Mission San Jose
A handful of pics from the Queen of the Missions in San Antonio, TX - better known as Mission San Jose.
The Queen of the Missions
Mission San Jose, which is on the Mission Trail in San Antonio, TX is a wonderful place to visit and photograph. It's rich with history and is likely the most famous among these missions which are scattered over a few miles, just south of downtown.
I have been here several times over the years, partly owing to the fact that I grew up in San Antonio, but more recently due to my love of photographing them. Earlier this year, I spent a few days in San Antonio and got out one day to revisit and reshoot Mission San Jose. My last photography visit here was 5+ years ago, so I was way overdue.
Do you like to revisit and reshoot spots? I do, and I find that I always come away with something new and different from previous visits.
I love cloudy days, since in my opinion some clouds make for a more interesting sky, and I was lucky to get some great clouds that day. They also subdue the light a bit, which is great when you are grabbing brackets for HDR work, such as in all of these pics. All of these are 3 exposure HDRs created in Aurora HDR by Macphun with some minor touchup in Lightroom.
Blue hour at The Pearl
The Pearly Brewery in San Antonio is quite a spot. It's been redeveloped and now includes all sorts of shops, restaurants and even a farmer's market. Oh yeah, and it's beautiful, especially when you get up early and capture it before dawn!
Exploring the beauty of the Pearl Brewery before dawn
As you know by now, I love to get up and shoot first thing in the morning. It's quiet, peaceful and still outside, and I can have normally crowded places all to myself, which I like. I'm a bit of an introvert anyways, so it's a good fit. :-)
Back in January, I spent a few days in San Antonio, visiting my Mom and basically cruising all over town trying to capture a bunch of stuff that has eluded me on previous visits. I would say those days were a resounding success (and I still have a bunch of photos to edit and share from the trip). I got some shots I really love and got to go to a few new places too (with the camera that is - I have been all over SA many times, having spent my formative years there).
I shot El Mercado, their famous Mexican market. I captured all the Missions along the San Antonio Mission Trail, including my favorite one, Mission Espada. And of course I headed out one morning to shoot the Riverwalk, gloriously free of tourists.
But I knew my trip there would not be complete unless I finally got to shoot The Pearl Brewery district at sunrise. You see, this is an area of town that has undergone massive development over the years, and I have to admit it's pretty darn nice. I've been there many times, but always in the daytime with the family, enjoying the restaurants, the farmer's market and the shops. So this time I planned to get up early and shoot it in better light.
I arrived while it was still dark, and since I already knew what I wanted to shoot, I just set up and got started. After a short bit blue hour came around, and I was in my element. I love a good sunrise or sunset as much as the next guy, but boy do I have a soft spot for blue hour. Maybe I just like the color blue.
So I wandered and shot here for about a half hour, only deciding to leave because I wanted to get over to The Riverwalk while it was still early enough to have it to myself (which worked out just fine, thank you!).
The brewery itself, which you see in the distance of the photo below, has been converted into the Hotel Emma. It's really a beautiful hotel, and I just realized that on a different visit I wandered in there one afternoon and took all sorts of photos of it. I guess I had been open up my library and start editing. Always so much awesomeness waiting in there, you know? ;-)
A large truck passes my while I am capturing this scene.
Morning along The Riverwalk
The Riverwalk in downtown San Antonio is a beautiful part of a beautiful city. I recently spent some time there and got up early to capture it at sunrise. It was quiet, still, and empty - perfect for photography. Here's the shots I captured that morning!
I got up early and wandered around downtown San Antonio - and had it all to myself!
I'm a fan of shooting touristy areas at sunrise. Everyone is still asleep, and I can photograph normally busy spots in the blissful quiet of the morning. It's my favorite time to shoot. I feel like I can not only get better shots (without the crowds, of course), but I can get shots that otherwise would be nearly impossible. How can you REALLY see a place when it's full of tourists?
