Day 181. June 29.

Day One Hundred Eighty One. June 29. Picture # 181. "The Pavillion". This is the dance pavillion at Fannin State Park outside of Victoria, Texas. http://www.visitfanninbattleground.com/index.aspx?page=6 . The company I work for was involved in renovations to it's museum. When this photo was taken the park was already closed for the day. Canon Rebel XTI, on tripod. Canon 18-55mm lens. Bower Super Wide lens. Focal length 34mm. f/22. ISO 100. Bracketed exposures 1/20, 1/25, 1/40 second.

Day 180. June 28.

Day One Hundred Eighty. June 28. Picture # 180. "Surprise". I was in a thick stand of trees along a creek chasing butterflies with my camera. As I looked over the camera to sight the butterfly, I saw a swirling pattern in a small opening in the trees. Zooming all the way to 300mm I saw this scene. I loved the watercolor like effect I was seeing through the lens. The only post processing was a little straightening and cropping. BTW the butterflies I was stalking are below. Canon Rebel XTI, handheld. Canon 75-300mm lens. Focal length 300mm. f/5.6. ISO 1600. Exposure 1/800 second.

Day 179. June 27.

Day One Seventy Nine. June 27. Picture # 179. "Wet Spring". Yesterday was 106 degrees in Austin, Texas. Today was 104 degrees making it the third day in a row in triple digits. But even as central Texas settles into it's long hot summer, there are still signs of the mild wet spring we had this year. The prickly pears have all set their fruit and the fruit is swollen to the point of bursting with water. Many plants in Texas store water in their fruits and leaves which becomes an important source of food and water for wildlife during the dry months. Canon Rebel XTI, handheld. Canon 75-300mm lens. Focal length 300mm. f/8. ISO 400. Exposure 1/1250 second.

Day 178. June 26.

Day One Hundred Seventy Eight. June 26. Picture # 178. "Sleep My Children".  I saw this wig shop last night as I was driving home from shooting Day 177. The afternoon sun was reflecting off of the white faces in the shop window and that was what had caught my eye. So I pulled in to the parking lot to check it out for future picture potential. Upon closer inspection, I noticed the windows were surrounded by purple neon lights that were being washed out by the afternoon sun. I knew then, that the soft glow of the neon lights at night would be the way to shoot this scene. Canon Rebel XTI, on tripod. Canon 18-55mm lens. Focal length 55mm. f/22. ISO 100. Exposure 4 seconds.

Day 177. June 25.

Day One Hundred Seventy Seven. June 25. Picture # 177. "Miguel's Pots". This very colorful scene can be found at Miguel's Imports on Burnet Road in Austin, Texas. http://miguelsimports.com/Home.html . I waited until after the company was closed for the day and the sun was low in the sky. I wanted to take advantage of the low angle of the sun lighting up the sides of the various pots. Luckily the spaces in between the bars of the security fence allowed room for me to fit my camera lens. It was a very neat place to shoot and I have a lot of pictures that I like from today's series. I have posted some of the other also-rans from today's pictures below. Canon Rebel XTI, handheld. 28-135mm len. Focal length 105mm. f/8. ISO 400. Exposure 1/250 second.

Day 176. June 24.

Day One Hundred Seventy Six. June 24. Picture # 176. "Untitled". Another long drive today. I fell into the trap today of the grass is always greener somewhere else. I awoke this morning with the certainty that I needed to drive to Galveston, Texas to find my picture for the day. It did not matter to me that it would be at least four hours to the coast, then four hours back. I frequently drive hundreds of miles in search of my pictures. So early this morning I packed my gear in the truck and headed out toward Galveston.  About forty minutes east of Austin is the town of Giddings, Texas,  I saw this old warehouse sitting back off the main road, which is the subject of today's picture. I stopped and took a quick series of pictures of this building, but I was in a hurry to get on down to the coast.  Somehow I was certain that my picture would be in Galveston. As I drove closer to Houston, the tourist traffic was really picking up.Which made me wonder why I was driving to a summer tourist destination at the height of the season. So I turned around. As I drove west on Highway 290, I started looking for a road headed south. The name Port Lavaca had popped up in my head. I would go to Port Lavaca. It was many hours away down small backroads. I found my road and headed south. I just passed through many small towns that would've offered great picture opportunities, but I just kept driving. I needed to get to the coast.  The trouble is I timed out. I ran out of day. I never made it to Port Lavaca or Galveston, which was okay. Which brings me back to the grass is always greener somewhere else. I drove by numerous opportunities for pictures today in my quest to make it to the coast. As it ended up my picture for the day was the very first picture I shot in Giddings Texas. I could've turned around and went home then, but I was certain there was a better shot down the road.  Lesson relearned. "Pictures are moments in time, look around the moments are everywhere". Canon Rebel XTI, handheld. Canon 28-135mm. Focal length 75mm. f/8. ISO 800. Exposure 1/320 second.

