Cloudy Night, Capitol Bright

I took this shot over the holidays on a photowalk with my friends Steve and Andy. We went out looking for Christmas lights in the city and ended up walking around the capitol grounds a bit. I wasn't sure I liked this one. The clouds are what makes it for me. The capitol entrance is a little hot but then again it is in real life too. You almost need sunglasses at night up there. The scene was a good test for a 28mm lens I was trying, as well as seeing what dynamic range a roll of film could handle. Taken with Nikon F2 using Fujifilm Neopan 100 Acros. Please hit 'L' for large on black! Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google Plus I welcome comments and I will be happy to reciprocate by checking out and commenting on your photostream. Group invites are welcome, but I do not participate in Post / Award groups. I reserve the right to delete gaudy, glittery, flashing group invite icons!

Capitol Lamp Post

I took this shot over the holidays on a photowalk with my friends Steve and Andy. We went out looking for Christmas lights in the city and ended up walking around the capitol grounds a bit. Taken with Nikon F2 using Fujifilm Neopan 100 Acros. I adjusted contrast and added vignette in Lightroom. Please hit 'L' for large on black! Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google Plus I welcome comments and I will be happy to reciprocate by checking out and commenting on your photostream. Group invites are welcome, but I do not participate in Post / Award groups. I reserve the right to delete gaudy, glittery, flashing group invite icons!

Terry's Texas Rangers

I took this shot over the holidays on a photowalk with my friends Steve and Andy. We went out looking for Christmas lights in the city and ended up walking around the capitol grounds a bit. Taken with Nikon F2 usting Fujifilm Neopan 100 Acros. Please hit 'L' for large on black! Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google Plus I welcome comments and I will be happy to reciprocate by checking out and commenting on your photostream. Group invites are welcome, but I do not participate in Post / Award groups. I reserve the right to delete gaudy, glittery, flashing group invite icons!

Rick's Place

I took this shot over the holidays on a photowalk with my friends Steve and Andy. We went out looking for Christmas lights in the city and stopped by the Governor's Mansion. This shot was taken with my Nikon F2 and a new to me 28mm lens that I paid all of $43 for. Film is Fujifilm Neopan 100 Acros. Exposure was something like f11 at 4 seconds or so. Kind of sucks not having that EXIF data! ;-) I'll figure out a system sooner or later. Please hit 'L' for large on black! Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google Plus I welcome comments and I will be happy to reciprocate by checking out and commenting on your photostream. Group invites are welcome, but I do not participate in Post / Award groups. I reserve the right to delete gaudy, glittery, flashing group invite icons!

Through the Viewfinder

Happy New Year to all my Flickr friends! I'm looking forward to a great year with photography. My resolutions are to improve my black and white image skills and shoot more film. I took this shot over the holidays on a photowalk with my friends Steve and Andy. We went out looking for Christmas lights in the city and stopped by the Governor's Mansion. That's Steve's Nikon FM and that's the mansion in bokeh. Here is what his camera was pointed at. It was pretty in color but I'm just more into black and white lately. It suits this great old camera. I'm not sure why I didn't take this with my Nikon F2 that I had with me. Please hit 'L' for large on black! Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google Plus I welcome comments and I will be happy to reciprocate by checking out and commenting on your photostream. Group invites are welcome, but I do not participate in Post / Award groups. I reserve the right to delete gaudy, glittery, flashing group invite icons!

Rocketing Down 6th

I grabbed a few shots on 6th St. while downtown recently during the holidays. I like getting long exposures with light trails from passing cars. It's a fun way to add a sense of motion and life to an image. This image is composed of a bracketed set of 3 BW JPEGs from the X100 that I merged manually with Photoshop layers. Please hit 'L' for large on black! Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google Plus I welcome comments and I will be happy to reciprocate by checking out and commenting on your photostream. Group invites are welcome, but I do not participate in Post / Award groups. I reserve the right to delete gaudy, glittery, flashing group invite icons!

