Nature photography in Dallas TX

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Hello,

Does anybody know of some good nature locations in and around the

Dallas/Fort Worth area. I need to take some landscapes and nature

pics.....

Thanks in advance for any responses and suggestions.

Naveen

[keith_van_hulle1]

In Dallas? Ouch. The Arboretum comes to mind as one of the few places. But you're not going to get the sweeping landscapes you might think. Having spent several years there, you're really gonna have to work at it. I never considered the place that photogenic from a larger standpoint except for the overdone skyline-against-the-sunset-from-south-of-the-city. Yes, there are things to shoot but landscapes may present issues. Maybe the water gardens in downtown Ft. Worth (foregound in the move Logan's Run at the end).

 

And what do you mean by nature in this context? Animals, insects, flowers, etc? You might be interested in Fossil Rim south of the city (about an hour or so). One of those places where you can drive through the park with lots of animals roaming around. Pretty cool in a minivan with a sliding side door. But it'll still be obvious you're in Texas from the backgrounds. I won't even suggest the zoos. Some people like 'em but I'm not impressed. If you have to, choose Ft. Worth's and not the Dallas one.

 

I always thought it might be worth the drive to go up to the OK border and shoot at the Red River but never had a chance. You could also try the areas around the Corps of Engineer man-made lakes but it's difficult to frame much w/o hand of man intruding. All the cool stuff is south and west of Dallas (hill country, wildflowers, Big Bend, Lost Pines, and such).

[kevin_jenkins]

Try the Fort Worth Nature Preserve off of Jacksboro Hwy. in Azle. The good stuff is on the island, and you'll have to walk/hike a little way. Or the state park in Glen Rose or others nearby.

 

As far as Dallas goes, there's not too much there to take.

[stephen hazelton]

There are "nature" locations all around if you think small (start with your backyard if you live around here). What exactly are you looking for?

 

For flowers, the Arboretum is the place. A friend tells me the Fort Worth Arboretum is actually better, but I haven't been there. At the Dallas Arboretum, different parts are in bloom at different times of the year, so you have to go quite a few times to really see it all. It isn't exactly "natural" but is photogenic.

 

I've walked quite a bit at the North Shore Trail at Lake Grapevine and at the Rowlett Creek Preserve. Both will get you into a bunch of "nature" (meaning trees and weeds). But, there's not a whole lot that's real photogenic unless you just happen to catch wildflowers in bloom. There are a number of lakes and trails scattered around, all with similar conditions. You can go out to Samuels Farms and see a lot of grass.

 

You can take lots of landscapes around here, just don't expect them to be "nature" landscapes. Once again, the Arboretum is a good place to start. Check out the Grassy Knoll (tourists being the main subjects of interest!). Try Old City Park in Dallas. Stroll around Fair Park when the fair isn't there.

[flickr url]

Thanks a lot for all the responses - for some reason, I did not receive any mails when the responses were posted - I had the 'Notify me...' turned on...

Kevin, I need to pay more attention to Fort Worth it seems - it may have more photogenic 'nature' than Dallas.

-Naveen

[srini]

The only places I found interesting for landscapes are a little far away e.g. beavers bend park north of Dallas (and more places in Arkansas); Wichita wildlife refuge in OK etc. However around april, there are lot of wildflower locations in and around Dallas that are great (e.g. ennis). Some beaches on Lake Texoma and Ray Roberts (with cliffs and buffs) are quite good, but it is hard to frame wide angle photos in most cases.