Where is a photograph made? In camera or in Photoshop?

The two schools of thought on this subject are at utter apposition. There are those photographers who adamantly insist that a photograph should be created in camera through traditional (or non-traditional but outside the box) means. Others believe that RAW pixels are merely the raw material for making an image great and that tools like Photoshop (PS) and Lightroom (LR) pick up where Ansel Adams' Zone System left off and are where a photograph truly takes its first breath.

Us? We let the photo be our guide. Often, the main objective in camera is to light the subject/scene properly and/or in a way that (with current technology) cannot be simulated in software and to compose the image as simply as possible, whether we zoom with our feet or our lens. Cropping in camera, in our view, makes for a larger possible print than cropping in PS/LR.

At a minimum, every final selection from a shoot is dodged and burned (to use old-school terms) and sharpened. We also will adjust the histogram (the display of distribution of light and dark tones) so that the image is printable. That is, the image should have no blown highlights and few, if any, plugged up shadows with no detail. 

After that, we remove objects (telephone wires, unwanted birds too far away to be of interest, lens flares, stray hairs, etc.) that detract from the subject/scene.

Once all this is done, a photograph will tell us whether it's done (stick a fork in it) or it needs further manipulation. Sometimes, it will call out for another element -- clouds in a bald, uninteresting sky, let's say.

Let's stipulate that that's exactly what it needs. Clouds. We keep a folder full of clouds that we photograph for this very purpose. Here's an example of just such a photograph:
Yes, we know It's not a photograph taken all at the same moment. Get over it. Composite photos have been made almost as long as photographs have been made.

And this one, as they go, is a pretty simple one to execute. Merely select the aforementioned bald, uninteresting sky, refine the edge along the treetops to prevent a white outline, mask the clouds with the field of hay and trees, and you're almost done.

Doing this kept us from having to wait days or weeks for the proper clouds and take the chance that the field would be cleared of the hay, and it also affords us the flexibility of adjusting all the elements of the both sky and field independently -- contrast, highlights, shadows, sharpness, etc.

Even though this is a composite, we did everything we could to frame and expose both elements. We waited about half an hour for the last bit of sunlight to skim across the field and hit the hay at just the right angle. The shadow from the horizon was moving so quickly that next frame was half-covered in shadow and the hay rolls were where they were light moments before.

The clouds were almost as difficult to capture. Shooting them from a high vantage point to remove clutter and bracketing exposure to pump up the contrast and make sure there were no blown highlights took some experimentation, too. As a result, they became a bit more ominous than they appeared to the eye. Adjusting them in PS/LR helped to exaggerate that effect.

—ø—

So, when it comes to making a good photograph, we go to one school to get what we can and then on to another to make the most of all that we learned. It's really an ongoing exercise and we never fail to learn something new with every photograph.

~ Lawrence Standifer Stevens

Lawrence Standifer Stevens has been a photographer longer than he can remember. Quick! Subscribe to his newsletter and if he can remember the password to his computer, he'll pass along some tips and advice to help you improve your own shooting.

Too-ta-doooooooo!

I don't often toot my own horn but this is one time I couldn't pass it up. Huffington Post UK has included me in a compilation of the 12 Top Emerging Digital Artists On The Internet. Cooler still, my painting, Nebula, is the number two sample image included in the slideshow at the bottom of the page. I suppose I sound like a naif for writing about a press notice but, what the heck? It's my first international exposure and I'm kinda diggin' it. Very cool. 

After only a few days, my Recent Visitor Map on my website looks like this:

visitor-map.jpg

What amazes me is the amount of traffic INCREASE in such a short time - just a few days. 

The image they included in the HuffPost UK article is pretty small and doesn't show much of the texture in the piece. I suppose that's why most of my art is around 48" square or larger, to show off the texture.


Nebula

After you've taken a look at the other artists in the article, I invite you to come back and take a look at my artwork. Everything you see here is for sale and is fairly good size; as I said, about 4 ft x 4 ft or larger. I print on a variety of media: heavy watercolor paper, canvas, metallic paper, or face-mounted on ¼" acrylic sheets with a floating mount. . . whatever the piece dictates. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.

~Lawrence Standifer Stevens

How to Edit Your Own Photography

Editing your own photographic work need not be an unbearable chore. Think of it in terms of uncovering hidden gems among all the costume jewelry in your old Aunt Ethel’s trunk in the attic after she’s passed away.

I use a four-step process (generally) and it doesn’t take nearly so long to do as it does to describe.

1st Pass

As Fast as Possible

I pretty much use Adobe Lightroom (LR) exclusively for my production editing, switching over to Photoshop (PS) only when the edit is complete and, then, only when I want to do some heavy lifting for which LR is just not the proper tool.

There are any number of workflows one can use in LR (and in PS) — and although some may very well be objectively better than others, it boils down to what you are most comfortable with. So, I’ll skip most of the specifics of dealing with both those programs and stick to the Mile-High View of the process.

That said, here’s an exception to my own damn rule about staying above the process: After importing images into Lightroom, I set my Filters (lower right corner, above the “filmstrip” of images) so that the Left and Center flags are active.

Adobe Lightroom Filter Settings to make rejected images disappear from view.

Adobe Lightroom Filter Settings to make rejected images disappear from view.

This may not be THE correct way of doing this but it works for me and that’s all I care about. What this does is allow me to not only Reject images but make them disappear from the filmstrip so I no longer have to see and deal with them. This is important because it frees up that part of the mind that constantly is asking, Accepted? Rejected? Evaluate? Move on?  whether or not you’ve already done any of those things. Quite literally, it is a case of out of sight, out of mind. This saves a tremendous amount of mental energy and keeps the edit moving forward.

I make the filmstrip as large as possible, select the first image in the imported frames, and move forward as quickly as I can using the arrow keys. Using only a general impression of the image, I will Select or Cull an image. It needs to jump out at me to keep it. If an image does nothing for me immediately, I Reject it (using the X key) and move on to the next frame.

Use General Impressions Only

This is where you reject clearly out-of-focus images, shots with the subject in mid-blink, and goofy expressions. Plus, shots where your flash didn’t fire or recycle fast enough get 86’d, and operator error such as camera movement or incorrect exposure get the axe. But it’s really only the most obvious problems that will catch your attention. I tend to squint a bit to keep from being sucked into the minute details of a photograph.

Squinting demonstration. Do not try this at home. Trained professional on a closed course.

Squinting demonstration. Do not try this at home. Trained professional on a closed course.

Eliminate, Don't Ruminate

The whole point of the First Pass is to go through all your images as quickly as you can. You don’t want to think about the merits of each and every frame. Nuh-uh! You want to blaze a trail through those 2000 shots of your niece’s wedding, and you want to do it fast. Evaluating every little element of each shot will cause you to pull your hair out and run screaming into the night. Don’t do that! You’ve got work to do.

2nd Pass

Do It Quick but Use a More Discerning Eye

The second pass through your images is a bit more deliberate. It’s still pretty quick but now you’re beginning to notice details. There are slight differences, often, between two very similar shots. Take note of the things that might cause you to do a lot of post-production work. Sometimes, time is the only important difference. In two shots, one only slightly better than the other, the one that requires more processing time because — I dunno — say, someone’s finger (don’t go there) suddenly twitched and it looks really weird and retouching it would take 20 minutes to fix. Do you go there? Sometimes the answer is Yes. Why? You need the hands-on practice with retouching that particular finger “thing” or the client really, really wants it or. . . come up with your own reason. Quite often the answer is No. There are too many fixes needed, that take too much time, and there’s just not that much to gain in terms of quality.

Notice those things but be cautious about fixing everything. It’s a time-suck.

Do A:B comparisons in this pass. After you have done a few, you’ll begin to pick up steam and start rolling through your images like the 5:13 from Chicago to L.A. After a while, you begin to see both images like you were viewing them with an old-timey stereopticon.

A:B Comparison in Lightroom.

One thing I’ve learned about my own photography over the years is that the last frame in a sequence is more often than not the keeper. It saves a lot of time if you just go with the one that’s usually the best. You might be very different in how you shoot, however. As they say, YMMV.

