When Jim Parsons and the folks at Houstonist.com came up with the idea for a photo exhibition on Houston, they werenยt expecting an international response. ย600 sq mi: Photos from Houstonย was originally meant to showcase local talent. ยThere were two goals. One was to show some excellent images of Houston that we knew existed that may not get the recognition that they should get,ย Parsons says. ยAnd two was to highlight the work of some of [our] photographers.ย Later on, Parsons decided to open the event up to readers as well. ยI kind of thought it would be all Houstonians, but we had entries from across the U.S. and even in Paris ย France, not Texas,ย Parsons says.
The exhibit includes 60 photographs that have been taken in or around the Houston area. ยWe were looking for not just skyline shots and shots of the Water Wall,ย says Parsons, ยbut for pictures of people and the details that really make us love Houston.ย The show includes images from downtown such as Tracy Manfordยs Looking Up, in which she does just that inside the Jean DuBuffet sculpture Monument au Fantรดme on Louisiana Street. The sculptureยs squiggly appendages appear to be reaching up to the buildings that tower over them. Also on Louisiana, Todd Hanzelka snapped a shot of the sunset creating a cool shadow that seems to be closing in on a passerby. And Jackson Myers captured the tranquility of the shaded streets in Rice Village with Live Oaks HDR. See these and other reasons Houston isnยt all heat and construction at ย600 sq mi.ย
Sept. 8-Oct. 7, 2007
This article appears in Sep 6-12, 2007.