Landscape

The Capitol at Dusk

The Capitol in Austin Texas taken at dusk.

Grace Cathedral

Austin Skyline on Lady Bird Lake

Lady Bird Lake is a major recreation area for the city of Austin. Its banks are bounded by the Lady Bird Lake Hike and Bike Trail, and businesses offer recreational watercraft services along the lakefront portion of the trails. Austin's largest downtown park, Zilker Park, is adjacent to the lake, and Barton Springs, a major attraction for swimmers, flows into the lake. Much of the landscaped beauty of the parks surrounding Lady Bird Lake can be credited to the former First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson, who, in the 1970s, focused her attention on the Town Lake Beautification Project. The City of Austin prohibits operation of most motorized watercraft on Lady Bird Lake. As a result, the lake serves as a popular recreational area for kayaks, canoes, dragon boats, and rowing shells. Austin's warm climate and the river's calm waters, nearly 6 miles (9.7 km) length and straight courses are especially popular with crew teams and clubs.

Kahakuloa Head

This 636-foot high hill is situated on a point east of the sleepy town of Kahakuloa. Part of this hill is called Kahekili's Leap. The 18th Century Maui King Kahekili used spend some of his time in this area. Legend states that before breakfast, the agile King would climb over 200-feet up the hill and "leap" into the water below.

The Travelling Man in Dallas' Deep Ellem

We went to Dallas this last weekend to explore the photo possibilities. I wrote my friend Cliff Baise for some pointers, and fortunately for me, he offered to show me around personally. I really like Cliff's work and was very excited to see what cool places he had in store for us. This first shot was our first stop on the tour. It is of a statue series in the Deep Ellum area of Dallas. The statue is titled "The Travelling Man." Here is an interesting article about the project. I processed this as a nine exposure raw bracket using HDR Soft's Photomatix Pro and On One Software's Photo Tools 2.5. If you haven't tried Photo Tools, there is a free version of 2.5 now. From the blog at apogeephotography.net

The Travelling Man Sitting in Dallas' Deep Ellem

We went to Dallas this last weekend to explore the photo possibilities. I wrote my friend Cliff Baise for some pointers, and fortunately for me, he offered to show me around personally. I really like Cliff's work and was very excited to see what cool places he had in store for us. This first shot was our first stop on the tour. It is of a statue series in the Deep Ellum area of Dallas. The statue is titled "The Travelling Man." Here is an interesting article about the project. I processed this as a nine exposure raw bracket using HDR Soft's Photomatix Pro and On One Software's Photo Tools 2.5.

Dallas City Hall Plaza

We went to Dallas this last weekend to explore the photo possibilities. I wrote my friend Cliff Baise for some pointers, and fortunately for me, he offered to show me around personally. I really like Cliff's work and was very excited to see what cool places he had in store for us. This shot was our Third stop on the tour.It is a small pool in front of the Dallas City Hall Plaza. I processed this as a nine exposure raw bracket using Nik Software's HDR Efex Pro and On One Software's Photo Tools 2.5.

Raygun Gothic Rocketship

Next door to the Amtrak train station on the San Francisco waterfront, a 40-foot retro rocket sculpture has been created by Five Ton Crane, a group of Burning Man associated artists for a year-long installation, and it's stunningly playful. The retro rocket's placement next to the Amtrak station is an unintended bit of irony since rail travel is experiencing a back to the future moment right now, although the United States is falling behind the rest of the world in that arena with each passing day.

Austin Capitol at Sunset

Living in Austin gives you the opportunity to capture a wide range of images. One very iconic image is that of the Capitol. I like to revisit the location from time to time to try and get a new take on its beauty. As I set up and waited for the sun to set, the clouds started rolling in with a very ominous tone. This image shows the office area under the building where most of the offices are.

Pennybacker Bridge Sunset

A well known location for Austin photographers. The Pennybacker Bridge provides a different view every time you visit.

Pennybacker Bridge

View from the cliffs above Pennybacker Bridge in Austin Texas.

Pennybacker Bridge at Dusk

View from the cliffs above Pennybacker Bridge in Austin Texas. This view is a fairly popular view that requires hiking up the side of a roadside cliff. I had not been courageous enough to try the hike before, but it is quite beautiful once you get to the top. If you are ever in Austin, this is one of those spots you should try to visit. Although much of my work is HDR, this image is just one frame with a long exposure of 30 seconds.

Uncommon Objects at Night

Uncommon Objects is a collection of booths that sell vintage and eclectic art in the South Congress area known as SoCo in Austin Texas. The proprietor Steve Wiman describes Uncommon as "Raw materials for creative living." It is located about a mile south of Riverside drive in the heart of SoCo. There are many shops and places to grab a bite to eat nearby including a trailer park of different cuisines, Guero's Taco Bar and Homeslice Pizza to name a few. This shot was taken late Sunday night since that is the only time that cars are not parked in front of all the shops.

The Embarcadero Waterfront at Sunset

On our recent trip to San Francisco we revisited the waterfront at the Embarcadero. There is a walkway that goes quite a distance out into the water where you can look back at the city. They sky was alive as the sun was setting. San Francisco is one of our favorite cities and has a special place in our hearts.