#793. The Colorado River

A scene taken this morning on the Colorado River in La Grange, Texas. As I sometimes take liberty to do, I pushed the color saturation on this image to give it a surreal look. Why? Just felt right! :-)

Title: "The Colorado River"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to create a High Dynamic Range (HDR) image from three expposures (-2, 0, +2) > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#792. Cypress Creek Foliage

Taken at the end of November on Cypress Creek in Wimberley, Texas.

Title: Cypress Creek Foliage"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24/105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Viveza 2 plugin > texture from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#791. The Bugle Boy

Taken a few weeks ago at "The Bugle Boy" in LaGrange, Texas. The Bugle Boy is a great venue for watching live music if you're lucky enough to be in LaGrange on a performance night. The house is small (less than 100 people) and the acoustics are great. We saw John Fullbright perform and the show and the venue were fabulous.

Title: "The Bugle Boy"

Shot data: 1/60s f/2.8 at 50.0mm iso1000
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 50mm f1.4 prime lens
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin

#790. After Some Rain

Taken last Friday in Wimberley, Texas after they finally got some rain in the area. A few weeks ago this creek was filled with dry leaves.

Title: "After Some Rain"

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

#789. Robo Flower

Taken at the opening of "Reel to Reel" yesterday. This is a part of one of the devices featured in the show by artists Jeff Shore and Jon Fisher.  Very cool and quite mesmerizing to experience in person!

Title: "Robo Flower"

Shot data: 1/60s f/2.5 at 50.0mm iso1000
Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 50mm f/1.4
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Viveza 2 plugin

#788. Behind Bars

Taken this past weekend at the Old Jail Museum in Cold Spring, Texas.

Title: "Behind Bars"

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

#787. Sam Houston National Forest

A shot taken this past weekend in the Sam Houston National Forest near Cold Spring, Texas.

Title: "Sam Houston National Forest"

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

#786. Big Frosty

Taken this past weekend at a Christmas tree lot near our house in Houston, Texas.

Title: "Big Frosty"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to create an HDR image from one exposure > Nik Viveza plugin > Topaz Adjust plugin

#785. Jailhouse Shower

I just finished post-processing on another shot taken at the Austin County Jail Museum in Bellville, Texas a few weeks ago. The piping hanging from the ceiling is a shower located in the common area between four different cells.

#785. Jailhouse Shower

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust 4 > Nik Silver Efex 2

#784. Low Tide

Taken Sunday in Seabrook, Texas.

Title: "Low Tide"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Viveza Plugin > textures from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#783. Sunset on Cypress Creek

Taken a couple of weekends ago in Wimberley, Texas.

Title: "Sunset on Cypress Creek"

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

#782. Capital Punishment

A detail shot taken at the Austin County Jail Museum in Bellville, Texas a couple of weekends ago.

Title: "Capital Punishment"

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

#781. Cummins Creek Bridge

Taken last weekend near Fayetteville, Texas. Closed to traffic of course and nearly overgrown with trees so that you might not even notice it from the nearby "new" bridge built in 1931. Here's a really cool photo of the old bridge under construction.

Title: "Cummins Creek Bridge"

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

#780. Texas Pickin Park

Taken this past Saturday in Fayetteville, Texas. The event was called Texas Pickin Park and amounted to a meet-up for local musicians. It felt like a scene from the movie "Oh Brother Where Art Thou" to me! I loved it!

Title: "Texas Pickin Park"

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

#779. Old Homestead

Taken this weekend near La Grange, Texas. This is not MY old homestead...but is someones. Whenever I see an old abandoned home like this it makes me wonder what event led to the abandonment. I know it wasn't abandoned fifty years ago so that I would have something interesting to photograph today! So what was it? Someone's health problems, some past economic hard times, legal woes? You can't tell from looking at the remains of the building but it does make you wonder...doesn't it?

Title: "Old Homestead"

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

#778. Behind Bars

Taken last Saturday at the Austin County Jail Museum in Bellville, Texas.

Title: "Behind Bars"

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

#777. The Idle Noose

Taken this past Saturday. Another shot from the Austin County Jail Museum in Bellville, Texas.

Title: "The Idle Noose"

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

#776. Records of Misdeeds

Taken this past Saturday at the Austin County Jail Museum in Bellville, Texas. I suspect that if you tried to handle these old record books now the pages would turn to dust in your hands. Probably no one who ever spent a night in the drunk tank in this old jail is still alive but if they are, and if this is the only record of their visit, there secret is surely safe. :-)

Title: "Records of Misdeeds"

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 Pro 2 plugin

#775. Bastrop Fires #3

More of the devastated Forrest around Bastrop, Texas taken a few weeks ago.

