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“I’m a flight attendant who just came in from Alaska, but I live in Houston,” said Jazmine Meekins. “I’m on a layover. I like some of the construction that’s finally been revealed. It makes for a really nice walk.” Photo by Ontario Mireles

Photographer Ontario Mireles spends a lot of his time chasing people with his camera, but he’s not some seedy paparazzi type. He runs a pretty popular Instagram page. With 13K followers, Fort Worth People (@fortworthpeople) features videos and portraits of the folks the 30-year-old Fort Worthian meets while walking around downtown and other nearby neighborhoods.

Mireles makes his living as a professional photographer. He works with various clients, including motivational speaker Tony Robbins, Pernod Ricard Champagne and spirits, and Fort Worth Fashion Week. When he’s not earning a living through the lens, he fills up his SD cards with portraits of people. They may be dressed interestingly or have a certain smile or way of walking that Mireles feels compelled to capture.

“I would come down with my beginner camera 11 years ago and take photos of random strangers in Fort Worth and then send it to them,” Mireles said. “I eventually stopped, social media grew, and the idea stayed with me.

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“After all these years, I finally decided to run with the idea,” he continued. “I love Fort Worth so much. It’s my home and my parents’ home. The people, the whole vibe from Fort Worth — it’s close at heart. I think people deserve to get a closer glimpse at the people in their own hometown or for people outside of Fort Worth that want to get look in and get a peek. I think everyone has a story also that deserves to be heard.”

Mireles took us on a walk-along on a Saturday afternoon around Sundance Square while the Stock Show was wrapping up to see how he picks his subjects and so we could ask them what they thought of their hometown or the city they were just visiting.

“We’re just walking around,” said David Farrell (left) with Aiden. “We’re from Saginaw and decided to get out. It’s a nice place to walk around.”
Photo by Ontario Mireles
“This is just a quick little getaway,” said Marilyn (right) with Michael, of Naples, Florida. “We’re really into the west and wanted to see some cowboying and rodeoing.”
Photo by Ontario Mireles
“I love it,” said Fort Worth resident James H. “I just love walking around and admiring it.”
Photo by Ontario Mireles
Balloon artist Marcus Zamora, who makes inflated creations for the people wandering downtown and other parts of Fort Worth, said, “It’s one of the best markets. You have entertainment here, and any market can have food, but when you mesh that with entertainment, it’s a festival.”
Photo by Ontario Mireles
A server at Jake’s Hamburgers on Main Street, Makayla Williams had just finished two double shifts when Mireles caught her for a quick photo. “It’s gonna be insane,” she said, referring to the stock show. “I’m so excited. I really, really enjoy it. You meet a lot of people from different countries because of all the hotels. It’s really the best place. I love working out here.”
Photo by Ontario Mireles
“It’s nice,” said Renaldo Gerardo, waiting outside a coffeeshop for his family. “We just came to visit. The places this area has are great.”
Photo by Ontario Mireles
Maia Honeyager came from Allen with her boyfriend, who’s in town for a meeting, and they both decided to stay downtown. She was on a walk when Mireles caught her. “It’s pretty cool,” she said. “It reminds me a lot of Denver, Waco, and San Antonio. It’s like Dallas, but it’s still small and not overdone.”
Photo by Ontario Mireles
“It’s our first time,” said Trevor (left) with Charlie. “We live in Austin, but we’re originally from Denver. We’ve been talking about how clean it is down here.”
Photo by Ontario Mireles

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