Downtown Plano

Local Recognition!September 9th, 2022

Good morning everyone! I bet by now you thought I’d forgotten about this. Please accept my apologies, but two things occurred rather simultaneously. The first interrupted my selection of the winners, and the second made me forget I hadn’t completed the announcements. Rather than get into those, let’s just get to the winners!

For the top 3 winners, in order of their placement, they will choose from A Domke Messenger Style Camera Bag ($110), an Altura Sling Bag($40), and a Lume Cube ($90). In addition, to those winners, I’ve decided to give out three more prizes, and those winners will receive the playing cards with the photo tips I mentioned at the meetup. Any of the top 3 could also choose to opt for playing cards instead of the earlier prizes mentioned.

1st Place goes to Steve for his image Reflections of The Past
2nd Place goes to Cesar for his motorcycle image
3rd place goes to Melanie for her Shinola Clock

Congratulations!!

The three additional winners are Retha, Stefano, and Beth; congratulations to all of you as well!

When you receive this, reach out to me, and we’ll figure out a way to get your prize to you, maybe even do another meet-up in a different location to distribute the prizes.

Thanks again for coming out!!

We Have A Winner!August 29th, 2022

Congratulations to Beth Kochur for winning the contest to be entered into the World Wide Photowalk contest. Her image from the interior of the Courtyard Theatre, with its dramatic lighting and abstract shadow patterns, helped it carry the day. Thank you all for submitting some great images for consideration. This evening I will announce the local contest winners and prizes. Stay tuned!!

4 More Days!August 22nd, 2022

Happy Monday, everyone! Just a reminder to submit your images for the contest. The deadline is this Friday at which point I’ll make my decision on the winner which will go into the Worldwide Contest. I’ll announce my Local Winners on Monday. My only concern is that I may not be able to comment/update here after Friday. If you want to be considered for the Local Contest and haven’t done so already, please either request to join the FB Group or send me an e-mail at david@daviddowns.com with your images.

Have a great week!

Photo SubmissionsAugust 15th, 2022

Happy Monday, Everyone! I’m seeing some really cool shots coming from you.

There have been some questions regarding how to submit your image for the Kelby Contest. If you log in to the home page now, there should be a tab for Walker Submissions under the map. Please use that link as it’s the only way for me to select and submit the winner to Kelby. There was a delay in making it available, so some of you probably didn’t see it if you looked Saturday night or Sunday morning. You have until August 26th to submit your favorite image.

Some of you have added images to the FB group for my local contest, and others have e-mailed them to me. Either way is okay, but I’d love to get most of them on the FB group page for all to enjoy. I will be making my winner selections on August 28th.

I’m also hosting a live Zoom Session on the 28th at 4:00 to show some LightRoom Editing techniques for those interested. If you would like to attend/participate, please go to BentonDowns.com, and at the very bottom, click on the Contact Us link, fill in the info, and ask to be invited.

Have a GREAT week!

Success!August 14th, 2022

Good afternoon everyone! I hope you all made it home safe and sound and enjoyed the experience. I walked away with a few images I’m very happy with, and hope you did too! Several of you have already posted images online. Don’t forget to follow the process for submitting your images for the Kelby Contest. Log in to your Walk page and click on the Contest Link for instructions. Also, if you’d still like to join the FB Group, please click on the link provided in yesterday’s update. In a couple of weeks, I’ll announce the winners for our group. I hope I get a chance to see you again someday! Keep shooting!

2 Hours Out!August 13th, 2022

Good afternoon everyone, I’m looking forward to meeting you in a couple of hours! It’s going to be a hot evening so make sure you are prepared. I’ll have some water for anyone who didn’t bring any. When you get to the porch of the Art Centre, if I am not there, walk toward the park as I might grab a shady spot for us to meet.

If you haven’t joined the Private Facebook Group yet, please visit this link https://www.facebook.com/groups/443813204334716 and ask to join. We can share multiple images there, and I can give feedback to those interested. I will also have a prize giveaway for those who wish to participate and submit images there. If you’re on Instagram, you can also participate by tagging me, #pixeldave, on any images you post from the walk this evening.

Speaking of Giveaways, the Official Contest is now open for submissions from the walk. Each of you should submit to me the 1 image from this evening’s walk you wish for me to consider for the Kelby contest. I’ll pick the best and submit it to the Official Contest. With a small number of walks this year (~400), the odds are better than they’ve ever been for winning something.

See you all SOON!

72 Hours Out!August 10th, 2022

Good afternoon everyone! We are just over 72 hours from our meet-up in downtown Plano. As stated in the general info section of the walk, we will be meeting on the “back porch” of the Art Centre of Plano. I recommend parking on the west side of the house in those spaces or just across from them outside the Cox Building and Courtyard Theatre. If those spots are full, the next best option would be behind the Courtyard Theatre, where there is a large parking lot.

I plan on bringing some single-sheet maps that indicate locations for consideration but also encourage you to wander and capture the images YOU want. As I mentioned, I will also have my gear with me and will be shooting but want to try and assist those who need it.

I’ve set up a FB group and encourage you to reach out to me so I can invite you to the group. I’ll share more information in that group and run a contest for those who submit images. It is a private group for those with concerns related to privacy. There is also a contest for those who wish to submit to KelbyOne.

Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions!

One Week Away!August 6th, 2022

Good afternoon, walkers!

We are one week out from our walk in Downtown Plano, and I’m looking forward to it! I’d hoped we might get lucky and catch a cool front, but unfortunately, it doesn’t appear to be the case. I will have a cooler full of cold water for anyone who needs some.

It also appears that we will have clear skies, so until the sun gets low enough, it will be bright and contrasty. For images in that environment, consider smaller scenes in the shade or think in terms of Black & White images. Once the sun gets low enough, we can start thinking in terms of silhouettes, and as the street and landscape lights come on, pools of light with colorful horizons. As it gets darker still, consider trying to capture light trails from passing cars and the motion of people moving about the Plaza listening to The Capital: Downtown Sessions during their performance.

As far as lenses go, you can use everything from an ultrawide angle to a telephone, depending on what you’d like to capture. I don’t think there will be a need for anything longer than 200mm, and likely, you will find a lot of your images between 14mm and 120mm. When you consider street/urban photography, most of it is fairly close-up encounters with a wide view. Bring your tripod if you have one because you will use it during the golden hour through dark. Just be aware of where you’re setting up, as pedestrians get irritated when their path is blocked.

I’d like to set up a FB group to share samples before and after the walk. If you’d like to participate, please send me a FB friend request, and I’ll add you. I feel it’s an easier way to share information and stay in touch.

See you all Saturday!

David
#pixeldave