3rd Pass

Slower Still - Grade Photos - Stars or Colors

In Lightroom, there are a couple of ways to rate an image. I occasionally will use colors but I mostly rely on the star rating. If I think it’s going to be a Select, I’ll just go ahead and give an image 5-stars.

5-star rating

5-star rating

Sometimes, an image can still be used even though it’s not the absolute best of the sequence of shots of the same subject. I’ll drop the star rating to a 4- or 3-star rating but anything less than that is going to be rejected anyway, so I’ll simply press the X-key and reject them.

The lower star-rated images may not make the final cut but they may serve a purpose in stock photography. Or they may work better with a different crop.

4th Pass

Live with your decisions

Before you make the final pass, take a break. Unless you have to deliver the job right away, you can afford some time to “live with” your final candidates before the axe falls again. Think like a turtle not a hare. Make a slideshow and run it several times, hours or days apart. Or make small prints and put them up on a bulletin board or your wall.

Live with your photos for a bit. Do they stand the test of time?

Live with your photos for a bit. Do they stand the test of time?

Go through them often and look deeply into each one. Soon, the ones that want to hurl themselves onto a rocky shoreline at the bottom of a cliff will jump out at you and scream, “Get me outta here! I can’t stand living with these guys! They’re so good. . . and I’m just NOT.”

That’s when you start downgrading the photos or outright rejecting them. They will speak to you. All you have to do is listen. The only thing remaining to do is to do your typical post-processing to your Final Cut.

Before you know it, you’ll have finished your edit and all will again be right with the world. Now, go shoot some more. It’s not nearly so hard as you thought.

~ Lawrence Standifer Stevens

UPDATE 12/1/14: Joe Dantone, a Fine Art Photographer, responded with this little tidbit: 

I hate being so picky, but I think what you described is photo editing, not editing photos. If that is true, you might explain the difference.

And he is absolutely correct. I might. Next time.

Lawrence Standifer Stevens has been accused of far worse than having a name that's just way too long. He's a triple threat — he paints, he shoots, he writes, he does voiceovers, and he tells a remarkably boring story that often has listeners on the verge of piercing their eardrums. Wait. That's five threats. But who's counting? Visit his galleries and see his photography right next to his artwork. Amazing how he does that! Putting them so close together. Who'd a-thunk?

4 Ways to Make Your Photographs Pop

Okay, I lied. There is only one way to make your photographs "pop." Print them on balloons!

Seriously, if you want your images to have greater impact, even before you open up Photoshop or Lightroom, do the following in camera when you are taking your photo:

 

Simplify It

Get rid of the clutter. Zoom in. If you can't zoom in with your camera, use your feet — move closer to your subject. 

Just the boxers. No ring. No ref.

Filling the frame with your subject guarantees more "pop" for your photos. When the subject is the same size as the rest of the items or people in the frame, it's hard for the viewer to quickly decide what that subject is. While the subject doesn't have to completely fill the frame, its size relative to everything else should make it clear that it's the dominant part and, therefore, the subject of the photograph.

 

Compose Yourself

Or, rather, compose your photograph. You've probably heard of the Rule of Thirds, creating or imagining a tic-tac-toe grid on your camera's viewfinder and placing the subject at the intersection of two of the lines. I use it frequently. But not exclusively.

There are any number of ways to organize a photograph. A few of them are: leading lines, s-curves, use of triangles, and so on. Most of them create a hierarchy of information, with the top of that hierarchy being the subject. 

Breezeway entrance to the Latino Cultural Center in Dallas. A good example of both Rule of Thirds and Leading Lines composition.

If you usually place the subject drop-dead-center in all your photos, you might want to take a look at doing it differently. Drawing the viewer into the frame toward the subject is the goal, however you compose your image.

 

Colorize 

Because of the way the human eye sees, red objects really jump off the screen, particularly on a blue background. This is because the eye cannot focus on both the red and the blue ends of the light spectrum at the same time. Sometimes with this color combination, you may experience a vibrating of the colors or even a faux-3D effect with red coming forward and blue receding.  

A very red 52 Chevy truck. Who knew that a 60+ year old pickup truck fender could be so enticing you'd want to lick it?

Often a different color will stand out from its surroundings, particularly if they are complementary colors. Using this method to indicate your subject is particularly effective for, say, fields of flowers. You'll often find one flower that is either a different color or a different color and a different species. Use those differences to your advantage.

Red isn't the only color that will "pop." It's just one color. No need to rush off and shoot nothing but red subjects. However, that's not a bad idea for collection of images or even a show.

 

Create Contrast

Technically speaking, contrast is the degree of difference between the blackest black and the whitest white in your image. And that type of contrast is definitely something you should strive for most of the time in your photos. (For every rule there's an exception, however.)

But let's talk about other kinds of contrast, shall we? Since the word contrast comes from two Latin verbs meaning to stand against, consider that opposites make good contrasty subjects. For instance, a photo of a big, adult dog and a sweet, little kitten almost always gets some kind of emotional and/or verbal response, regardless of how overused it may be. (Awww!) Forgetting for a moment the difficulties that scale presents, how about a photo of tiny Matchbox® car crossing the Golden Gate Bridge? See where I'm going here?

Feather on Slate Stairs

Feather on Slate Stairs

The kind of contrast that depicts subjects that are not often thought of together — a cop and an artist, a billionaire and a immigrant dishwasher, a clown and a doctor — create a third, implied, subject: the difference between them.

 

The Eyes Have It

It almost never fails. . . we are drawn to look into the eyes of those with whom we have are having a "conversation." That includes, I think, a photographic subject with whom we are having a brief tête-à-tête. If you can illuminate the subject's eyes more prominently than the rest of him/her, do it that way. Subtlely. If you can't use a flash or strobe to fill the eyes, use a reflector to bounce some ambient light into their eyes. A little bit of light works wonders.

Subtlety is the key. I had to use Photoshop to lighten the subject's eyes instead of a light or reflector but they certainly do "pop."

Failing all of that, you can do it in Photoshop or Lightroom. Since there about a ka-gillion ways of doing everything in Photoshop and somewhat fewer in Lightroom, I will leave the exact method you use to your Internet search skills. However you lighten the subject's eyes, do it with restraint. The whites don't actually have to be white. You don't want them to look like Godzilla shooting death rays out of his eyes, melting everything in his path. Leave that to the sci-fi special effects guys.

—ø—

These are just a few of the things that will help you to create photographs that "pop" off the page or screen and into your viewers' hearts and minds, and, perhaps, their wallets, too. Share your own techniques below in the comments.

– Lawrence Standifer Stevens

Lawrence Standifer Stevens has been shooting for longer than he cares to remember. But he remembers his first photo — a squirrel on a phone pole. And he can't get it out of his head. Perhaps you can help him forget. Subscribe to his newsletter and he'll tell you his photographic secrets.

Put a Bow on It

When I decided to take a road trip several weeks ago, I had no idea how involved it would be. And involving.

Three states, 10 cities, 2660 miles, 13 days. I haven't added up how much I spent on gas and accommodations but, needless to say, it was an expensive trip. But I got a good deal from my travels, too. More importantly, I met some really wonderful people. (And one jerk...but he doesn't count.)

Which brings me to why I make photographs of buildings. I do it in order to meet people. Life has been a blur since I returned home so I'm a little fuzzy on the details but a brief incident comes to mind that illustrates this point.

Once back in Dallas / Fort Worth, I went in to the studio to unload my truck and unpack gear. Sans camera, I went out for lunch or dinner — whatever — and found that I really wanted to photograph a person I saw across the way and get to know something about them. But without my camera, I felt this choking sensation, as if there were an invisible pair of hands around my throat. The more I wanted to get up and approach this person, the tighter the grip of the unseen hands.

That's when I realized the camera somehow gave me permission to be friendly, open enough to approach a stranger. Without it, I'm a pretty shy, private, reclusive type of guy, some would say even kind of aloof. Camera in hand, I can approach anyone, go anywhere, climb atop anything, even do some really stupid shit, thinking I am completely invulnerable. After all, I've got a camera in my hand. Nothing can happen to me. Right? Right?!? (Please, never put me in a war zone!)

