I recently completed a complete photography documentation of Southwest University Park in El Paso. The photos were taken at the request and direction of the park’s architect, Populous.
This post contains some of my favorite images from the project. You can also view more images and view a complete contact sheet from the project by visiting my page Architectural Photography of Southwest University Park.
Part of the project included capturing the energy of a game. I used long exposures to capture blurred motion to represent this concept.
Of course, an enthusiastic crowd does a good job showing the energy as well.
It was also important to photograph the public art details throughout the park. The clock tower is one of the most dominant pieces of art in the ballpark.
There is an abundance of art inside as well.
The reflective airbrushed murals presented a photography challenge. Here is a detail before/after shot showing what I mean.
To achieve the final result I used a variety of techniques. Before I get in to the details, here is a photo showing the limited space I had to compose this photo:
The overhang on the bar prevented me from putting the camera at the height I wanted. I used my Perspective Control lens to adjust the composition while keeping the best possible height. You can see from the photo above that there were tremendous reflections coming from the windows behind the camera and the interior lighting.
I used a polarizer to remove and diminish many of the reflections. To get rid of the rest I had to take multiple exposures while I used a reflector as a light blocker. The exposures were then merged in Photoshop.
The interior spaces share some common elements while remaining distinctly unique.
The team store is another example of a unique space that is still in harmony with the entire structure.
The outfield area includes a splashpad and other child friendly areas.
The architects also wanted a photo that would show the ballpark in context with the city. This was a perfect opportunity for a low altitude aerial photo.