Where the Cool Elves Hang Out

I grabbed a few shots on 6th St. while downtown recently during the holidays. I was looking for a different take on the Frost Tower and this corner composition fit the bill. The image is composed of a bracketed set of 3 BW JPEGs from the X100 that I merged with Photomatix Fusion. Please hit 'L' for large on black! Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google Plus I welcome comments and I will be happy to reciprocate by checking out and commenting on your photostream. Group invites are welcome, but I do not participate in Post / Award groups. I reserve the right to delete gaudy, glittery, flashing group invite icons!

222 6th St.

I love night photography and I took the opportunity to grab a few shots on 6th St. while downtown recently. The lights in front of this pizza place and the glow of the ATM machine caught my eye. This image is composed of a bracketed set of 3 BW JPEGs from the X100 that I merged with Photomatix Fusion. Please hit 'L' for large on black! Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google Plus I welcome comments and I will be happy to reciprocate by checking out and commenting on your photostream. Group invites are welcome, but I do not participate in Post / Award groups. I reserve the right to delete gaudy, glittery, flashing group invite icons!

Never Trust a Guy in a Trenchcoat

This is a film shot I took while in downtown Austin recently. I'm just starting to experiment with film at night. This was taken on 6th St. Nikon F2, 35mm f/2, Fujifilm Neopan 100 Acros, 135. Shot handheld, wide open. Please hit 'L' for large on black! Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google Plus I welcome comments and I will be happy to reciprocate by checking out and commenting on your photostream. Group invites are welcome, but I do not participate in Post / Award groups. I reserve the right to delete gaudy, glittery, flashing group invite icons!

Feeling Irish Tonight

This is a film shot I took while in downtown Austin recently. I'm just starting to experiment with film at night. This was taken on 6th St. Nikon F2, 35mm f/2, Fujifilm Neopan 100 Acros, 135. Can't remember the exposure, but it was probably about 2 seconds, from a tripod. Please hit 'L' for large on black! Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google Plus I welcome comments and I will be happy to reciprocate by checking out and commenting on your photostream. Group invites are welcome, but I do not participate in Post / Award groups. I reserve the right to delete gaudy, glittery, flashing group invite icons!

The Girls in my Life

I was trying to get a shot of the poodles laying by a window sill. It was a great natural light opportunity except for the lack of cooperation on the part of my subjects. My wife tried to assist me with arranging the poodles and they decided she needed some kisses. I realized this was a much better opportunity than what I was originally going for and quickly snapped this shot. Taken with a Nikon F2 with a 50mm f/2 lens, Fujifilm Neopan 100 Acros, exposed at f/2.8 @ 1/60 if I remember right. Please hit 'L' for large on black! Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google Plus I welcome comments and I will be happy to reciprocate by checking out and commenting on your photostream. Group invites are welcome, but I do not participate in Post / Award groups. I reserve the right to delete gaudy, glittery, flashing group invite icons!

Christmas at the Capitol

One last Christmas tree for the year! This is the tree in front of the Texas State Capitol building. It played various Christmas tunes and flashed different light patterns periodically. I grabbed this shot with my X100 on a tripod. This is a single exposure that I tweaked a bit in Nik Color Efex. Please hit 'L' for large on black! Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google Plus I welcome comments and I will be happy to reciprocate by checking out and commenting on your photostream. Group invites are welcome, but I do not participate in Post / Award groups. I reserve the right to delete gaudy, glittery, flashing group invite icons!

Driskill Bar Christmas Tree

Christmas 2012 is now in the past but I'm going to get one more tree from the Driskill hotel in. I'm ending the tour of the Driskill where else, in the bar! Christmas decorations were placed by Intuition Interiors. This image is comprised of 3 exposures merged together with Photomatix's Fusion HDR method. HDR image was enhanced with Nik Color Efex Pro Contrast and Topaz Labs Detail. Please hit 'L' for large on black! Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google Plus I welcome comments and I will be happy to reciprocate by checking out and commenting on your photostream. Group invites are welcome, but I do not participate in Post / Award groups. I reserve the right to delete gaudy, glittery, flashing group invite icons!