Most important of all, however, is a simple goal I've had from the outset of this little project. That is, to complete something I started. A lifelong problem, this. But my intention, even though the photographs will have a life long after this road trip, is to bring it to a conclusion, finish it, put a bow on it. Not to leave it undone, hanging, twisting in the wind from a Mexican overpass like a corpse that will eventually stank up the place, y'all. Time to cut it down and bury it 'cause it's the past and it's dead, done, and gone. Time to move on to the next thing.

Check, please?!!

ROAD TRIP - DAY 12 & 13 - Dallas

Dallas

The hardest thing about the 2014 TX, NM, & OK Whirlwind Architectural Photo Tour for me, photographically speaking, has been seeing my hometown with new eyes. While this road trip has presented both treasures and challenges along the way, I never found it hard to be amazed and surprised when coming on a new building, large or small.

But stepping out to photograph the city that I grew up in and know like the back of my camera has proved more than difficult. I squint, cross and uncross my eyes, and let my vision go defocused, all in the effort to squeeze some newness out of my surroundings. I am not sure that I have succeeded. But here are my choices for my brief architectural exploration of the city I love — God forgive me — Big D.

You may have noticed — if you have kept up with this entire 13-day journey — that I seem to have a thing for churches. I do. I'm not sure why that is except that they often seem to be the most architecturally interesting structures in the neighborhood. Is that me or is that, indeed, true?

Since a church is an expression of all that is good in mankind and seeks to praise God in that expression, it seems logical that the architects and the congregations who commission them would often go the extra step to reach an aesthetic that reaches beyond the designs of secular structures. So I pay homage to that effort, that aesthetic, by including some of them here.

Corabeth's home and the Divine Sisters of Providence

Edgefield Iglesia de Cristo

Majestic Ark of Safety Holiness Church

Tyler Street United Methodist Church

At some point, a building can become co-opted by its neighbors. They take "ownership." You see this most vividly in the tags and mural art left by artists of varying degrees of talent. They make the building into a canvas and, suddenly, it has a new use, probably unintended by the architect. Nonetheless. .  . .

Sometimes the architecture is the canvas for another artist.

The last couple of years have seen the revivification and repurposing of an old Oak Cliff landmark, the Kessler Theater. The Kessler has marvelous acoustics and gives artists a place to really connect with an audience, and the audience a chance to see, up close, some excellent performers.

Kessler Theater

Nearby, the neighborhood south of W. Davis St. is mostly quiet but on this hot summer day you can almost hear the sound of children screaming, "Lemonaaaaaaade!" at the tops of their lungs. The perfect libation for a-sittin' and a-rockin'.

Oak Cliff Residence

Right on the edge of downtown Dallas, just east of US 75/Central Expressway on Live Oak Street, the Latino Cultural Center occupies a spot a few blocks north of Deep Ellum. It is host to a constant variety of events for the Hispanic community and those who appreciate their many, varied cultures.

Latino Cultural Center façade

Latino Cultual Center street entrance

Latino Cultural Center sculpture

Latino Cultural Center breezeway entrance

For whatever reason, parking garages have a special place in my heart. Probably because they get no respect whatsoever. Across Live Oak from the Latino Cultural Center, Elan City Lights is being built. Another apartment complex for the flush, upwardly mobile young person who want to live near downtown; the downtown that just can't seem to get defibrillated to the point that its heart has a beat of its own. But, I digress. At some point, I may see if I can photograph this new structure more closely. For now, it sits. Waiting.

In keeping with the healthcare motif of the area (which is home to Baylor Hospital), the Rehabilitation and Wellness Center helps folks overcome addictions. And, obviously, does it in excellent style.

Rehababilitation & Wellness Center

Down the street from where I live, in the non-profit section of Swiss Avenue, is this beautifully designed home of Dallas CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates). They are advocates for abused children. Glad they're around to help these kids.

Dallas CASA

Downtown, the skyscrapers are still growing. The older ones, like Republic Center, hold their own. And the new ones keep sprouting like kudzu.

Republic Center home of the Republic National Bank building (the one with the spire atop it), now called Gables Republic Tower. When it was completed in 1954, it was the tallest building in Dallas and west of the Mississippi River. 

Gables Republic Tower

Can't get enough of some Gables Republic Tower.

When I was a kid, Republic National Bank was the coolest skyscraper in the world. It had a rocket on top of it, for gosh sakes! It was one of those buildings (and still is) that I could not NOT look at when driving by the city skyline. Then, of course, there was Time & Temperature sponsored by Republic National Bank. I still remember the number. Back then, there were no area codes and we had names for the exchanges. Say it with me now: Riverside 7-6651.

—ø—

Wandering to another area of downtown, I came across this little gem, below, at 1700 Pacific Avenue. In the brief time I was there shooting the cave-like niche in the building, I saw no fewer than 4 people step in from the sun and the traffic to make a call. The important thing, however, is that it exists at all. A fairly small, dark inset on the side of a building that gets a lot of use from people who a) want to make discreet phone calls or 2) need a place to get in out of the elements. In an age of the mega-scraper, knowing that there are architects out there who design for the human scale, for incidental use by people who may never cross the threshold of a building's portal gives me great comfort.

A niche for cell phone addicts.

Before moving on, a slight turn to my left revealed another skywalk. Setting up quickly, I was able to capture a few people rushing through my frame to some important destination. Opting for black and white instead of color, I chose to keep a small splash of red — the cap of the bicyclist — as a way to direct attention to the object of my affection.

Skywalk

Okay, call me gullible. As I was walking, head down, checking my last shot, I was startled by the gentleman you see below. I thought he was just resting a moment from sweeping all that trash. Then, I realized he wasn't real. I'm not really sure what his significance is but I feel cleaner knowing he's there. 

Sweeper statue

Behold, the AT&T building. If you squint, you can almost see a block-like, very geometrical sphinx. Wearing some very cool shades. Rather imposing, don't you think? And inscrutable. I know this because I had to call AT&T Customer Service yesterday.

AT&T

It wasn't until later in the day, sitting in front of my computer, editing photos, that I realized that this was the Dallas Branch of the Federal Reserve. Thought they moved to Woodall Rogers and Pearl. This must be the old location. Somehow this smaller one looks sturdier.

Dallas Federal Reserve Branch

Museum Tower, below, owned by the Dallas Police and Fire Pension System, has been mired in controversy at least since its completion. Evidently, someone didn't do their homework regarding the glare caused by the glass panels. They reflect an enormous amount of light onto the Nasher Sculpture Gardens, ruining, according to one artist, his sculpture. At his request, the Nasher closed down the exhibit to the public. That would be some pret-ty bad glare, my friend. Perhaps, they could start issuing welding goggles with every admission. A word of advice to the architects on future jobs: Angle of incidence equals angle of reflection. Sun 101.

Museum Tower residential "sky-rise"

Another favorite piece of architecture that has stood the test of time — and that's saying a lot in Dallas where it gets torn down if it's older than fifty years — is the Wilson Building. The interplay of light across the surface of the building is always interesting and photogenic at anytime of day or night.

The Wilson Building

Among the new, there are always the skeletons of the old, sometimes with a little flesh hanging onto those bones as a reminder of what was. I can't remember where the bars on the ground were, inside or outside. I believe it's the inside we're seeing with the reflection of the buildings across the street and diagonal. Somehow, this photograph makes me very sad.

Mosaic Behind Bars

The Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe. Reaching for the heavens, it appears to be much larger than it really is. Surrounded by giants all 'round, she goes about her business quietly and does the work she was meant to do.

 

Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe

A difficult image to create, my impatience shows here with the Belo Mansion; I couldn't wait for a minute or two for a cloud to pass so that it was in direct sunlight like the Museum Tower, behind it. The contrast between the two was almost too much to overcome.

Belo Mansion

This view of a parking garage at 606 Harwood dominates the skyscrapers around and behind it. It serves the building across the street, home to KPMG, the "audit, tax, and advisory services" powerhouse.

The parking garage and skywalk serving KPMG, across the street.

A simple wall, which, I believe, is around the Crow Collection of Asian Art, could have been left unadorned and no one would have said anything about it. But someone decided to line it with bamboo and it became something remarkable.