Back in January, I spent a couple of days in San Antonio and was focused (no pun intended) on capturing quite a few spots there. I shot all the old Spanish Missions, including my favorite, Mission Espada (the first Mission in Texas), I captured the Pearl Brewery area, which has been getting redeveloped (photos coming soon), and of course I just had to get to the Riverwalk.
No visit to San Antonio is complete without a stop at the Riverwalk.
So one morning I got up super early and after shooting at The Pearl Brewery, I made the short drive to the Riverwalk. After parking the car, I descended the flight of stairs down one level, and voila! I was on the Riverwalk - and it was blissfully empty. Even though it's smack dab in the middle of downtown San Antonio, this entire area feels like you are miles away from anything - especially at sunrise, when it is incredibly quiet and everything is still.
A good example of just how still it is at this time of day is the water itself. It's like glass. During the daytime when boats are cruising back and forth, it's choppy and splashing around. At sunrise, its the complete opposite. That's another reason I shoot early, because I want to be able to capture reflections, and that won't happen when the water is moving a lot.
There are quite a few bridges crossing the Riverwalk here and there, and I have my favorite spots along the Riverwalk. I wandered and shot, wandered and shot, and only came across a couple of people the whole time, and mostly they were just out jogging. I guess some tourists do get up early, but thankfully not many of them!
While the sunrise didn't wow me in any way, it was great to be able to photograph the Riverwalk and feel like I was the only one there. In comparison, I had been here the previous night, capturing these shots, and it was very busy. So a little peace and quiet is just what I needed!
The first mission in Texas
Mission Espada is the oldest Mission in Texas, and in my opinion, the most beautiful one in San Antonio. I made a visit there recently and returned with some great shots of this historic structure. Have a look and let me know your thoughts!
I was on a mission - and I succeeded!
Ok, that was dumb...but it's hard to think of something to say a lot of times. Anyways, I went down to San Antonio a few weeks ago and part of the plan there was photographing the San Antonio Missions. No, not the Minor League baseball team. Instead, I was chasing down the historic Spanish missions there. There are four of them and collectively they are known as the San Antonio Missions National Historic Park - and it's pretty awesome.
I have shot the Missions before, but that was years ago and more importantly, a couple of cameras ago. You know, once you have new gear you start wanting to revisit some spots. I've done a bit of that lately now that I am toting around the Sony A7II. So...I hit up the Missions and of course re-photographed the Riverwalk again. It was a very productive 3 days there! It was also a bit overcast with the threat of rain, which I consider nearly perfect photo conditions.
The mission featured here today is Mission Espada, which in my opinion is the most beautiful of the four of them. It's the furthest from town, and I'm pretty sure it's the smallest, but I think it's just bursting with character. It was the first Mission I visited on this trip, and luckily the skies were very agreeable. That was the other thing I had hoped for on this trip - better skies. Last time, it was a bright blue day so this visit was much better. I do love some cloudy skies. So much more interesting.
So I spent about a half hour here (like I said above, it's pretty small), shooting a few angles and different compositions and trying out some things. I like to do that when I am somewhere, just to make sure I capture everything I could possibly want to capture. There's nothing worse than getting home and looking at your shots, only to realize you missed something. That sucks.
After this, it was off to the next one, and then the last two. It's quite easy to get to all of these on the same visit, as just a short drive separates them all. It takes a couple of hours depending on the length to which you explore each Mission. Well, it took me a couple of hours, but I was purely taking photographs and then moving on. It would take much longer if you spent the time to read about and absorb the history of each Mission, tour them completely, and take photographs. But...I was on a Mission, see? ;-)
If you start with Mission Espada (the furthest south of town), when you get to the last one you are almost to downtown San Antonio. So then you can head over to the Riverwalk and shoot there. It makes for a busy but great day of shooting, and a very satisfying one - especially if you get some dramatic clouds like I did.
Thanks for stopping by today. Let me know if you have any questions!
The interior is very small - that's the whole thing!
I have a thing for doors, so I couldn't resist!