Driskill Maximilian Christmas Tree

Here's a closer view of the Christmas tree in the Maximilian Room at the Driskill hotel. I love the ornate mirrors in this room and it was pretty neat how the tree was decorated with small hand crafted mirrors. Christmas decorations were placed by Intuition Interiors. This image is comprised of 6 exposures merged together with Photomatix's Fusion HDR method. HDR image was enhanced with Nik Color Efex Pro Contrast and Topaz Labs Detail. Please hit 'L' for large on black! Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google Plus I welcome comments and I will be happy to reciprocate by checking out and commenting on your photostream. Group invites are welcome, but I do not participate in Post / Award groups. I reserve the right to delete gaudy, glittery, flashing group invite icons!

Driskill Maximilian Room

Merry Christmas, ya'll! I'm continuing the tour of the Driskill Hotel and for Christmas morning it's off to the Maximilian Room. This dining room was configured like a cozy living room for the holidays. The room was once a men's smoking room and is named for Mexican Emperor Maximilian. The mirrors on the walls were a gift he gave to his wife. The Driskill purchased the mirrors after her death. Christmas decorations were placed by Intuition Interiors. This image is comprised of 6 exposures merged together with Photomatix's Fusion HDR method. HDR image was enhanced with Nik Color Efex Pro Contrast and Topaz Labs Detail. Please hit 'L' for large on black! Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google Plus I welcome comments and I will be happy to reciprocate by checking out and commenting on your photostream. Group invites are welcome, but I do not participate in Post / Award groups. I reserve the right to delete gaudy, glittery, flashing group invite icons!

Driskill Staircase

Continuing the tour of the Driskill Hotel at Christmas, it's time to move upstairs. The staircase was adorned with holiday garland and lights. The lights cast a nice warm glow on the stairs. Christmas decorations were placed by Intuition Interiors. This image is comprised of 3 exposures merged together with Photomatix's Fusion HDR method. HDR image was enhanced with Nik Color Efex Pro Contrast and Topaz Labs Detail. Please hit 'L' for large on black! Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google Plus I welcome comments and I will be happy to reciprocate by checking out and commenting on your photostream. Group invites are welcome, but I do not participate in Post / Award groups. I reserve the right to delete gaudy, glittery, flashing group invite icons!

Driskill Reception Desk

Continuing the tour of the Driskill Hotel at Christmas, this stop brings us to the reception desk in the main lobby. The area was glowing with warm light. I liked the key ornaments on the garland surrounding the room cubbyholes. Christmas decorations were placed by Intuition Interiors. This image is comprised of 3 exposures merged together with Photomatix's Fusion HDR method. HDR image was enhanced with Nik Color Efex Pro Contrast and Topaz Labs Detail. Please hit 'L' for large on black! Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google Plus I welcome comments and I will be happy to reciprocate by checking out and commenting on your photostream. Group invites are welcome, but I do not participate in Post / Award groups. I reserve the right to delete gaudy, glittery, flashing group invite icons!

Driskill Christmas Tree - Victorian Room

The Driskill Hotel tour continues! I got a note from the designer who does the Driskill hotel's Christmas decorations, asking me to take some photos for her. I was happy to oblige as the Driskill is my favorite place to visit in Austin at Christmas. This shot was taken in the hotel's Victorian Room, which is on the ground floor right off of the main entrance. Christmas decorations were placed by Intuition Interiors. The room was very warmly lit and I used an Expodisc to help get an accurate white balance since my Canon 5D tends to be warm natively. I used bracketed exposures to capture the wide dynamic range. This image is comprised of 4 exposures merged together with Photomatix's Fusion HDR method. HDR image was enhanced with Nik Color Efex Pro Contrast and Topaz Labs Detail. Please hit 'L' for large on black! Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google Plus I welcome comments and I will be happy to reciprocate by checking out and commenting on your photostream. Group invites are welcome, but I do not participate in Post / Award groups. I reserve the right to delete gaudy, glittery, flashing group invite icons!

