Snapshot of downtown Fort Worth’s mix of new and old wins photo contest
October 15,2023
See full Fort Worth Report article by Matthew Sgroi here.
Driving her car up the ramps of a downtown Fort Worth parking garage, Fort Worth resident Fallon Michael was on the lookout for the building’s security patrol..
After getting to the top, parking her car and grabbing her Canon EOS 6D, she scanned the garage one more time. The coast was clear — for now.
On a cloudy day in Fort Worth, Michael didn’t have much time to get the perfect shot of Sundance Square and downtown Fort Worth. The garage doesn’t allow photography without a permit, and she’s been caught before.
Still, the hurried shot won the Fort Worth Report’s September photo contest, themed “Favorite Places.”
Michael called the composition in the image her “favorite view of the city.”
“I feel like it captures the variety of older and modern structures,” Michael, a professional photographer, said. “I think a lot of skylines have only their modern buildings these days.”
The parking garage at the intersection of Commerce and Second streets sits next to Sundance Square, where modern skyscrapers and historic structures blend to create the Fort Worth skyline.
She parks in the garage each time she visits the area, which is often since she moved to Fort Worth in 2017.
She was born and raised in Austin, but Fort Worth is now home, she said.
“And I don’t plan on leaving anytime soon, that’s for sure,” Michael said.
Her photography business has gotten more profitable, as she no longer has to travel miles and miles for wedding shoots like she did in Austin.
“I love Fort Worth. I love staying here, exploring,” she said. “I have a passion for digging into the history of a city, and so I absolutely love meeting local business owners. I just found such an amazing community here in Fort Worth.”
Part of that community involves her husband, Joshua Michael, and her 5-month-old daughter, Arabella.
“She’s perfect,” Michael said. “She sleeps through the night, she’s happy 24/7, it’s just been a blessing.”
Michael is back at work after taking eight weeks of maternity leave, but she cherishes the rare occasions when she’s able to take Arabella to work with her.
Soon, when Arabella is a little older, Michael will drive her up the ramps of the downtown parking garage, tell her to keep an eye out for security on the prowl for photographers and show her daughter her favorite view of the city.
October Photo Contest
- The Fort Worth Report in October is looking for your best costume. Spooky, cute, or funny – show them off here! To submit your photos, go here. And don’t forget to come back and vote for your favorite photo by clicking the like button. This month’s winner will receive four tickets from the Fort Worth Opera to their performance of “La Médium.” The entry deadline is Oct 15.
Matthew Sgroi is a reporting fellow for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at matthew.sgroi@fortworthreport.org. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.