An evening in downtown San Antonio
I recently spent a couple of days in San Antonio, Texas and captured quite a few nice photos while I was there. Today's post is a group of 4 that I am rather fond of, all from downtown. It covers El Mercado and some spots along The Riverwalk - click on it and enjoy!
I spent a couple of days in San Antonio recently, and came back with some photos that I really like!
Two waiters pose for me while photographing this restaurant at El Mercado, the historic Mexican market in downtown San Antonio.
San Antonio is just about an hour and a half south of Austin, but even so, I don't get there that much with my camera. That's a shame really, since I find the city to be rather beautiful, especially downtown along the Riverwalk area. So recently I made the effort to capture some of the vibrancy of its downtown. I had 2 evenings there, which in photographer-speak means 2 sunsets. ;-)
Probably the most popular part of San Antonio is the Riverwalk. It's a series of walkways about one level below the street that follow the path of the San Antonio River. It is filled with hotels, shops, restaurants and bars, and is generally very touristy. But it's also very beautiful, and that's why I went there. I have shot it several times before, but being in possession of this Sony A7II makes me want to re-shoot just about everything! What a camera!
A riverboat passes in front of some restaurants along the San Antonio Riverwalk.
Today's pics are from one evening there, when I wandered around looking for scenes that caught my eye (which were many). I started before sunset over at El Mercado, the historic Mexican market downtown (top photo) and then made my way onto the Riverwalk and shot all through blue hour. It's great fun to capture the vibrancy of an evening there, with all the tourists and locals hanging out and enjoying the scenery. It has some great atmosphere.
I'm a bit of a sucker for any place that offers up lights and water, since I love reflections and the patterns that light often makes in water. The other cool thing is that they have little river boats to take passengers on tours of the area, or just to shuttle them from one end of the Riverwalk to another. As you can see in two of these photos, I did some long exposures that allowed me to capture the light trails of these passing boats as they piloted by me that evening.
It was a very productive photo trip, and I have many more photos to process and share. I also photographed the San Antonio Mission Trail (4 historic Spanish missions scattered south of town), some cool neon signs, quite a bit more here along the Riverwalk and other parts of downtown, and much more. I'll be back with those photos as soon as I can!
Multiple riverboats cruise past during this long exposure HDR.
This beautiful waterfall is behind the Hyatt Regency hotel on the Riverwalk. I find it very beautiful and I pretty much shoot it every time I am there!
The San Antonio Riverwalk
Have you ever visited San Antonio, TX? It's very beautiful, especially the Riverwalk area, and especially at sunrise when there are no tourists in the way. Have a look...I think you will enjoy these. Oh, and I toss out a 5 year old sunset photo too, since I had forgotten about it. No time like the present!
Have you been to the San Antonio Riverwalk? It's beautiful!
I grew up in San Antonio, TX - or at least I partly did. I'm an Army Brat, which means my family moved around a lot while I was growing up. Maybe that's where I got my love of travel. Hmmm.
Anyways, I moved to SA in the middle of the 5th Grade, and finished out High School there. It was a good place to grow up, though I was ready to move on when High School was over. As my Mom puts it, I have "itchy feet". I just like to move. Of course, I guess I didn't get far, since I just went to Austin - but I have been making up for it ever since! Anyways...
Sunrise at Casa Rio along the Riverwalk
As a kid growing up in San Antonio, I didn't really love it. It was a fine place to grow up, but I wasn't inspired by the town, so to speak. However, as a photographer, I have developed a greater appreciation for San Antonio. When I lived there, I never thought in photographic terms, but the city is quite beautiful. The Riverwalk, which is a network of walkways lining the San Antonio River throughout downtown, is a prime example. It sits one level below the street, so you are shielded from the noise of traffic, and can amble along and enjoy all the shops, bars and restaurants. It's purely pedestrian, which is great.
In particular, I recommend you get up early on a Sunday morning and get out to shoot it. Even if you aren't a photographer, get up early and walk around down there. It's very peaceful at dawn - quite a contrast to the rest of the day! As you can imagine, it gets incredibly crowded during the rest of the day and night.
