Wide Angle Wichita Falls

The holidays were a busy time for us. There was site seeing to do, work was brisk with holiday parties to illuminate, and then there was the holidays themselves. We traveled to Wichita Falls to spend Christmas with my in-laws. I used to joke that there were more people in Williamsburg, Brooklyn than Wichita Falls. There are a little over 100,000 people that live in the Falls, and I've always been drawn by its architecture from the teens through the thirties. 

Wichita Theatre
Canon 60D, Tokina Pro DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/160sec, 160ISO, 11mm

I had grand ideas when I was packing my bags. I packed my camera, a couple of lenses, filters, my remote trigger, the bendable Joby GorillaPod tripod and the MeFoTo Tripod. However, my 3 year old daughter caught something and was sick a couple days, which next hit my wife, and then finally myself on my last day in the Falls. Opening of gifts was captured, but I only had one session that wasn't a family function.

Empty
Canon 60D, Tokina Pro DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/250sec, 160ISO, 11mm

 Friday after Christmas, it was warm and in the mid 60s. Saturday we woke up to falling snow. The original plan was to go to the Wichita Falls Railroad Museum, which is only open briefly on Saturdays. Their phone message says that they close in the case of rain, but nothing about snow. We headed that way, and found out it was closed. 

Times Square
Canon 60D, Tokina Pro DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/200sec, 160ISO, 11mm

I wanted to photograph some of the unique buildings in the downtown area. My daughter had fallen asleep in her car seat, so we knew we were stuck in the car anyways. I drove around looking for interesting buildings. Downtown was empty and parking was not an issue. I left my car in one location and walked around near the post office, photographing it and several nearby buildings. 

First Bank
Canon 60D, Tokina Pro DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/125sec, 160ISO, 11mm

A police officer had driven past, and circled around. He stopped and pulled over. He was stopping to see if I was lost and needed directions. Explaining that I was in town visiting, I wanted to photograph some of the buildings downtown, and was not lost. We talked briefly about the past of downtown area, numerous attempts to revitalize it, and he told me that I had to go look at the World's Littlest Skyscraper. I informed him I was familiar with it, had been by on previous trips, and was on my agenda for the photo walk I was having. He bid me good day and continued on his way.

Post Office
Canon 60D, Tokina Pro DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/200sec, 160ISO, 11mm

The Newby-McMahon Building is also known as the World's Littlest Skyscraper. It measures 40' tall. The investors thought they were getting a 480' tall building, but the blueprints that the investors signed off on had inch marks next dimensions.  

480" Tall
Canon 60D, Tokina Pro DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/160sec, 160ISO, 11mm

These are a sampling of the images I captured over the couple of hours in downtown Wichita Falls. My photowalk was brief in the cold. Happy to get a couple of buildings captured, as that was one thing I wanted to do on vacation.

Bar-L
Canon 60D, Tokina Pro DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/125sec, 160ISO, 11mm

Image courtesy of: SnapKnot - Local Wedding Photographers