I NEED GRAFITTI!!! (Houston)

[Cajungaltx]

Okay guys - help out a suburban mom who drives around clueless looking for walls with spray paint on them.

I've got a dance crew that wants photos done... I know where a wall is (used to) but it requires us to get out of our cars on I10,and that's just not cool...

So - anyone know where a good graffiti wall is that I could use/access on a Sunday afternoon?

TIA!

[srwatters]

WELL BUY SOME SPRAY PAINT!!!

I think we have an expert here on the subject, don't we?

MarcoFromHouston?

http://www.texasphotoforum.com/forum...ad.php?t=59616

[kayumangi]

Hi Donna,

Check out

Art League Houston Front Gallery
located at

1953 Montrose Boulevard, (next to Texas Art Supply)


Also
Downtown near Crawford & Elgin - there is an auto parts building covered with fine graffiti. These make awesome backdrops, especially with shallow DoFs, for portraits, and the area is relatively nice (not a scary ward). And across the street is a park with beautiful large trees, including some with large horizontal branches near/on the ground that beg for posing on. (courtesy of Brian, checkout this thread http://www.texasphotoforum.com/forum...ad.php?t=87157 )

Lastly,

In the Channel View area there is abandoned strip mall checkout this link http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sour...=15&iwloc=addr

address is

136 Sheldon Rd
Channelview, TX 77530



Hope this helps

Marius

[Steelsun]

The autoparts bldg is your best bet. Safe neighborhood also.

[Cajungaltx]

Thanks ya'll - I'll check out that autoparts store - that sounds like a fabulous location.

[sldi]

Try looking at some parked railroad cars around town.. lots of them are "tagged" and they tend to make a gritty background themselves.

[pbyd]

Originally Posted by sldi

Try looking at some parked railroad cars around town.. lots of them are "tagged" and they tend to make a gritty background themselves.

Just don't get caught on RR property, the fine is $500.00.

[Cajungaltx]

Originally Posted by pbyd

Just don't get caught on RR property, the fine is $500.00.

You know Wayne - I recently mentioned this to a high school classmate...her sister is a photographer.... the 'building my business' kind.... her sister shared her site with me.... and I went to it and...

presto... top 40 songs... 3 or 4 of them... (uh - oh)....and a bunch of rail road track photos....

I gave her sister a heads up about the music AND the rail road tracks....and was told. A) she owned the commercial license... (ROFLMAO... seriously?) and B.) They knew the cops, so no worries...

Now... I'm from a small town in Louisiana, where they still live... and I agree...they 'do' know the cops... but my Pollyanna mentality was hoping that they'd realize it's not safe and yeah....so they won't get arrested..it's still breaking the law darn it.

*sigh*

[pbyd]

Originally Posted by Cajungaltx

You know Wayne - I recently mentioned this to a high school classmate...her sister is a photographer.... the 'building my business' kind.... her sister shared her site with me.... and I went to it and...

presto... top 40 songs... 3 or 4 of them... (uh - oh)....and a bunch of rail road track photos....

I gave her sister a heads up about the music AND the rail road tracks....and was told. A) she owned the commercial license... (ROFLMAO... seriously?) and B.) They knew the cops, so no worries...

Now... I'm from a small town in Louisiana, where they still live... and I agree...they 'do' know the cops... but my Pollyanna mentality was hoping that they'd realize it's not safe and yeah....so they won't get arrested..it's still breaking the law darn it.

*sigh*

The local police are not the problem; it is an inter-state federal law. People have been stopped in Texas and fined for being on Rail Road property. I am not the law, and there will always be people that feel they are above the law, so I can’t worry about it. Just my way of trying to help others with what I have learned over the years.
Wayne

[ito4u]

I was going to suggest, go to San Antonio, there is tons of graffiti and it looks really good.

[tresorph]

Donna, I-10 and Hwy 6; South side. Abandoned building - fence has been open and torn down for a while. Just park and walk right up situation. Private property I'm sure - so at your own risk kinda thing.

[pbyd]

After reading some of the things said here, it is no wonder that the city wants to charge for shooting. Private property means it belongs to someone else, how about asking for the rights to shoot. If someone treated your property the same you would say something. For less than most of you spend on gas and car expence you could rent a studio space.
Thanks for giving me the chance to blow of steam.
Wayne

[tresorph]

Wayne, while I fully appreciate your comment and believe in private property rights - This specific request was for a grafitti wall. You want to ask the property owner if you can shoot their defaced property? If anything, I am more than willing to bet that if the property owner does not have the means or interest in cleaning up this specific property I pointed Donna to. Whether it's an individual or big commercial property conglomerate that owns it, I don't know, but it has become an eye sore for the past two years that I have driven by it on a daily basis. I'm sure this owner has not made themselves available to the City of Houston either - so why would they make themselves available to a photographer requesting to enter their property for a one hour session. Now on the other location that was offered, the popular Auto Parts store grafitti wall - if you go on the weekend when the store is closed, and stand on the public street to shoot, it's okay to not ask permission? Or does that also aggravate the issue? Where you do think it's acceptable to shoot Wayne? I'm starting to think the real gripe is "on-location" photographers and not so much private property rights.

[pbyd]

Michaelle,
I really do not understand why you want to assume that I have anything against you or any other photographer. No I really do not have any problem with “Location Photographers” at all, if you ask around you will find that I have 3 to 4 photographers in my studio each week that I help. My studio has always been open to all photographers new or those that have been in business many years. I believe that the business of photography is a very rewarding livelihood, and there are more than enough clients to go around. What I was trying to say is because of people not respecting property rights it ends up hurting the “location photographers” the most and all of us use locations for some of our work.
Wayne

[porschelvr]

Originally Posted by tresorph

Wayne, while I fully appreciate your comment and believe in private property rights - This specific request was for a grafitti wall. You want to ask the property owner if you can shoot their defaced property? If anything, I am more than willing to bet that if the property owner does not have the means or interest in cleaning up this specific property I pointed Donna to. Whether it's an individual or big commercial property conglomerate that owns it, I don't know, but it has become an eye sore for the past two years that I have driven by it on a daily basis. I'm sure this owner has not made themselves available to the City of Houston either - so why would they make themselves available to a photographer requesting to enter their property for a one hour session. Now on the other location that was offered, the popular Auto Parts store grafitti wall - if you go on the weekend when the store is closed, and stand on the public street to shoot, it's okay to not ask permission? Or does that also aggravate the issue? Where you do think it's acceptable to shoot Wayne? I'm starting to think the real gripe is "on-location" photographers and not so much private property rights.

Boy that was an unfair assumption to make and a bit of a personal attack.

So what happens if the client trips over the fence while climbing in or steps on a nail? Private means private. Funny how breaking the law is only offensive to some when they are the victim.

BTW, I believe you will find that the location on Crawford has a public sidewalk for you to stand, no need to get on the private property.