On a recent Sunday morning, I did just that and went out to shoot it. I basically had it to myself, which was fabulous. There's nothing quite like wandering a normally crowded tourist destination and being able to take photos without a bunch of tourists in the way. It's awesome. I try and do that no matter where I travel. There's nothing like the silence of a city in the wee hours of morning.
This is an iPhone shot from that morning. Not bad, right? See all the tourists? Me neither! :-)
So today's photos are from a few spots along the Riverwalk that I found pretty enough to capture and share with you (and believe me, I have plenty more to share). The waterfall and fountains in the photos down below are at the Hyatt Regency, but you have to walk through the hotel (away from the Riverwalk) to get to them. It's worth it.
When you are done, you can pop up to street level, cross the street, and see the Alamo while you are at it. I'm just trying to make it easy for you! And yes, the Alamo is worth a visit, even if it's at sunrise and it isn't open yet. In fact, that's the best time for photography. You can just stand there in Alamo Plaza and imagine the history that took place. I feel like I can do that when it's just me. When it's crowded, not so much.
And below is a photo I took almost 5 years ago from Casa Rio (the subject of the first 2 pics up above). I just ran across it in my library, and had never processed it. I figured I would toss it out there with this post, seeing as how the RAW files have just collected dust for 5 years. It's good to get photos out of their dark storage compartments and let them see the light of day! Better late than never, right? :-)
A photo of sunset from Casa Rio, along the San Antonio Riverwalk - taken in November 2009.
So enjoy this little tour of a small slice of the San Antonio Riverwalk. It's well worth a visit, and an early rise one morning, to check it all out. And while all of these shots are from one small section of it, the Riverwalk actually continues for quite a long ways. I'll be back another time with more shots for ya. Have fun out there!
This is the Alamo, in case you didn't remember it. Haha, see what I'm doing there? And this is sunrise. No tourists!
San Fernando Cathedral
Have you seen this lovely cathedral in San Antonio?
I was in San Antonio a few weeks back, and had a few extra minutes to kill before having to be somewhere (and I was downtown). Knowing I was only a couple of blocks away from San Fernando Cathedral, I strolled over there to take a few shots.
I first shot this cathedral about 3-4 years ago, and this was my first visit since then. It's beautiful and reminds me of Notre Dame in Paris. It's also the oldest cathedral in the United States. Ain't that something?
Being a big fan of church architecture, I just had to get over here and shoot it again. There was wonderful golden light since sunset was approaching, and all I had to do was wait a minute for the tourists to clear the scene, and fire my brackets. Easy living!
The San Antonio skyline
I love to shoot skylines - aren't they beautiful?
I think that given the chance, just about everyone enjoys taking a photo of some city's skyline. They are just interesting, and beautiful. I tend to be biased towards things like that because I just love architecture. But I'm sure others feel the same way.
I was invited down to San Antonio recently to shoot the skyline from atop the roof of a condo building. The agents in charge of selling the condo opted to go for a social media approach in getting the word out on the condo, and as such invited a bunch of Texas-based photographers down to San Antonio to shoot away. We did.
It was a great event, with about 20 photographers all hanging out in the condo, and then taking off to the roof around sunset and through blue hour. We shot like crazy. I have a load of photos still to process from that night, but wanted to toss out these first two for now.
And by the way, if you want to have a look at the condo, you can do so on its website, which is here: http://lacascada.kuperexclusive.com/
#SAskyline #SAcityscape
The Alamo
My photo library is expanding at a pretty rapid clip. This is a good thing of course, but it also is a challenge. It’s a good thing in that I have a lot of photos to process, so even when I am not traveling and have free time, I can find something photo-related to work on. But the challenge is that I never feel like I am caught up on anything. I am literally always behind.
Take this photo, for example. In case you don’t recognize this, it’s The Alamo in San Antonio, TX. I took this photo about 3 years ago, and am just now posting it. See what I mean? I will never catch up.
Honestly though, I don’t want to catch up. If I catch up, that means I have not been taking photos, which means I am not pursuing my love of photography. It probably also means that I have not traveled anywhere, and that’s just as bad.
