#774. I. M. Back

Taken tonight in Houston, Texas. Happy Halloween!

Title: "I. M. Back"

Shot data: 0.80s f/5.6 at 380.0mm iso200
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 100-400mm L zoom
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 plugin

#773. Room Sized Printer

This is a Linotype typesetting machine found at The Gonzales Pioneer Village Living History Museum in Gonzales, Texas. It looks to me like a machine that Rube Goldberg might have invented.

Title: "Room Sized Printer"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Viveza 2 plugin > Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 plugin

#772. Painted Face

Surrounded by the effects of drought followed by fire you might think that even the smile painted onto this Bastrop water tower would turn upside down...but he (a water tower is a "he" right) remains undaunted. Normally these trees would all be green but the heat caused by wildfires burning rapidly through the underbrush killed them and left them as golden as the setting sun shining on the smiling watcher.

Title: "Painted Face"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Viveza 2 plugin

#771. The Edythe Bates Old Chapel

Taken two weekends ago at Festival Hill in Round Top, Texas.

Title: "The Edythe Bates Old Chapel"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 plugin

#770. The Not So Private Privy

Taken at the Austin County Jail Museum in Bellville, Texas last weekend. Which is worse, losing your freedom or your privacy? Guests in this place would lose both.

Title: "The Not So Private Privy"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm Fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex Pro 2

#769. Old Fashioned Incarceration

I had an opportunity to grab a few photos at the Austin County Jail Museum last weekend as we drove through Bellville, Texas.

Title: "Old Fashioned Incarceration"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm Fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex Pro 2

#768. Courtyard at The Edythe Bates Old Chapel

Taken last weekend at Festival Hill in Round Top, Texas. While walking around the grounds at Festival Hill I stumbled into this scene; a courtyard that to me looked as if it might be more appropriately located somewhere in Europe.

Title: "Courtyard at The Edythe Bates Old Chapel"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm Fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures into to one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex 2 plugin

#767. Concert Hall at Festival Hill

We drove up to Round Top, Texas yesterday for a cello concert at Festival Hill. Even though the concert hall building looks really nice from the outside I wasn't prepared for this level of grandeur at a facility located in such a small town (less than 300 residents)!

Title: "Concert Hall at Festival Hill"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm Fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex 2 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#766. The Old Bridge

This particular old bridge, located near Ammansville, Texas, was closed when we came upon it a few weeks ago, blocked to vehicular traffic from one end by a felled tree and from the other by a large pile of gravel. I guess after more than a century of service (signage dates it to 1884) the county finally deemed it to be unsafe. Kind of makes me wonder if it was really OK the last time we drove across it a couple of years ago?

Title: "The Old Bridge"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex 2

#765. Inside the Olle Hotel

Taken in the Olle Hotel in Flatonia, Texas. A wonderful place to stay if your in the area.

Title: "Inside the Olle Hotel"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine there exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Nik Viveza 2 plugin > Nik Silver Efex 2 plugin

#764. Fairy Tale Home

Not sure exactly why ;-) but this house caught my attention a couple of weeks ago when traveling through Smithville, Texas.

Title: "Fairy Tail Home"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Viveza 2 plugin, texture from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#763. The Olle

If you're ever looking for a very nice place to stay in Flatonia, TX you can't go wrong with The Olle Hotel. We stayed there for a few nights two weeks ago and can highly recommend it.
Title: "The Olle"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > NIK Viveza 2 plugin

#762. A Prayer for Rain

Taken this last weekend at St. John the Baptist Church in Ammansville, Tx. Ammansville is pretty much in the middle of the tinderbox created by the current drought in central Texas.

Title: "A Prayer for Rain"

Shot data: 1/40s f/1.4 at 50.0mm iso100
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 50mm f1.4 prime
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Viveza 2 plugin

#761. Everything in its Own Time

Taken this past weekend behind a church in Cistern, Texas.

Title: "Everything in its Own Time"

Shot data: 1/6667s f/2.0 at 50.0mm iso100
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 50mm f1.4 prime
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Viveza 2 plugin