Bamboo Wall

The entryway to the Crow Collection of Asian Art is, by any standard, quite impressive. This very quick study shows me the possibility for a beautifully lighted photograph. "If you don't ask, the answer is always NO." Words I live by. Now, I just need to find the right person to ask. What I have in mind is referred to by some as "light painting," taking a base exposure with very little light showing and, then, exposing a large number of frames with a flash or flashlight of some kind aimed at specific areas. All these exposures are stacked in Photoshop and blended so that they eventually light up the entire scene. 

Crow Collection of Asian Art entryway

There is more but I need to stop and catch up on my image editing. Check back soon.

We're about to wrap up this road trip and call it a drive. We're working on a special section of the portfolio to display a selection of the images on a permanent basis. Tell us your favorites in the comments section and we'll see about adding them.

~Lawrence Standifer Stevens

ROAD TRIP - DAY 11 - Fort Worth

Fort Worth

After a good night's sleep in my own bed, I headed to Cowtonia 30 miles to the west to see what I could see.

Before I headed downtown, I took a drive through a neighborhood just east of the CBD — Northeast Fort Worth. Somehow, the area has figured prominently in my life of late (my sister lives there and I've been looking at places that might be suitable for live/work in the area nearby). So, a turn off I-30 heading north put me on Sylvania.

Andrew "Doc" Session Community Center

Fort Worth Harvest Church

The sun began its descent toward the horizon and I drifted toward downtown, where I found an old house at the corner of E. Belknap and N. Grove being used as a business. I knocked on the door, unsure if it was a residence or business but not wanting to be presumptuous. A young lady opened the door and seemed a bit perturbed that I would wait for an invitation inside so she could close the door. Not much of a conversationalist, she had no idea how old the building was, and a colleague confirmed the same, because they were leasing and had no clue how old the building was. I thanked them and was on my way. It wasn't until just now as I write this that I found out that it was a bail bondsman and a law firm I had barged into. That explains a lot.

Bail Bonds for the comfortably ensconced

Around the corner from the Bail Bondsman. Lots of lawyers in this area near the courthouse.

From there, I drove further down E. Belknap and parked across from the beautiful Tarrant County Courthouse where I started my walk.

Tarrant County Courthouse and the D.R. Horton Tower

Statue at the Tarrant County Courthouse

Onward around the CBD and I found this little gem, tucked away, in the shadow of glass and steel. Fire Station No. 1, with its tiny, narrow door, presumably for its tiny, narrow firetruck.

Fire Station No. 1 - 150 Years 

Anthony Chavers - Singer

Anthony Chavers - Singer

As usual, I met someone who was interesting and encouraging - and interested in my road trip. His name was - and, presumably, still is - Anthony Chavers. As we crossed the street, I asked Anthony what he did. Seemingly by rote, he told me that he answered the phones all day with the Tarrant County Family Law Center, helping people with the process of name changes, family needs, and a variety of other tasks which he seemed to have no energy in describing.

For whatever reason, I blurted out a question that changed his entire demeanor. Suddenly, Anthony became animated, more alive that he'd been just a moment or two ago. I asked him, "But what do you really want to do?" He smiled broadly and proclaimed, "What I really want to do is sing!

Now he had me. He told how he sang in churches, not just his own, but many others, and that he always sang his own songs, never covering the works of others. People loved it, he said. I told him he should always do his own songs, stay true to himself and not perform other songwriters' work.

Tarrant County Family Law Center

Skywalks have always held some fascination for me. For whatever reason, they seem straight out of the Jetson's future. Instead of looking below for traffic, I find myself looking above. . . for flying cars, the one's that were supposed to have been in common use by now. Mine's on order. Yours?

Skywalk between towers

Since it first opened, the Bass Performance Hall has enjoyed a reputation as one of the finest acoustic environments in the world. I've wanted to visit Bass Hall for years but have never had the opportunity. The days of attending concerts on a regular basis have long since passed for me. Nevertheless, as a former audio producer and engineer, I'd find it interesting to experience its sonic excellence. Not having seen the structure before, I was somewhat startled when I came upon it. And I walked around the corner at the perfect moment, with the sun casting a shadow right at the juncture of sidewalk and building. I'm glad I was there to record it.

Bass Performance Hall

When I turned around, I saw that the building behind me, across from Bass Hall, was under construction. I am something of a photographic opportunist. When the moment comes, I would rather strike (or click) while the camera's hot. So much for asking permission. Give me the one from the forgiveness column, thankyouveddymuch. I prefocused, guessed at the exposure, stepped in, squared up my camera on my tripod, fired off a shot, adjusted the exposure and focus, fired two more shots, turned on my heels and was gone in less than 30 seconds. I'm not sure if anyone even noticed me.

Under Construction - Not sure what it's going to be. Didn't see any signs.

A couple blocks over, I saw the Convention Center in the distance. Walking toward it, I came upon a Tribute to John F. Kennedy and his final speeches on November 22, 1963. It was considerably more moving than the assassination-focused 6th Floor Museum in Dallas. Simple. Dignified. A man approached the memorial, quietly, almost reverently, as I finished my photograph. We share a few words and parted. Fort Worth. Dallas. Very different cities.

John F. Kennedy Memorial commemorating the young president's final speeches.

Sometimes it's necessary as a photographer to take small risks, knowing that most people take care of fools and children. It became quickly obvious to my sense of place, perspective, and point of view, that the best place to shoot the Fort Worth Convention Center was from directly in front of the building, in the middle of the street. Watching for traffic with the eyes in the back of my head, I walked to the center of Main Street just on the edge of East 9th Street. Fortunately, I had the passionately vocal assistance of a gentleman who had apparently gotten a head start on the evening's celebrations. But he was adamantly insisting that I was completely crazy for being in the middle of the street paying no heed to his warnings of imminent danger from the two or three cars that passed slowly by me turning onto E. 9th St. Finished with my job, I thanked him in no uncertain terms, and moved on.

Fort Worth Convention Center

Stopping in front of Grace Restaurant in the Frost Bank Building, I saw two gentlemen who were sitting by the window having a conversation over a wee dram. It must have been a private chat. I say this because by the time I had my camera set to capture a square-on image of the building...with the men sitting relaxed by the window...they had decided not to include me in their discussion. Here, I submit to you the image taken the moment after they departed. Note the emptiness. How very sad.

Reflections of Grace in the Frost Bank Building

Flat Iron buildings exist in cities the world over. Fort Worth is no exception. Tiny triangles of real estate that mustn't go to waste, I've always seen them as placeholders. Yet they seem to have reached a special status in architecture. No one knows why.

The Flat Iron Building

What you see here, the W. T. Waggoner Building -- or, rather, its rear aspect -- is what is available to view when the street in front narrows to the point that it is virtually impossible to photograph from the front. And, yet, it is worth considering how breathtaking (literally) it would be to be forced to use the fire escape to abandon such a structure. If you have access to the parking garage across the street from the façade of this magnificent building and would like to share that access with me so that I might do it justice, please contact me. Operators are standing by.

Fire escape side of the W.T. Waggoner Building

Another tower that oil built, this one, currently occupied by Oncor.

Oncor Building

Samuel H. Kress had buildings in most major cities across the U.S.A. But they're now seeing second, third, or even fourth lives, as the never-wed bachelor had no heirs and his properties were liquidated in 1980. Art Deco and Zigzag Moderne styles were the predominant architectural styles employed in most of these buildings. They were well-built, using some of the finest materials, and stand with post offices and railroad depots for their endurance. The Kress buildings are being repurposed rather than razed and what were, for a time, empty shells, are being turned into lofts or a mix of residences and commercial spaces.

Kress Building - Front

I was unable to find out on short notice how this interesting wall in the Kress Building came to be. I assume that the red brick profile is the only remnant of the building next door long ago razed to make room for the present-day parking lot. I'm not sure why I find this so fascinating. It probably says more about my simple mind than it does about the Kress Building's former neighbor. Nonetheless.

Kress Building - Side

I like reflections way too much.