So, here’s to always being behind! It’s a great place to be! :-)
Light and water
Some photos from The Tower of the Americas in San Antonio, TX today!
On New Year's Eve day, we drove down to San Antonio, TX for lunch with some of the family at the Tower of the Americas. If you aren't familiar with the Tower, it is 750 feet tall and has a rotating restaurant at the top, giving you commanding views in every direction. Plus, the food is good. I had not been there in a really long time, and sadly did not bring all my normal photo gear, just opting only for the 28-300 lens and no tripod. When we walked up to it and I found all these incredible fountains, I was click happy but regretted the lack of my wide angle lens and tripod. I did fire off brackets, but ended up just using a single exposure for this one. I loved the late afternoon light hitting the water, and of course all the little streams of water cascading this way and that.
Heck, while I am at it - here's a shot of the Tower of Americas in San Antonio. As I said, it's 750 feet tall, so I had to back up pretty good to get this shot! Like I said at the beginning of this post, it was New Year's Eve day so if you look close enough you can see the 2011 at the top of the Tower. I'm guessing at midnight they were changing that over to 2012!
Arneson River Theatre
If you have ever been to San Antonio, TX, then you have surely been to the San Antonio Riverwalk. It’s a network of walkways along the banks of the San Antonio River. It is door-to-door shops and restaurants and a very popular spot for tourists and residents! As with all touristy spots that I want to shoot, I get up early on a Sunday and usually find things all to myself. I spent a morning down there last year, and took lots of pictures during my random walk through the area.
This photo at the top is the Arneson River Theatre, which is the site of a lot of musical and theatrical performances throughout the year. All the performances occur on the stage on the right side of the photo, while the audience sits on steps out of frame to the left.
During their annual "Light Up" which occurs around Christmas, there is a parade of floats going by and it's great fun to watch. This is one of those places that just makes San Antonio what it is. In fact, here's an old shot of one of those floats on another part of the Riverwalk:
The Alamo
I spent a lot of my formative years in San Antonio, TX and as a result have been to the Alamo more times than I can remember. It figures prominently in Texas history, so it was always at the top of the list for out of town visitors and field trips. Once I moved away, I sorta forgot about it and thought I may never return. Enter my photography habit. I spent a weekend down there a while back with my Mom, and of course got up early one morning to go shoot downtown around the Riverwalk area. I had forgotten how close the Alamo is to the Riverwalk and so I sort of stumbled upon the Alamo that morning, luckily finding it without a crowd of tourists (which is hard to do). It's interesting how photography gives you a new appreciation of things, even stuff that you have seen so many times you almost can't stand it. Photography causes you to look at things differently, and with a new set of eyes, casting them in a new and interesting light. It surely heightened my appreciation of this fine structure. Thanks for stopping by!
A beautiful bird
I found this wonderful creature stalking around at the San Antonio Zoo. He just looks so regal, don't you think? Does anyone know what kind of bird this is? I am at a loss for most things bird-related...
This is technically my post for Tuesday, but it's online tonight since I will be out of reach most of tomorrow. Enjoy and let me know if you recognize him please!
Rusted tank
I always thought rust was a bad thing - until I got into photography, and especially HDR photography. It used to be an eyesore to me, and now it is a thing of beauty. Funny how your perspective changes when you view things through a lens. This is an old tank on the grounds of the old Pearl Brewery in San Antonio. I was there a few months back and had just a short while to wander around and snap a few shots. That area of San Antonio has a lot of interesting photographic possibilities - hopefully I can get back down there and do it justice!
Deck the halls
Ok, so I know Christmas is already gone, but I just wanted to share this one. I took this HDR at the Westin La Cantera in San Antonio, during our quick trip to the resort at the beginning of January. Since they still had all the Christmas decorations out, I thought it would be fun to keep the Christmas spirit alive!
Also, I have some news about getting a series of my photographs published recently, which I will post later today. So stay tuned on that front, it is very exciting for me!