Still under construction
The ever-changing skyline of Austin, TX...still under construction after all these years.
Something from a little closer to home...
My friend TWiz was in town a few weeks back and we got out to shoot a bit of Austin. One spot that I think everyone needs to visit is this one, atop the Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge. It's a great view of downtown and our ever-changing skyline. It seems that each time I go downtown and stand here, the view is slightly different. There are always cranes at work and this place continues to grow.
By the way, if you are looking for the web's best collection of photo spots in Austin, you can check out my list right here!
Big Fat Donuts
An attention-grabbing title, no? I had to take THIS shot.
Now there's a title to get your attention! ;-)
This is something I saw while wandering in downtown Austin recently. Gourdough's is a local place (well, as far as I know, that is) and word is they have great doughnuts, but I can't vouch for that myself, having never had one. I think it might be time to correct that! LOL
I edited this photo in Luminar, using one of the presets from my Cityscapes collection. It was pretty much a one-click edit, which is what I love about presets! Easy and done, and then I move onto more photos! Or, go get a donut. :-)
Greetings from Austin
The famous "Greetings from Austin" mural done a little differently in post...
A different take on this iconic Austin spot!
I love experimenting with Luminar, as you can read about here. It's a lot of fun and I always come up with something new and creative when I sit down and try new things. This is the iconic and often-photographed mural in South Austin. I love this spot even though it is literally everywhere - t-shirts, coasters, you name it.
But it's a lovely piece, and I have shot it many times (and will again I am sure). This time though I applied a light texture and did some "vintage" style edits to it. It's a little different, but that's half the fun of photography.
Welcome to Texas
A shot of some beautiful leather cowboy boots, and a little bit of me musing about product photography...
I'm not a product photographer, but I'm willing to experiment.
I've never been one to try and photograph products, although I do like to shoot interesting subjects. I've never set up a mini studio at home and tried my hand at shooting "objects". I've seen plenty of incredible photos over the years, but it's admittedly not my thing.
But recently I was at Allen's Boots in downtown Austin and couldn't resist shooting all the amazing boots in the shop. I can definitely get behind the idea of shooting this sort of thing. I just love the look of leather boots. You can bring up the details and make the colors pop, etc. It's actually pretty fun to shoot and edit these.
I liked these blue boots, so I framed it up and shot. In Luminar, I added a preset, a texture, and then a bunch of gradient masks to darken the edges. It was fun! I may have to go back there and shoot some more.
Most importantly though, this has reminded me that getting in close and shooting some details is both a rewarding and interesting experience. When I travel, I am often looking at the "big picture" sort of scene and frequently overlook things like this. I am hoping this reminds me that even the smaller, close up stuff can make a worthy photograph. Lesson learned (I hope!).
Loop 360 long exposure
A long exposure from the Loop 360 Bridge in my hometown of Austin...
I will be up here photographing this again tomorrow night - thought I should share something from my last visit up here!
This may be my favorite spot to shoot in Austin. I love this bridge, and doing long exposures here is quite fun, especially if you get a decent sunset sky. This was taken a few months back - can't remember when, exactly - but I was up here alone and happily firing away. I was also using my Vu Filters 10 stop filter, which is a magical piece of equipment. It's basically a solid black piece of glass that goes in front of your lens, extending exposure times considerably. So much fun. I think I will have to break that bad boy out again tomorrow!
You can find this spot and many more to shoot in Austin on my list of the best spots to photograph in Austin. Give it a look!
Downtown #Austin
A blue hour shot from downtown Austin one evening...
A quick shot from a while back one evening in downtown Austin. I haven't been down there to shoot in a while, and right now it is jam-packed with SXSW happening...so I am sort of staying away. I tend to avoid crowds, and believe me that SXSW brings in the crowds. I keep thinking I am going to get up early and go shoot at sunrise, but my pillow keeps convincing me otherwise.
I purchased a new lens recently, and I am itchin' to go try it out, so maybe - just maybe - I will head downtown soon and fire away. I need to test out the glass and make sure I really like it before I depart on my next trip overseas, which is coming up real soon! More on that later!
Long exposures at the Loop 360 Bridge
A pair of long exposures from the Loop 360 Bridge in Austin
I've grown to love long exposure photography.
