is located on the actual wharves and visibility of them is tough because the ships block the view from the west, the buildings and large Port property block the views from the east, south, and north. However, there are some other options.....

At the southern end of the Washburn tunnel there is a small park actually on top of the tunnel.....on Google its labelled "Santa Anna Capture Site". Coming up from the south there is a small road that goes between a guard shack for the tunnel to the north and a large petrochemical plant on the east. Take it (no permission necessary) and it drives a couple hundred yards to the ship channel, over the tunnel and there is a little park sandwiched in there. It's on a nice grass hill and you can do whatever you want there.....big ships go by all the time. Some even park right at the Petrochem plant there and unload, but I bet thats a timing thing.

See it.

Another place is off of Brady's Landing a large restaurant on the ship channel. They are usually only open in the evening anyway so that spot would probably work, especially if you stayed to the west of the business since its a large spit of land out there. Here you probably won't get any unloading pictures, but you will get transit pictures.

See it!

Hope that helps!

[Urban Crawler]

Z_Malloc thanks so much, that's exactly the kid of info I was looking for. A friend and I are going to the Battleship Texas in a week or so, I'll be sure to scout out those locations as well.