Title: "Bastrop Fires #3"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24/105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 plugin > textures from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#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

#760. Twice Burned

Taken this past weekend. One of the shells of the homes destroyed in wildfires around the Bastrop, Texas area.

Title: "Twice Burned"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Viveza 2 plugin > Nik Silver Efex 2 plugin

#759. Muldoon

While driving around this past weekend I spotted this scene in Muldoon, TX. For every big city in Texas we have a million of small towns like Muldoon.  The building on the right is the courthouse.

Title: "Muldoon"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105mm L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to create an HDR image from three exposures > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Viveza 2 plugin > Textures from flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#758. Bastrop Fires #2

Continuing with shots from Bastrop, Texas this past weekend.

Title: "Bastrop Fires #2"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105 L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex 2 plugin > textures by flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#757. Bastrop Fires #1

Just back from a trip around Central Texas over the last three days.  Everywhere we went we saw evidence of the stress to the environment caused by the current drought affecting much of Texas.  The area around the town of Bastrop was particularly hard hit by forest fires a couple of weeks ago.  It is shocking to see the path of destruction left by these fires.

Title: "Bastrop Fires #1"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24-105 L zoom
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one HDR (High Dynamic Range) image > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex 2 plugin > textures by flypapertextures.blogspot.com

#756. Taffy Puller

Taken at LaKing's Confectionery in Galveston, Texas. "Pulling" is a key part of making taffy. This looks to be a difficult job if done by hand; luckily LaKing's pulling machine survived hurricane Ike.

Title: "Taffy Puller"

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

#755. LaKing's Too

Inside LaKing's Confectionery in Galveston, Texas.

Title: "LaKing's Too"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one High Dynamic Range (HDR) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Silver Efex 2 plugin

#754. Inside LaKing's

A from inside LaKing's Confectionery on The Strand in Galveston, Texas.

Title: "Inside LaKing's"

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

#753. Taffy #5 and #6

Back to LaKing's on The Strand in Galveston, Texas.

Title: "Taffy #5"

Title: "Taffy #6"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24/105mm L zoom

#752. Candy and the Candy Man

Another shot from Galveston a couple of weekends ago. This on is at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.

Title: "Candy and the Candy Man"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Shot data: 1/640s f/2.8 at 15.0mm iso800
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Viveza 2 plugin

#751. Taffy 4

Continuing with my Taffy shots from last weekend's trip down to Galveston.

Title: "Taffy 4"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 24/105mm L zoom
Shot data: 1/40s f/4.0 at 35.0mm iso1000

#750. Taffy #1, #2, #3

Taken yesterday at LaKing's Confectionery located at 2323 Strand
Galveston, TX 77550. If your on The Strand with some time to kill I suggest you stop by and see if you're lucky enough to see salt water taffy being produced by LaKing's candy makers.

Title: "Taffy #1"

Title: "Taffy #2"

Title: "Taffy #3"

#749. Rock Art Too

From a couple of weekends ago. Another shot of the public art display created from rocks along the Galveston sea wall.

Title: "Rock Art Too"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Photomatix Pro to combine three exposures (-2, 0, +2) into one High Dynamic Range (HDR) image > Photoshop CS4 > Topaz Adjust plugin > Nik Viveza 2 plugin

#748. At Rest

Taken this past weekend. Some oak barrels at Haak Winery in Santa Fe, Texas.

Title: "At Rest"

Camera / Lens: Canon 5D Mark II / Canon 15mm fisheye
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw > Photoshop CS4 > Nik Silver Efex2

#747. The Great Benini

#Taken a few weekends ago at the Benini Sculpture Ranch in Johnson City, Texas. "The Great Benini" is not a self portrait but rather a creation by artist Jonas Perkins. From the Sculpture Ranch web page:

About his massive Luminary Sculpture Mosaic, The Great Benini, Jonas says:
In homage to my friend, my monolith artist emerges from the earth, seeing our world for the first time. Exploring, he is still part of the earth—not yet of our world. Looking at The Great Benini, spectators imagine the rest of him that is yet to emerge into our sight. The sun and moon reflect in The Great Benini luminary, attracting galaxies of artists on earth—just as gravity attracts planets to large celestial bodies.

Title: "The Great Benini"

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 2