Driskill Lobby Tree Closeup

I got a note from the designer who does the Driskill hotel's Christmas decorations, asking me to take some photos for her. I was happy to oblige as the Driskill is my favorite place to visit in Austin at Christmas. I thought I'd share some shots as a virtual tour of the hotel during the Christmas season. The Driskill has a towering Christmas tree in the center of the lobby every year. I decided to grab a shot from a different angle than the usual straight-on view as in my previous post. Christmas decorations were placed by Intuition Interiors. The lobby was dimmly lit, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere, while making it difficult to balance an exposure. I used bracketed exposures to capture the wide dynamic range. This image is comprised of 4 exposures merged together with Photomatix's Fusion HDR method. HDR image was enhanced with Nik Color Efex Pro Contrast and Topaz Labs Detail. Please hit 'L' for large on black! Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google Plus I welcome comments and I will be happy to reciprocate by checking out and commenting on your photostream. Group invites are welcome, but I do not participate in Post / Award groups. I reserve the right to delete gaudy, glittery, flashing group invite icons!

Driskill Lobby Tree

I got a note from the designer who does the Driskill hotel's Christmas decorations, asking me to take some photos for her. I was happy to oblige as the Driskill is my favorite place to visit in Austin at Christmas. I thought I'd share some shots as a virtual tour of the hotel during the Christmas season. This is what you see upon walking through the main entrance. The Driskill has a towering Christmas tree in the lobby every year. Christmas decorations were placed by Intuition Interiors. The lobby was dimmly lit, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere, while making it difficult to balance an exposure. I used bracketed exposures to capture the wide dynamic range. This image is comprised of 5 exposures merged together with Photomatix's Fusion HDR method. HDR image was enhanced with Nik Color Efex Pro Contrast and Topaz Labs Detail. Please hit 'L' for large on black! Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google Plus I welcome comments and I will be happy to reciprocate by checking out and commenting on your photostream. Group invites are welcome, but I do not participate in Post / Award groups. I reserve the right to delete gaudy, glittery, flashing group invite icons!

Driskill Christmas 2012

I got a note from the designer who does the Driskill hotel's Christmas decorations, asking me to take some photos for her. I was happy to oblige as the Driskill is my favorite place to visit in Austin at Christmas. Here is the front of the hotel, with the balcony railings all decked out in garland and lights. Decorative garlands were placed by Intuition Interiors. Shot is comprised of 6 exposures merged together with Photomatix's Fusion HDR method. HDR image was enhanced with Nik Color Efex Pro Contrast and Topaz Labs Detail. Please hit 'L' for large on black! Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google Plus I welcome comments and I will be happy to reciprocate by checking out and commenting on your photostream. Group invites are welcome, but I do not participate in Post / Award groups. I reserve the right to delete gaudy, glittery, flashing group invite icons!

Ryan and the Relics

I had just finished an interior shoot at one of the hotels in downtown Austin and my friend Steve and I decided to take a walk down 6th St. We were doing some street shots when we heard some good Austin blues playing. I looked in the window of Friends and saw another buddy, Gary, up on the stage. So, we stopped in to watch the guys jam for a while and grabbed a few shots while we were there. Please hit 'L' for large on black! Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google Plus I welcome comments and I will be happy to reciprocate by checking out and commenting on your photostream. Group invites are welcome, but I do not participate in Post / Award groups. I reserve the right to delete gaudy, glittery, flashing group invite icons!

Ryan and the Relics

I had just finished an interior shoot at one of the hotels in downtown Austin and my friend Steve and I decided to take a walk down 6th St. We were doing some street shots when we heard some good Austin blues playing. I looked in the window of Friends and saw another buddy, Gary, up on the stage. So, we stopped in to watch the guys jam for a while and grabbed a few shots while we were there. Please hit 'L' for large on black! Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google Plus I welcome comments and I will be happy to reciprocate by checking out and commenting on your photostream. Group invites are welcome, but I do not participate in Post / Award groups. I reserve the right to delete gaudy, glittery, flashing group invite icons!

Ryan and the Relics

I had just finished an interior shoot at one of the hotels in downtown Austin and my friend Steve and I decided to take a walk down 6th St. We were doing some street shots when we heard some good Austin blues playing. I looked in the window of Friends and saw another buddy, Gary, up on the stage. So, we stopped in to watch the guys jam for a while and grabbed a few shots while we were there. Please hit 'L' for large on black! Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google Plus I welcome comments and I will be happy to reciprocate by checking out and commenting on your photostream. Group invites are welcome, but I do not participate in Post / Award groups. I reserve the right to delete gaudy, glittery, flashing group invite icons!