We haven't been back in the Detroit area for that long and thus haven't gotten to shoot downtown yet, but we do have a couple of shoots coming up, so I was hoping that we might get some help on some cool locations for shooting in downtown Detroit. We have a couple of e-sessions, as well as a fun fashion type of shoot too. any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks!
stacey
Full Version: Cool locations to shoot in downtown Detroit
We were just there Saturday. There are plenty of cool alleys and doors downtown. The island is a good place with the urban skyline. Just drive around a bit, find a good place to park and walk to most of your locations.
Hi Stacey,
Wow, there are so many good places to shoot downtown now. If you haven't been there in awhile you'll see that a LOT has changed.
Some ideas:
-Belle Isle is always a popular choice. You can get the Detroit skyline, the area by the conservatory is nice (go around to the back, there's a lovely garden with a pond.) The front of the (now closed
) aquarium is pretty, there are several pretty footbridges (and the main bridge to the island is nice), and there are some other monuments worth checking out. Plus there's a lot of nice woodsy areas too.
-Downtown near the Fox, Comerica park, etc. There are also some alleys around there that make good backdrops and it's populated enough to feel safe.
- Get on the people mover and get off at random stops. Some of the stations themselves are kind of neat.
-The riverwalk is mostly completed and looks great. It's very walkable, there's a carousel, water features, the river (doh), and the area around the RenCen is interesting.
-Campus Martius has been cleaned up and is worth a visit.
-The DIA has a water feature and makes for a nice background as well.
Wow, there are so many good places to shoot downtown now. If you haven't been there in awhile you'll see that a LOT has changed.
Some ideas:
-Belle Isle is always a popular choice. You can get the Detroit skyline, the area by the conservatory is nice (go around to the back, there's a lovely garden with a pond.) The front of the (now closed
) aquarium is pretty, there are several pretty footbridges (and the main bridge to the island is nice), and there are some other monuments worth checking out. Plus there's a lot of nice woodsy areas too. -Downtown near the Fox, Comerica park, etc. There are also some alleys around there that make good backdrops and it's populated enough to feel safe.
- Get on the people mover and get off at random stops. Some of the stations themselves are kind of neat.
-The riverwalk is mostly completed and looks great. It's very walkable, there's a carousel, water features, the river (doh), and the area around the RenCen is interesting.
-Campus Martius has been cleaned up and is worth a visit.
-The DIA has a water feature and makes for a nice background as well.
QUOTE(Lynn Bernardi @ June 11 2008, 11:02 PM) 
Hi Stacey,
Wow, there are so many good places to shoot downtown now. If you haven't been there in awhile you'll see that a LOT has changed.
Some ideas:
-Belle Isle is always a popular choice. You can get the Detroit skyline, the area by the conservatory is nice (go around to the back, there's a lovely garden with a pond.) The front of the (now closed ) aquarium is pretty, there are several pretty footbridges (and the main bridge to the island is nice), and there are some other monuments worth checking out. Plus there's a lot of nice woodsy areas too.
-Downtown near the Fox, Comerica park, etc. There are also some alleys around there that make good backdrops and it's populated enough to feel safe.
- Get on the people mover and get off at random stops. Some of the stations themselves are kind of neat.
-The riverwalk is mostly completed and looks great. It's very walkable, there's a carousel, water features, the river (doh), and the area around the RenCen is interesting.
-Campus Martius has been cleaned up and is worth a visit.
-The DIA has a water feature and makes for a nice background as well.
Wow, there are so many good places to shoot downtown now. If you haven't been there in awhile you'll see that a LOT has changed.
Some ideas:
-Belle Isle is always a popular choice. You can get the Detroit skyline, the area by the conservatory is nice (go around to the back, there's a lovely garden with a pond.) The front of the (now closed
) aquarium is pretty, there are several pretty footbridges (and the main bridge to the island is nice), and there are some other monuments worth checking out. Plus there's a lot of nice woodsy areas too. -Downtown near the Fox, Comerica park, etc. There are also some alleys around there that make good backdrops and it's populated enough to feel safe.
- Get on the people mover and get off at random stops. Some of the stations themselves are kind of neat.
-The riverwalk is mostly completed and looks great. It's very walkable, there's a carousel, water features, the river (doh), and the area around the RenCen is interesting.
-Campus Martius has been cleaned up and is worth a visit.
-The DIA has a water feature and makes for a nice background as well.
That's awesome! Thanks so much for the help!!! I hadn't even thought of the people mover, but thats a great idea! Somebody told me about a place called the dequindre cut - have you heard of that? i'm sure i could find places, but its also a question of feeling/being safe and not getting lost in the wrong 'hood! thanks for your help!
Everything I mentioned is in relatively safe/populated areas. I live in Grosse Pointe so I'm downtown quite often. I just moved back a year ago after living in FL for a year and a half and I was honestly impressed with all the improvements I saw. The casinos and the super bowl helped quite a bit I think.
The thing that strikes me now is that you actually see people out and about walking - you never used to see that. Downtown is packed on the weekends now. The Woodward corridor between the Fox and Jefferson looks so much better now - the storefronts have been spruced up, there are new lofts going in, etc.
Heh, and if you do get spooked, just head north a bit and come to Grosse Pointe, I can point out all kinds of pretty locations here.
The thing that strikes me now is that you actually see people out and about walking - you never used to see that. Downtown is packed on the weekends now. The Woodward corridor between the Fox and Jefferson looks so much better now - the storefronts have been spruced up, there are new lofts going in, etc.
Heh, and if you do get spooked, just head north a bit and come to Grosse Pointe, I can point out all kinds of pretty locations here.
I was just there a month or so ago and got to explore some of the abandoned factories. SKETCHY locations but absolutely freaking amazing. Driving into downtown you'll see the areas. I felt safe during the day but would not have gone alone at night. I would love to fly to Detroit and spend two days shooting bands and fashion up there.
Cheers,
Zack
Cheers,
Zack
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