Stories
Nov 11, 2014
Downtown Arlington Shops Offer Visual Appeal
By Kayla Stigall (Guest Blogger)
As a photographer, I’m always looking for things that have visual appeal. I'm keeping in mind the technical side: equipment, lighting, composition. But technical quality isn't enough to create a lasting image. Something in the image needs to evoke motion and make a lasting impact. Downtown Arlington encompasses modern, vintage and country looks all within the same area. The area has many different places that make it ideal for photographing.
Tiny details
The shops are varied, like Collected Treasures. It has a lot of unique and appealing objects. There are vintage knickknacks, fashions and furniture. Its out-of-the-ordinary objects make for good photos. Every handmade sign and little frill adds to the charm and visual appeal of this store, making it a great place to get detailed photographs.
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Photo by Kayla Stigall[/caption]
Contextual environment
Photos encompassing a sense of time and place draw people in. Babe's Chicken Dinner House, with its old-time barber shops and chairs that remind you of eating at grandma’s house, has a look that's hard to forget. Its throwback atmosphere brings in customers hungry for nostalgia. Photos taken in and around this locale tell a story of a different time and gives the viewer an environment to get lost in.
Leading lines
The geometry of an environment can be used to create beautiful photos. Leading lines are a tool in photographic composition. They're lines in photos that guide the viewer’s eyes through the scene. Mellow Mushroom is decorated in psychedelic art and neon lighting that is attractive to the eye. The wavy shapes and figures are colorful eye-candy for photos taken.
Arlington's downtown is a hodgepodge of styles that can help create appealing photos, ones that last. That feeling of small-town Texas meshes with the 21st century for a place modern and timeless, old and new.
About the blogger: Journalism major and photographer for The Shorthorn at UTA, Kayla Stigall provides photography tips on her blog at 60-mm.tumblr.com, giving viewers behind-the-scenes advice on what it takes to be a multimedia journalist.