N. Edgefield Avenue bridge over Interstate 30
A great place to capture the full Dallas skyline is on North Edgefield Avenue over Interstate 30, just south of Fort Worth Avenue. Not only does this location give one of the best views of the skyline, it also offers a chance to get some cool light trails at night via a long exposure. And, unlike some of the other spots on this list, it provides a view of Downtown which includes Reunion Tower.
This area feels a bit sketchy, so if you're doing night shooting it might not be a bad idea to take along a companion to watch your back.
Trammel Crow Park
An easily accessible location for capturing most of the Downtown skyline is Trammel Crow Park. The photo below was taken only a short distance on foot from the small parking lot at the entrance to the park. The body of water in the foreground here is actually Trammel Crow Lake and not the Trinity River, which was behind the camera and is not pictured. Park in the small lot, or, if you're up for the exercise, park in one of the large lots near the Ron Kirk Bridge and walk the Trinity Skyline Trail all the way to Trammel Crow Park.
Unfortunately, it's not possible to include Reunion Tower in the shot from this vantage point without doing a wide panorama, and due to the building's positioning far away from the rest of the skyline as seen from this angle, the composition of such a photo will be poor.
This particular view is much better at night, in my opinion.
Trinity Overlook Park
Trinity Overlook Park is located at the intersection of Beckley and W. Commerce Street, less than half a mile from the Lew Sterrett jail complex and on the other side of the Trinity River. You'll need to turn into the parking lot from northbound Beckley Avenue. From here you can get a fairly good partial view of Downtown. This isn't the best place to try for a full view, however, as the old Dawson State Jail building gets in the way and functions as a spoiler for the panorama. You'll need to orient your camera more toward the north to keep it out of the frame, meaning Reunion Tower will fall by the wayside.
Reunion Tower
This is the most obvious spot for photographing Downtown, and the observation deck provides a view of the city core that you've undoubtedly seen a million times before. Capturing a clean view can be a bit tricky due to the network of cables which secure the deck, so I recommend maneuvering around a bit to find a location and an angle that allow you to shoot between them. You can also use a cell phone, if that's more your style - the physically smaller lens will make avoiding the obstructing cables significantly easier.
Needless to say, you will not be getting Reunion Tower itself in photos taken from this particular vantage point. It's also worth noting that the operators of the Tower, like those of an aggravatingly increasing number of places, have chosen to go the cashless route and now only accept credit and debit cards for entry. This has the effect of essentially locking out lower income people and those disadvantaged by bad credit or by prior circumstances which have had a negative impact on their ability to get said credit. If you fall into one of these categories, or are simply concerned about your privacy and about everything you buy being tracked by banks and by Big Tech, then "Your Kind" is no longer welcome inside Reunion Tower. I personally advocate boycotting cashless businesses, but unfortunately it's something you'll have to deal with if you want to get this particular view of Downtown.
N. Zang Blvd. near Greenbriar Lane
This spot has the huge advantage of being able to capture Reunion Tower, but there's also a huge caveat: multiple overhanging power lines which get in the way of the view. I Photoshopped them out of my picture below, and it took about an hour to do so thanks to the seemingly endless number of windows off in the distance. Aside from that one deterrent, this is a great vantage point for photographing Downtown if you can deal with the steep ascent up the stairs that take you up there. Park on E. Greenbriar Lane and take the stairs up to the N. Zang Blvd. bridge.
Fort Worth Avenue near the Clyde Barrow gravesite
The stretch of Fort Worth Avenue between Montclair and Windomere provides a good view of Downtown that you can capture if you're in the area for Clyde Barrow's gravesite (or for any other reason). Park near the cemetery and walk a block or so to the east, and be mindful of vehicle traffic. Expect to stand in the median for this shot. My photo below was taken close to Montclair Avenue with a telephoto lens at a 74mm focal length.
Trinity Skyline Trail
The Trinity Skyline Trail offers up some nice views of Downtown along its intentionally scenic walkway. The vantage point of my photo below is a pleasant excursion away from the aforementioned Trammel Crow Park, but there are many other possibilities along the route. Wait until there's a decent water level in the Trinity River before doing this one.
Rooftop of the Canvas (formerly Nylo) Hotel
The Canvas Hotel on Botham Jean Blvd. (formerly S. Lamar Street) features a rooftop which boasts a pool and a nice view of Downtown. As is the case with so many other spots on this list, you won't be getting a good view of Reunion Tower with the rest of the skyline, but you will get a spectacular nighttime scene. The downside is that you may end up having to pay for a room in the hotel.
Houston Street bridge heading into Downtown (former spot, no longer viable)
The Houston Street Viaduct once provided a tantalizing view of Dallas's main business district upon an approach from the south. You could park in an adjoining parking garage and walk along the pedestrian route to get a picture such as the one below, taken on March 1, 2009. Unfortunately, the addition of the Omni Hotel to the skyline has subsequently ruined this view. My photo was taken before construction began, and before the addition of the streetcar line in 2015. This route itself is still walkable, but the scenery today is far less enticing.