Storefront Reflection

The bell tower of the First Christian Church rang the hour and I came a-'runnin' because I knew there was a   photograph to be made in the advancing twilight. The bell tower, itself, refused to yield up an interesting angle from ground level. But stepping 50 feet to the south gave me this stunning view of the façade. Our friends in the photo unwittingly cooperated with me while I set up my camera, becoming an entry point and, if you will, a launching pad for how one views the image. Squint a bit and you'll see them as the vertex of a triangle that reflects the gable over the six columns.

First Christian Church

As the golden hour gave way to the blue hour, I headed back toward Fort Worth's renowned Sundance Square, when the lovely Westbrook appeared. Named for the Westbrook Hotel, previously on the same spot, it is built of granite and limestone, with brick and aluminum on the façades. The east side of the building along the edge of Sundance Square has a permanent stage for performances. It is a marvelous building and I hope to come back to photograph it in different light and from several more angles.

The Westbrook

My first visit to Sundance Square had me nodding and thinking to myself, So that's what they've been talking about. The Jett Building, canvas to the beautiful Chisholm Trail mural has been restored and is a perfect, human-scaled backdrop to the water feature in the middle of the plaza. The towers looming in the background as giant guardians over the Square completes the scenario of people milling about and through (sometimes) the water jets dancing animatedly for the crowd that surrounds it. Beautiful!

Sundance Square

My last image came after dark as I headed back to the car, tired and hungry, and wanting some rest for the final two days of the Tour in Dallas. I'd passed by the AMC Palace earlier and was a bit non-plussed by its pink resplendence. I shot it but. . . meh. Passing by again, the neon brought it to life and I instantly saw the complete image below in my mind's eye. The final photograph is a composite of 45 different exposures, each contributing or enhancing some element in the image. For me, this is what the building color, the lighting, the location, and the traffic were supposed to accomplish. And with that, I bid you goodnight. See you at the movies!

AMC Palace Theater

ROAD TRIP - DAY 10 - Oklahoma City

Oklahoma City

I never thought I'd hear myself say this but. . . Oklahoma City has got it goin' on! Love the Devon Energy building. Because it towers over the rest of the skyline, it seems taller than the Bank of America building back home in Dallas. But it's not. Funny how context can influence perception, is it not?

Devon Energy Tower

Devon Energy Towers above the Park House and Ice House

From a new NBA team (well, new to me!) to the Myriad Botanical Gardens downtown to beautiful architecture and friendly people and a laid back attitude, OKC is screaming growth.

Chesapeake Arena - Home of the Thunder

The relatively small population (compared to my hometown, Dallas) has an enormous number of benefits from all "stuff" going on. For now, it's a pretty quiet town but it has all the earmarks of growing into a major, very cool, place to live.

As I approached the city from the previous day's stop, Amarillo, I came up alongside a biker on a great looking motorcycle and gave him a thumbs up. And he (I later found out his name was James) looked the part - sleeveless leather jacket, tattoos, tanned and windburned from working outdoors, and, of course, the ZZ-Top beard. Looks tough but was actually a very nice guy. James, originally from Longview, Texas, works on an oil rig and was just out cruising when I asked him to pull over. I had an idea for a photograph. And if there's one thing I've learned over the past 20 years, it's this: If you don't ask the question, the answer will always be NO.

We pulled up in front of the Cox Convention Center and I had him position his bike just so. I went through my way-too-long process of setting up the camera, composing, and adjusting the exposure, and had him mount his bike. I took a few shots, thanked him, and he was off in a cloud of ducks.

James, the Biker

The rest of the day was pretty productive. I didn't quite know where I was but it was a target-rich environment and I just began shooting whatever struck me.

Two buildings, the Park House and the Ice House, were beautifully designed and rather minimalist but I could see the thought that went into every inch of each building. The Ice House is a hamburger stand on the edge of the 17-acre Myriad Botanical Gardens. I ordered a cheeseburger (medium rare, thank you!), fries, and a root beer float, and sat down to enjoy breakfast.

Park House

The water feature behind the Ice House was like a magnet for kids and moms and it was a pleasure watching them playing with such joy and abandon.

Water Feature at the Ice House

I got up to do some shooting but quickly found that my camera battery was dead and I headed back to the truck. All those carbs (and lack of sleep over the past 10 days) did a number on me and I jumped in the cab of my FJ Cruiser and took a little nap.

When I awoke, the heat had cranked up to the upper 90s. Strapping on 30 pounds of gear and walking around in that heat has a habit of sapping the strength right out of you. Nonetheless, I took a tour about the downtown area and spotted some places to shoot.

Myriad Botanical Gardens

Scott Cleaners

Scott Cleaners

As the sun sank in the west, I stumbled on the old Union Station, long since abandoned for newer digs and taken over by area homeless, who, it would seem, have no buses of their own.

The old Union Station bus depot

Oklahoma City Centrum

Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library

Oklahoma County Courthouse

St. Anthony Hospital

As I was going through my paces, shooting different exposures and compositions, a young guy came near to see what I was up to. Ken was his name and he, too, was a photographer, though a nurse by trade. He had a little toy with him that I've had my eye on for some time - a Fujifilm XT-1. Sweeet! I've been thinking about a mirrorless camera like that for a while and it was a treat to actually hold one in my grubby, little paws. We talked photography for a bit and went our separate ways.

An as yet unnamed building at Main and Robinson. Not sure if it has a name. But I love the red brick.

Time to head back to Big D. Fort Worth is on the itinerary tomorrow. Then two days of Dallas. A little pizza at Hideaway Pizza on Broadway and I'm hittin' the road. On the way out of town, I drove by the Botanical Gardens again where they were having some sort of an event. Lovely way to spend a Sunday evening.

(Here's a note for all you grammar purists: I realize I am mixing present and past tense in my running commentary. That's because in the moment I write about my experiences, I sometimes am truly in the moment of experience - it's as if I am there. So, for all the little grammar gremlins out there who are pooh-poohing and tut-tutting about my grammar - particularly the little one on my shoulder - BUZZ OFF! Thank you. Your regularly scheduled commentary will now continue.)

Not far from the Oklahoma/Texas border, I pulled over at a scenic overlook and took a shot of the work by the Greatest Architect. A weak attempt at best but it was the best I could manage on short notice without a tutorial.

The Work of The Greatest Architect - Click to enlarge

See you in FW and D.


ROAD TRIP - DAY 9 - On to Amarillo

Amarillo

Let's be very honest (and by "Let's" I mean "Let me") about my time in Amarillo: I didn't expect much. What I got was a whole lotta sump'n. When I arrived, I thought, Sleepy little town, quiet Saturday afternoon, no one around. And slowly, it started to bubble. Until it started boiling! And boil it did once things got underway.

Happy State Bank (Love that name!)

Amarillo Globe-News

Santa Fe

Paramount Theater

Things of course meant a road rally, of sorts, that included everything from Model A's to Dodge Vipers, motorcycles and the requisite motorcycle mamas, home-brew restorations and customizations of all sorts. Everyone I approached was beyond helpful and agreeable, some went out of their way to help me make some terrific photos. Thank you Amarillo!

My old friend, Warren, corrected me. This is a '57 210 Single-post Chevy, not an Ol' 55. My bad.

Now, I realize that a celebratory road rally with cars circling a 6 x 2 block area is not really about architecture. And you'd be right in calling me on that fact. But, sometimes, a boy just gotta have fun with some toys. In the meantime, I did make an effort to shoot a number of the buildings downtown and even was able to combine the two.

Having Fun at the Center City Road Rally in Amarillo

Petroleum Building / Dirt Track Racer

Custom Hot Rod

On my way back to the truck, I passed by the Paramount Theater again. After dark, the neon does what it was intended — it makes the theater look like a Technicolor® Palace. As tired as I was from a very long day, I couldn't pass this one by and not shoot it. You can almost smell the popcorn!

Paramount Theater at night

Before I forget, my thanks to Jacob Rincon, a young guy with a very cool ride who went out of his way to make it possible for me to use my flash -- he rode to the store some 8 blocks away, roundtrip, to buy some double-AA's for my flash, a walk I probably wouldn't have made loaded down with 30 pounds of camera gear. Thank you Jacob!