Sometime last year, I got a set of filters for my Sony camera. It's the entire Vu Professional Filter Kit, and it's absolutely amazing. In particular, I have fallen for the 10 stop filter. It's basically a nearly black piece of glass, which means you have to have a really long exposure in order for enough light to get through and make a photograph.
So all you do is set your camera in Bulb Mode (most cameras will top out at 30 seconds as a maximum exposure time setting - in Bulb Mode you can go much longer) and go for it. It's really quite easy. The only hard part is having to wait for several minutes to see what your photo will look like! The waiting is the hardest part, as the song goes.
When I got the filters, I went out to the Loop 360 Bridge here in Austin (it's near my house, and a lovely subject anyway) and fired away. The benefit of the long exposure is that is smooths out the clouds and the water and they look at awesome. It's fun!
Sunset in Austin
Lou Neff Point in Zilker Park provides a great view of the Austin skyline!
The view from Lou Neff Point at sunset
There are a few good spots to view the skyline of Austin from, and one of my favorites is Lou Neff Point in Zilker Park. Skylines are one of my favorite subjects, especially when there is a river in front of it (Austin of course, but also Nashville, NYC and more). I actively seek these out when I travel.
Anyway, Lou Neff Point is easy to get to. Just Google it and depending on the time of year, you can nearly drive right to it. During our big music festivals, most of Zilker Park is closed to cars so you end up with a much long walk. Either way though, it's well worth it for the view!
And if you are looking for more things to shoot in Austin, I have compiled a list of all the major stuff. Take a look, and if you are coming in for SXSW and have enough free time, I also have this available as an eBook should you be interested in that. Enjoy!
Sunrise at Torchy's
Lovely morning light over Torchy's Tacos on South Congress Avenue, in downtown Austin.
South Congress Avenue in downtown Austin is one of my favorite spots in town. It's full of life, it's unique, and there is always something to point the camera at. I often shoot it at sunrise, mainly because I like the quiet stillness of that time of day.
This was from a while back when I did just that - got up early and drove downtown to capture the area alone. The light was great and I found myself wishing that Torchy's Tacos was open!
Traffic in East Austin
I spent a recent evening firing away over in East Austin, and came home with some images that I really like. Today I share this one showing some cars streaking by me during blue hour.
I love to shoot light trails. There is just something really fun about it.
East Austin is a very much up and coming part of town. I have been over there to shoot a few times over the years, and each time that I go it seems there is more new stuff getting built. About a week ago, I went over to East 6th Street to shoot a little around sunset. I was interested in checking out all the new stuff there and capturing some shots in decent light (my last visit there was under a bright sun).
As expected, there was a lot of construction of new apartments and the like, and of course that will bring a host of other new stuff. Honestly, it's a great location because it's very close to downtown so I can see the attraction (plus I imagine it's a bit cheaper there too).
This was a restaurant I decided to shoot as blue hour was arriving and the sun was setting. I took a few test shots and then decided having some light trails in the photo would improve it. So I waited. It only took a couple of minutes for a few cars to come by and I was able to fire my brackets.
This is a 3 exposure HDR with one really long exposure in there to accentuate the light trails. The HDR was made in Aurora HDR with a couple of minor adjustments there, and then I took it into Luminar to add some additional stylization.
Sunset at Cadillac Ranch
Cadillac Ranch, which sits along Route 66 in Amarillo, TX has been on my list to shoot for many years. It finally happened, and the sunset was just stunning!
I finally made it here after all these years!
Being in Texas, you would think I had already been to all the big spots in this fine state, but in fact it's so large that it is quite the opposite. While I have shot ALL OVER Austin - and even made an ebook about it - there is plenty more left to explore. And no, Amarillo probably doesn't come to mind first.
Amarillo is a smaller town way at the top tip of Texas, whereas I live in Austin which is more central to the state. In between you have about 8-9 hours of driving on back roads. So it's not exactly a day trip. You have to commit to this stuff to get there.
Over the years, I have passed through and around Amarillo a number of times, and have always wanted to stop and photograph Cadillac Ranch, which is just on the edge of town. However, we have always been passing through en route to someplace else (New Mexico, or Colorado normally) and never had time to stop.
