Another view....

My second posting of the Pennybacker Bridge with a different view.


HDR...7 shots -3/+3...merged in Photomatix with further editing in PS3 with Color Efex Pro.


Thought my first shot was a little boring so I added some bokeh and burning of the edges. Opinions welcome...let me know which one you like better...

Pennybacker Bridge...

Let's just say I have a thing for bridges and after hearing about this one in Austin, Texas and seeing many photographs taken by others I knew I had to find it and climb this rock for the views I've been reading so much about. Some call this bridge the 'Pennybacker bridge' or the '360 Bridge' but it is a steel structure that does not touch the lake to impede water craft. The views are beautiful from the water below to the Austin skyline in the distance. It's a short walk up a rocky trail but beware coming down...it's a bit treacherous!!! You'll definitely see future posts on this spot because I plan on returning.


HDR...3 shots combined in Photomatix and edited in Color Efex Pro.

Monday morning sunrise....

For some reason I tend to catch my favorite shots at the spur of the moment and when I'm not prepared....Monday morning was one of those moments as the sun was breaking on the horizon to begin another brilliant day....grabbed the camera and only had moments to start shooting when I saw the beautiful colors in the sky. This morning I had the tripod set up and ready to roll but alas it was not to be.....

so here is to Monday morning sunrises....thru the lens.

Light Painting...

I enjoyed Kent Weakley's Night Photography eClass so much that I signed up for part 2...fireworks and light painting. Using a flashlight with a pink color gel (made out of a report cover) and different colored led lights from radio shack I turned out the lights and began my long exposure shoot.








In darkness...

Let me just say that making beautiful lines is a little harder then it looks....we won't show my first 20 attempts that look like a two year old was let loose with a crayon...here's to capturing light...thru the lens.

Just around the bend....

Walking along the Riverwalk yesterday scoping out some areas to shoot the full moon and around the bend I come upon this one section that I had seen in photographs but had no idea where it was. Nice little surprise! Took a few shots but didn't really spend too much time there but I'm very pleased with the way my pictures came out. I'm still testing out some trial versions of Topaz plugins but the HDR was processed in Photomatix. I'm just an HDR newbie and
lovin it!!!


Riverwalk...San Antonio, TX


.....thru the lens.

Shooting the moon....part 1

So my last assignment for Kent Weakley's night photography
eClass and I think I went a little moon crazy....I've been shooting
the moon for a week now in preparation for the big night and
what happens....Clouds, clouds, clouds. I did get some
shots from downtown before the clouds moved in and the moon
disappeared completely but let's begin with a week ago....


The quarter moon...F/11, 1/50 sec, ISO 100
My main goal was to shoot the moon with details and I was
quite happy with this shot until I figured out I forgot to
zero out my camera settings and my white balance
...hence the blue moon but I got details!!!

Waxing Gibbous...F/8, 1/125, ISO 100
My day shot...moonrise


Waxing Gibbous...f/11, 1/100, ISO 100
Night shot 7:27pm


Blue hour and the moon....finally!!! This took me about
4 nights of trying. Caught the roofline too! I really thought
the moon would be over the roof and once I set up my tripod
and realized blue hour was happening I had no time to
reajust and just started shooting.

Blue hour....all this work in preparation for the full moon
and let me just say I must have taken a total of 300 shots
in the last week to get the shots I was happy with.

Shooting the moon....part 2

Showtime....full moon


Let me just say I've been planning to shoot the full moon
for a week now at Hemisphere Plaza looking at the time
the moon would rise and where it was coming up...I knew it would
be near the Tower of the Americas but calculating
exactly where with the buildings was a little difficult.
So I waited....


and waited until I saw it coming up across Hemisphere
Plaza but....


I really pictured the beautiful full moon right here....


when in reality it appeared here....Oh well, my
calculations were a bit off. I waited for awhile hoping for
a better shot around the tower but finally gave up and....


shot this in the parking lot.

and my final full moon shot in the parking lot!!! Good
thing too because the clouds rolled in and the moon
disappeared for the rest of the night......Thanks
Kent Weakley!!! Great eClass and I've learned so much!!!