My new buddy, Jacob Rincon, and his ride

Next stop, Ooooooooooooklahoma City.

ROAD TRIP - DAY 8 & 9 - Albuquerque & Tucumcari

 

UPDATED 8/4/14

Albuquerque

Approaching Albuquerque overnight, I felt the strong urge to pull over and sleep. Crawling into the back of my FJ Cruiser, I tossed a bit to get comfortable and I remember taking off my glasses. When I awoke, in the semi-dark of the interior lights, I could not find them. Still can't in the light of day. So, I'm working at a disadvantage. But they're somewhere in the truck. It may take completely unloading and going through every item with a fine tooth comb. Ahhh, adventures of being on the road.

Found a few places of interest this morning, including The Hotel Blue, an early-60s mid-century modern structure that has been through a succession of owners. Nonetheless, I asked to photograph the place and they acquiesced.

The Hotel Blue lobby

The Hotel Blue edifice

The Hotel Blue sign

I'm falling desperately behind in blogging about this road trip. So, let's do a quick blast and get caught up.

Albuquerque was a total blast! Let's just cut to some of the pics and I'll update when I have more time; I'm burning daylight here in OKC.

Lofts (I think. It was very early.)

UNM - School of Architecture and Planning

Route 66 Diner

Just so you know, I plan to create not only a galley that's more comprehensive in nature but a more thoughtful commentary about the architecture I'm photographing. The diner above is one of those items that needs some thought before I start spouting off about its style. But I do enjoy the beauty of its curves and the multi-layered nature of its construction.

During my stay in ABQ, I met a delightful baker named Pratt Morales, who, at 75 is in better shape than I am and makes a delicious apple empanada. I had the pleasure of spending a few hours at his shop, Golden Crown Panaderia, updating this blog and post processing images I had taken earlier. Pratt was kind enough to pose for a few photos.

Pratt Morales of the Golden Crown Panaderia makes these beautiful cilantro loaves every day. Delicious!

The very strange thing is that his son, Chris, dances and teaches Argentine Tango in Albuquerque and knows many of the same people I know back in Dallas and Austin. (The Tango community is very small.) I could swear that I've met him before back in Dallas.

Finishing up in Albuquerque, we hit the road, only to be stopped by the sandman at a little town on old Route 66 called Tucumcari.

Tucumcari

Tucumcari, NM has quite storied history as a stop along the journey from Chicago to L.A. on the old US Highway 66, or Route 66, as it was known in the day. Trying to recapture some of its former fun and glory, there are motels and other businesses that are throwbacks to the style of the 50s, before the Interstate Highway System eventually bypassed them for a more direct, faster, and "cleaner" driving experience. Me? I plan to go back there to stay at the Blue Swallow Motel.

The Blue Swallow Motel

Garage at The Blue Swallow Motel (Who does this anymore?!?)

Blue Swallow Motel patio furniture

Tucumcari Tonite! mural

Dennis & Mike advised me where to look for interesting architecture

Del's Restaurant

Kix 66 — Fantastic breakfast!


ROAD TRIP - DAY 6 & 7 - Travel Day & El Paso

On the way in to El Paso from San Antonio, I became so enthralled with the open, high desert that I forgot what a gas guzzler my FJ Cruiser is and nearly ran out of gas 30 miles east of Fort Stockton. And in 104° heat! On down the road, I ran into a beautiful desert thunderstorm. Within minutes the temp dropped to a mere 63°! I sat for a while as the storm passed by and watched an incredible fireworks display.

The only shelter available was the truck. I couldn't shoot long exposures on my tripod so I had to shoot handheld from the driver's seat. In an hour, I was able to capture only one frame of the magnificent lightning going on all around me by timing my shutter with the rhythm of the electrical display. Finally, I managed to photograph this lovely straggler. Well worth the wait, I'd say. 

Timing is everything

Storm beginning to clear

From the road, I managed to photograph this rain-obscured sunset. Not really sure where it was. Don't think there's a name for Mile Marker 285.

On the Road - Desert Rain

Pushing on in a light rain, I gassed up again in Van Horn, Texas. After only 120 miles or so from my last fill-up, I was a bit gun-shy and decided to play it safe.

I'm not sure how these lone hotels spring up in the middle of nowhere (The Gage Hotel in Marathon, Texas comes to mind) but it's like finding a little gemstone. Your eyes get big and your heart skips a beat and the tiniest, little smile curls the corners of your mouth.  Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the Hotel El Capitan. 

Hotel El Capitan in Van Horn, Texas

Finally, after dark, the light rain continued from the road as I-10 veered closer to Mexico and my day's destination. Once again, I was not disappointed. El Paso came through for me with several gems, too, and a couple pieces of costume jewelry.

When I checked into a lovely, little hotel (The Soluna Hotel on E. Paisano - HIGHLY recommend it!) I had the good fortune to meet a native of this city — Josephine. I coerced her into recommending a favorite piece of architecture here. She recommended I take a look at El Paso High School. In a word, Holy Mother of Pearl! She was right. It's an inspirational structure built on a hill up against "the mountain" and adjacent to their football team's gridiron. The effect is amazing, giving the impression that the building is much taller than it is.

El Paso High School

While at the school, I ran into an Assistant Coach, Cruz, who gave me a quick tour of the grounds and pointed out the area above the school that wraps around the mountain best known as Scenic Drive.

Scenic Drive not only has many great views of the city, it's home to a lot of large, beautiful residences.

Residence on Scenic Drive

Residence on Scenic Drive

Downtown, I had to shoot the Cortez Building, one of the first structures I ever shot, way back in 1975. Today, the plaza it sits on is being torn apart and rebuilt and some of the long-empty buildings on the square are up for sale or scheduled for remodeling. 

Cortez Building

St. Patrick's Church

El Paso County Building

I've met a lot of wonderful people on this trip. Somehow a guy with a camera is either dangerous (What are you doing? Get out of here!) or harmless (Hey, what's going on? Taking some pictures?). Most have fallen into that second category. Today I met a reporter with NewsPaperTree and she asked to interview me. So, I fed another dollar into the parking meter and we had our powwow at the nearby, ever-present Starbucks.

NewsPaperTree Reporter, Elida S. Perez

I'm not sure when the story will be on their website; I'll be sure to pass along the link as soon as I know something. And she offered to link to my website. Very cool! You never know where your next new friend will come from. That's one reason I love this job.

Have to process images before I upload them to the blog. Check back in a bit. And link to the blog. I'd love to hear your comments.

For now, a shower is calling my name and I've got to check out of the hotel.

UPDATE: Elida Perez wrote a very nice article about me and my travels. You can read it here.

ROAD TRIP - DAY 3 - Austin / DAY 4 & 5 - San Antonio

Austin

Houston is a distant memory as I rolled into Austin, Texas early Sunday morning and got to work right away. Soon, once I get to play with some images, I'll upload them and show you. 

For whatever reason, photographing the State Capitol at 2am seemed like the thing to do. Then, around dawn, I shot the skyline from the west side, directly into the sun.

Texas State Capitol building

UPDATE 9/5/14: All technical issues have been overcome and the challenge has been in editing all the images from the past 3 days. I didn't realize that it would take so long to catch up once I got behind. Enjoy. Especially the panoramas.

—ø—

Still, I haven't quite recovered from a technical SNAFU and can't put my fingers on those images. However, I did take some outstanding images of the Austin skyline that evening from The Long Center during a performance of the Austin Symphony's Jazz Orchestra. (Forgive if the name is not quite right.) Here's a sample of what you'll see later in this blog post:

Segment of the Austin skyline

Let's back up a bit. After shooting the Texas State Capitol at 2am, I wandered around the streets of Austin looking for buildings lit up for all to see. I happened on the Hotel Ella a few blocks north of the capitol and thought I'd try shooting something under the overly bright mercury vapor lights. Unfortunately, being tired and needing sleep more than I needed to photograph the Hotel Ella, I didn't really take my time and explore how I might best shoot it in an extremely mixed-light situation. There was the aforementioned MV lights but the sign and the hotel itself were illuminated with halogens, I think. In any event, it proved to be to much to pull off in glorious Technicolor® so I had to resort to removing the color entirely. Not my favorite reason for making a black and white photograph but serviceable, nonetheless.