However, we were coming home from Colorado, where we spent this past Christmas, and stopped there for a day to rest. My daughter was feeling ill so we decided to spend an extra day there, which happened to be New Year's Eve. Not exactly the place you dream of celebrating New Year's Eve, but it worked out.
The day had been nicely cloudy and I just felt like it might turn into a lovely sunset, and having already planned to visit this spot, I was holding out hope for a nice shoot there. As you can see, the sunset was quite stunning and I finally was able to photograph this place. While it's not a huge destination sort of thing, it's something that has been in the back of my mind for years.
I find these bits of Americana quite interesting, and have shot along various parts of Route 66 a few times in my life (this location is along Route 66 which skirts part of Amarillo). This was one that I just had to have, and it worked out perfectly. It was a great sunset to end the year on.
Room Service Vintage
Just a quick shot of a cool store in Austin - Room Service Vintage. I have driven past it for years and always wanted to shoot it. So, I finally did it and am glad that I did.
Sometimes I just like to get a grungy shot of some cool neon.
There's this little spot in Austin along North Loop Road that I have always wanted to shoot, so one evening before sunset I headed over there to do just that. It's not a big area - just a few stores, maybe a bar or two, a couple of restaurants. Nothing big.
It's just that every time I drive by it (we have some friends that live nearby), I tell myself that I need to go shoot there, so I finally made it happen. To my eyes, the best-looking spot there is this vintage store, Room Service Vintage. It's just cool looking, but then again I am a sucker for neon or any sort.
I was drawn in visually by the neon, but also the textures of the pavement in front. Although there was a nice blue arriving in the distant sky, you can see the sunset that I missed while shooting here reflected in the store windows. I tried to find a place to grab some of that great light, but alas it was not to be. I didn't have time to get to a sunset spot to shoot it, so I just had to watch it from a distance and get a reflection of it.
You can't win them all, but I do like the photo of the storefront so that's a win in my book!
The Life Sciences Library
Sometimes you wander into buildings and find amazing things - and then you have to return with the camera. Don't you love happy accidents?
This is a hidden gem on the University of Texas at Austin campus. I happened upon it by accident one day, and vowed to return with the camera. I'm glad I did, because I absolutely love stuff like this. Luckily, it was late afternoon and the sun was in just the right spot!
The painted church of Serbin
About an hour away from Austin, in a tiny little Texas town, there's this beauty. It's a painted church dating from the mid 1800's, and it's a real gem. Step inside and have a look.
Believe it or not, there are a BUNCH of these painted churches in Texas. Now I have to find the time to hunt them down and photograph them all. Add them to the list (which only seems to keep growing!).
These painted churches date from the 1800's and are scattered across parts of Central Texas. This one was built by German immigrants that came here in search of religious freedom and cheaper land. Thus far I have been to two of them (this one and one in Fredericksburg, TX) but there are several more "on the list".
While these aren't your typical big European cathedrals - which I absolutely LOVE (yes, that's an ALL CAPS kind of love) - something about the intricate design and look to them is quite beautiful and photogenic. I'll update you as I get to photograph more of them. :-)
And yes, that's the pulpit up on the 2nd floor, looking down on the congregation. Cool, right?
A long look at the lights
Shooting a long exposure of the Loop 360 Bridge in Austin, with the passing cars blurring out and just leaving light trails. That's a good way to spend an evening!
My friend Mike Boening was in Austin a few weeks back, and he wanted to get some shots of our sorta famous bridge. It's name is the Pennybacker Bridge, but everyone here calls it the Loop 360 Bridge since the road there is called Loop 360. It's a popular spot for photographers and non-photographers alike, especially around sunset.
Most folks clamber up to the viewing area at the top of the ridge on the West side, but we opted to avoid the crowds and headed up the East side. In fact, Mike recorded the climb up and you can see that video here. Although I love the big tree on the West side, in many ways I prefer the view from this side, at sunset at least. It allows you to capture the bridge with the passing lights from cars, as well as a view up the lake towards where the sun is setting.
This photo is a single exposure, shot at f/22 for 30 seconds. It was nearly dark and of course we were shooting the light trails, which is a popular option up here. There is a stop light a few hundred yards out of frame to the right. All you do is wait for the light to turn green, and the accumulated traffic to start moving, and then time your shot to start right before they enter the frame. Easy as pie, lots of fun, and you get a nice photo when you're done!