Hotel Ella

Around 4am, I was driving out east on Cesar Chavez Blvd. and found a couple of places that someone had thoughtfully lighted for me so I could shoot in great detail in the middle of the night. Leal's Tire Shop was the first. I'd seen this place on my last trip to Austin and made a mental note to photograph it. I can't seem to make up my mind — black and white or color? What do you think?

Leal's Tire Shop - B/W

Leal's Tire Shop - Color

Second on my list of middle of the night photos and only a couple hundred feet away from Leal's Tire Shop is a lovely, little boutique hotel (some might even call it a B&B) called The Heywood. I stayed there on my last trip to Austin and loved it. Quiet. Peaceful. Plush. And very close to a great little taqueria down the street.

Heywood Hotel

Keeping an eye on the clock, waiting for sunrise, I wandered around in the pre-dawn hours looking for a good place from which to shoot the sunrise. I found it at last, though I'm not sure how, at Butler Park, between Riverside Drive and Barton Springs Road. Using the compass app and a sunrise app on my iPhone, I figured out exactly where the sun would come up. Playing a photographer's game of blind-man's-bluff, I found the perfect spot in the darkness from which to shoot the skyline just as the sun rose.

Austin Awakens

Finishing up, I saw this little twinkle as I turned around to leave for a hardy breakfast. It's the Austin Green Energy Building. They're responsible for the sustainability movement in Austin architecture and construction.

Austin Energy Green Building

I'm not one to pass by a Harley begging to be photographed. Found this while driving around a neighborhood looking for subjects.

Can't ignore a good-lookin' Harley

It must be the "Red Convertible Syndrome." You know, you buy a red convertible and suddenly they're everywhere. Take an Architectural Photo Tour and just by chance you run into the Texas Society of Architects headquarters. I really had no idea where it was. No, really.

Texas Society of Architects

Little did I know that I'd be circling back to where I started from as the day progressed. The Long Center for the Performing Arts is a stone's throw from my morning panorama. When I started shooting it, I didn't even know what it was or where I was in relation to the sunrise. I had to ask someone what this strange looking building was. It wasn't until much later when I could look at a map that I realized that I hadn't traveled very far at all, though I had been driving all over the city during the day.

The Long Center for the Performing Arts

As I approached the enclosed outdoor area of the Long Center with the thought of taking a panorama through the columns, a door opened and a squad of people appeared pushing a cart full of music stands, instrument cases, and sundry items toward me, then, past me to the edge directly under that big "halo" you see in the photo above.

Obviously, they were about to get right in the way of my spectacular panorama. Within a few minutes, more people arrived from within the building and from the lawn beyond. I realized quickly that my vision of a pristine panorama broken into segments by all those columns was shot to hell and it was time to make lemonade.

As it turns out, even with the complicating factor of hundreds of people wandering all over the place making stitching my pano much more difficult than I originally thought, it adds the very reason for this beautiful architecture to exist at all — dirty, nasty, unpredictable humanity, in all its glory.

When all the dancing started — didn't see that coming! — I wished I'd had another camera with me so that I could have shot some video, particularly when the crowd started doing Lindy Hop. But I had decided to travel light and not bring a backup with me on my road trip. C'est la vie!

Long Center Skyline Panorama #1

Long Center Skyline Panorama #2

I must have shot more than a dozen panoramas between 5pm and about 9pm. At some point, I may work on the others. These will do for now.

UPDATE 9/7/14: In retrospect, I didn't really hit my stride until I got to San Antonio. Up to late in the evening in Austin, I'd been struggling to stay awake from the cumulative lack of sleep since leaving Dallas and finding some sort of routine on the road. So, I'll have to go back to do a little more architectural exploration in Austin.

—ø—

San Antonio

Moving on to San Antonio, I stayed with my friends Hector and Theresa Reyes. I worked with Hector at KTFM in S.A. way back when we were both skinny.

In the control room at KTFM back in the day

Shot some promo shots of Hector and his radio partner, Sonny Rios, on Monday for the streaming Internet Radio show they're planning. Can't wait to hear them back on the "air."

Rio & Reyes

That was day one in S.A. Before the sun set completely, Hector gave me a quick tour of downtown and I found something I had to photograph first thing on Day 2 in San Antonio — the San Antonio Public Library. Gorgeous structure!

San Antonio Public Library

Realizing I'd forgotten something I needed from the car, I took a short hike back to the parking lot and was greeted by the Weston Centre and the Wyndham Riverwalk.

Weston Centre and Wyndham San Antonio Riverwalk

Weston Centre and Wyndham San Antonio Riverwalk

The trip to the car brought to my attention a need that could only be met by a trip to the camera store. That meant calling it quits for the morning and heading out north on San Pedro to The Camera Exchange. Great people. One of the few remaining brick and mortar camera stores in the country. But it's good to have expert advice for camera problems when you're on the road.

Later in the day the sun was still overhead and not very good for most shooting. You may know that photographers prefer "Golden Hour," the time of morning or evening when the light makes everything glow and casts beautiful shadows. I thought I might find something to shoot in an area that is tree-covered and hard to shoot during Golden Hour — Alamo Heights and Olmos Park, two of the more upscale neighborhoods in S.A. It did not disappoint.

Alamo Heights Residence

Olmos Park Residence

As the day wore on, I made my way back downtown on what turned out to be a very hot day. How hot was it? It was so hot, that when I photographed the Milam Building, below, standing in the hot center of a hot, black, asphalt parking lot, all I could think of was, "Ow! Oooh! Ouch! Ah! Gotta. Hurry. Hot! Hot! Hot!"

Milam Building

Quickly, though, I was in the shadows of the downtown canyon and good bit cooler. 

I was told this was a movie theater. Beyond these two columns, it looks like it might be a food court. Interesting.

Something about the Hotel Valencia struck my imagination and I saw it as a very old, very European hotel. It inspired me to take a look at how it might appear in other-than-a-traditional style. I'm kinda diggin' the aged look, myself.

Hotel Valencia

Hotel Valencia - B/W

Hotel Valencia - Aged

By the time I finished with the Valencia, I was feeling the heat again. As I walked by the Buckhorn Saloon, something of a tourist-y type of place, the arctic blast from their wide-open doors invited me in for a little respite. Of course, once I was in, I had to shoot the place. Not sure what the food and drink are like but ya gotta love the decor. As someone who grew up with a couple of deer heads mounted on his bedroom wall — they turned and looked at me in bed every night! I swear. — seeing this just made me a little nervous. That water buffalo or whatever it is, there on the far left, has a glint in his eye and he was snorting while I was there. Word!

Buckhorn Saloon

I love how cities keep around old line stores to commemorate not only the business but the city's history. It's one of the things that I dislike about my hometown, Dallas. If it's more than 50 years old it's gotta come down! But. . . I digress. Shooting the old Walgreen Drugs store made me think I was looking at a picture postcard from the 40s or 50s.

The old Walgreen Drugs

As I was setting up to shoot the photo, below, of the breezeway entry of the Hyatt Regency, I struck up a conversation with a gentleman sitting on a bench to my left. As many conversations begin, we started talking about the weather. But I soon found out much more about the older man than I might have assumed. His name is Carl Russell. "My full name is Carlton but everyone just calls me Carl." I asked if I could use his full name and he said that I might.

Hyatt Regency hotel entry

Carlton used to work at the US Treasury in Fort Worth, one of only two facilities in the country where the government prints currency, the other being Washington, D. C. These days, he works for DARS. "The DARS Division for Rehabilitation Services is designated as the state's principal authority on the vocational rehabilitation of Texans with disabilities. . . ," according to their website.

We were having a "good ol' time," as my grandmother might have said, but soon my work was done and I was burning daylight. As we were walking away from our chance meeting, Carlton looked back at me and said, "You really made my day." That may have been the best thing anyone has said to me in a very long time.

Carlton Russell

Casino Club Building

San Antonio is not known for it's skyline. But it has a wonderful variety of architectural styles that make for a marvelously diverse cityscape. Of course, there is the Alamo, but there's a lot more.

"La Segunda Compañía Volante de San Carlos del pueblo del Alamo" - The Alamo

It was interesting (to me, at least) that even though I knew there would be a crowd near the Alamo, when I got there and set up the camera, there wasn't a soul within 30 feet of the front of the old mission. The only person in the picture is the guard shown at the entrance to the barracks there in the lower left of the photo. And he shied away from having his photo taken directly by turning the crown of his hat toward the camera.

As many times as I've been to and through the Alamo, I find myself welling up with gratitude when I get near it. Gratitude to the men and women who died so I could call myself a Texan.

Alamo Memorial

I have a lot more to show but time is short and I must away to the Land of Nod. El Paso awaits at dawn.

 

Workaround

The Apple Store solution may be what I needed. I have taken some photographs and I am hereby uploading them. I'm just off Woodway Drive in Houston. 

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Keep in mind -- and this is only the very anal photographer talking -- these images are not the final images that will be presented to the world. This is just straight out of the camera with maybe a little tweaking in iPhotos on my iPad. They may not even make the final portfolio.

ROAD TRIP-DAY 2-HOUSTON

Day 2 got off to a late start only because of leaving Dallas so late. Yes, I know, 10:30am is not exactly prime time for a photographer. But it gave me time to catch up on my rest and re-group.

Not being familiar with Houston, I desperately drove around, ignoring or failing to see all manner of traffic signs and signals. (Oh, yes, I was one of THOSE today.) This is what happens when you (meaning I) have to look at the surroundings and don't have a driver. 

Nonetheless, I stumbled into some very upscale neighborhoods and managed to only be questioned twice about my activities. Both occasions were rather pleasant, actually.

UPDATE: All the images below were added 8/20/14, as I've finally come back around to finishing the processing that, for technical reasons, couldn't be done on the road. I'm going to leave the images previously uploaded intact so you can see both versions. I think you'll notice a marked difference in the duplicates, especially in the shadow detail and holding highlights without blowing them out. Your comments are always welcome. Please make them here, not on Facebook.

Very Modern. Yes?

I suppose an all-white house helps with utilities during the summer.

A bell tower. To call the neighbors? I'm not sure. But I like it.

A bell tower. To call the neighbors? I'm not sure. But I like it.

This house reminds me of the rigging on a sailing ship.

They just don't want to sell, I'm told. 3 or 4 houses down from the Sail House, above.

There was a taqueria next to a Shell station that will have to wait until later because I had to shoot it as a stitched panorama. Kinda cool, though. . . even though I had to shoo off a customer to slightly out of frame.

Sunrise Taquitos / Shell Station

Later in the day, I found a whacked barbershop with the stripes not only on the barber pole but all over the building.

Joe Lee's Barbershop

I stopped to take a photo of a remarkably beautiful statue of Christ in front of a church and was promptly stopped by a poor, lost soul who needed directions and thought I might have the answers she sought. Look higher, I told her.

Statue of Christ

Later, I unknowingly circled back to a spot I'd been at previously and photographed an ad hoc memorial to someone who had been killed on a bicycle. Sad that.

Late in the day. I started circling downtown Houston in order to get a skyline shot of the city. Driving through a lower-end neighborhood, I came upon a great view with only a fence and some low obstructions in the way of a great shot. I pulled over, got out of the truck and suddenly realized that my "obstruction" was actually a cemetery, probably an old one. I took some test shots and climbed a curb to see over the fence. 

I had no footing for the tripod so I rigged a lash to the fence with a bungee cord to steady the 'pod and it was solid as a tombstone. Serendipity is your friend in photography and dumb luck was with me. I couldn't have found a more perfect composition if I'd planned it. And I didn't. I'll leave the meaning for you to decide.

Houston Skyline

And, finally, as the sun sets, we bid a fond farewell to Houston. This last building, I think, is a town home. Perhaps, a business. It's hard to tell in Houston because of the lack of zoning laws. Behind me as I took the photo there is a TV station. Nonetheless, I knew I had to shoot it as soon as I drove by. In spite of having to wait for a couple of people who couldn't have cared less that they were making me wait on dinner and, possibly, ruin a shot with great light by standing around talking on their cell phones, I outlasted them both and came home with the goods.

From this angle, this looks like a very blocky, very stubby wing. On end. A town home, I think.

Headed to Austin tonight and I'll probably stay in the car at a rest area. Wasn't too bad last time. It can work in a pinch.

More tomorrow from Austin, Texas, the city too weird to grow up. Gotta love it! Later!

BTW, if you ever get to Kingwood, TX, stop in at Wise Guys Pizza. Delicoso!

ROAD TRIP-DAY 1-HOUSTON

Houston is surprising on a number of levels. First of all, it is a MUCH bigger ciy than Dallas, far more convoluted, and I have yet to discern a logical layout to the city. It's also denser. Not just in population but in terms of the businesses and buildings and whatnot all crammed together. If it were Dallas the city would be physically twice as big. It's amazing how they cram so much into so little space.

And it's alive! Driving through downtown this evening looking for photographic opportunities I saw more people doing more different things than I could possibly have imagined.

You'll notice that I'm not adding any photos to my photo blog. I'm still having a bit of an issue transferring JPEGs from the card in my camera to my iPad and eventually the website I'll try to figure this out because what's a photo blog without photographs? Right?

I'm finding a wealth of opportunities for taking photographs, architecturally speaking. After all, that's what this tour's all about, right?

I shot some photographs of the museum district right around sunset and we'll see how those turn out. Finally, I had some soup at a Vietnamese restaurant (rather mediocre) and found a real hotel to stay in for the night. Dead tired after a long, hot, humid (but productive) day. Night-night!

ROAD TRIP-DAY 1-HUNTSVILLE

I finally left home at 11pm and hit the road for Houston. Took me way too long to pack and unpack and pack again. Keep thinking about George Carlin's routine about "stuff." Seems like I'm trying to take ALL my stuff, not just a smaller version of it. Aaaarrrrgghh!

Just north of Huntsville, about 1:30am, I stopped at a rest area. I was way over-tired and had to get a couple hours sleep in the back of the truck. Not bad, really. The bed I made before I left town paid dividends!

I'd heard that RIck Perry had done a bang up job on the rest areas along Texas highways but I have to say, this one exceeded my expectations. Sadly, no shower, though. A trucker sitting outside doing paperwork told me this is one of the best ones in the state because Sam Houston's home was here.

On the road again at about 4am.

Gassed up at an automated station in Huntsville. First time I've done that. Kind of strange. $3.339/gal.

Grabbed breakfast at the IHOP around the corner. My waitress, Darlene, is from Onalaska, on Lake Livingston. First time ever that I've been asked if I would be needing Wi-Fi.

Ordered a low-cal breakfast but my tummy couldn't take it. Way too much grease. Asked for some oatmeal instead. It was not much better. Actually, it was my stomach that was so sensitive. The food was fine.

Hope this doesn't last long. Two weeks of upset stomach could be miserable.

She gave me directions to "The Walls," the Texas prison Huntsville is famous for. Need to get cleaned up and head over there.

You know, I wonder if my upset stomach is due to taking that chewable B-12 on an empty stomach. Let it be so! Won't make that mistake again.

Photographing "The Walls" is not exactly how I envisioned starting this trip. But there you have it. I'll hang out here for a bit, get cleaned up, and drive over to the prison. Now, that's a sentence I never thought I'd write!

If I'm not mistaken, The Walls faces north, which means the sun will be rising and the sky lightening behind and to the left of the building, as I view it. Lots of "ifs" in there!

Shooting The Walls was not a problem. Technically. But as soon as I set up the camera, almost as soon as I had the tripod on the ground, an assistant warden, Warden Smith came out and wanted to know what the hell I was doing. That was not his attitude but it's what he wanted.

In the end, he gave me about five minutes to do what I needed to do. Fortunately, that's all the time I needed.

The Walls

Unfortunately, I haven't quite figured out a way to transfer images from my camera to my iPad. I think a visit to an Apple Store or a camera store is in my very near future. 

Still, the day is young and I've got road to cover between here and Houston. And lots of photographs to take.