Day 175. June 23.

Day One Hundred Seventy Five. June 23. Picture #175. "Untitled". This somewhat bizarre looking photograph is nothing more than a drinking glass sitting in direct sunlight on my friend's kitchen counter. iPhone 4. f/2.8. Focal length 4mm. ISO 80. Exposure 1/120 second. Edited with ACDSee Pro 5.2.

Day 174. June 22.

Day One Hundred Seventy Four. June 22. Picture # 174. "Summer in Texas". This very artificial looking scene is outside of Hico, Texas. Out of the right side of this photograph there is a farmer plowing his field, which is putting a lot of dust into the air. The dust is causing the extreme orange cast in this picture.  These orange sunsets are not an unusual sight during the hot, dry summers in Texas. Canon Rebel XTI, on tripod. Canon 75-300mm lens. Focal length 220mm. f/13. ISO 400. Exposure 1/1600 second.

Day 173. June 21.

Day One Hundred Seventy Three. June 21. Picture # 173. "Untitled". Something a little different today. Canon Rebel XTI, handheld. Canon 75-300mm lens. Focal length 300mm. f/5.6. ISO 800. Exposure 1/3200 second.

Day 172. June 20.

 

Day One Hundred Seventy Two. June 20. Picture # 172. "Untitled". It seems that the flowers in Texas are planning on blooming forever this year. The beauty of the flowers really make it easy to forget that the state still needs a whole lot of rain to get back to normal lake levels. Canon Rebel XTI, handheld. Canon 75-300mm lens. Focal length 205mm. f/5. ISO 400. Exposure 1/800 second.

Day 171. June 19.

Day One Hundred Seventy One. June 19.  Picture # 171. "Another Generation".  This young red tailed hawk one of three that were born on Richard Garriott's Lake Austin property this season. http://www.ehow.com/info_8469268_texas-redtailed-hawk.html . There is an all white hawk that has nested on this property for the past three seasons. She has produced two sets of chicks, the last two years with one having normal coloration and one being white. This year she apparently had three chicks and they all seem to have normal coloration.  When I was taking this picture, this hawk's two siblings and its mother was flying above it. There are series of pictures below that were taken at the same time of this young bird. As these birds mature you seldom ever get the opportunity to get this close. Canon Rebel XTI, handheld. Canon 75-300mm lens. Focal length 300mm. f/5.6. ISO 800. Exposure 1/1000 second.

Day 170. June 18.

Day One Hundred Seventy. June 18. Picture # 170. "The Gathering Place". This arbor was built years ago in front of a small church outside of Bertram, Texas. I am guessing it was once covered with vines and it provided a pleasant place to gather. There are the remains of of a simple lighting system. But the lights and the structure has fallen into disrepair. Canon Rebel XTI, on tripod. Canon 18-55mm lens. Bower Super Wide lens. Focal length 28mm. f/22. ISO 100. Exposure 1/15 second.

Day 169. June 17.

Day 169. June 17. Picture # 169. "Untitled" It was the wrong time of the day to be shooting. The sun was very bright and was washing out all details. So I moved into the shadows looking for a picture. Under the trees was a mix of intense spots of sunlight with dark shadows. Canon Rebel XTI, on tripod. Canon 28-135mm lens. Focal length 135mm. f/5.6. ISO 800. Exposure 1/1250 second.

Day 168. June 16.

Day One Hundred Sixty Eight. June 14. Picture # 168. "Sharp as a Tack".  My camera and tripod was still set up on the table this morning with the close-up lens still mounted from last night's shooting. Today was one of those run errands sort of days, where you stay busy but really do not accomplish a whole lot. So by late afternoon, I still had not gotten out to get a picture for the day. Realizing that the first thing I would have to do is take down the equipment from the night before, I decided to start experimenting with different close-up shots. Coins, stamps, rocks even a fork were photographed with different settings and lighting. I wanted to see just how crisp of focus I could get on very small objects. In other words, I was trying for as sharp as a tack focus, only to be disappointed to find out, that tacks aren't actually all that sharp. Canon Rebel XTI, on tripod. Canon 18-55mm lens. Bower 4X closeup lens. Focal length 55mm. f/20. ISO 200. Exposure 2.5 seconds.

Day 167. June 15.

Day One Hundred Sixty Seven. June 15. Picture # 167. "Roll of the Dice". By now you are probably aware that I collect things. I have always had a saying "if there is more than one of it, I want a collection of it". These dice are just another part of my strange and fragmented collection. They share space in a small display cabinet along with medals, fossils, Indian pottery and old medical devices. Canon Rebel XTI, on tripod. Canon18-55mm lens. Bower 4X closeup lens. Focal length 44mm. f/20. ISO 200. Exposure 3.2 second. 



Day 166. June 14.

Day One Hundred Sixty Six. June 14. Picture # 166. "Town of Schroeder". The town of Schroeder, Texas has about six buildings total and two out of the six are businesses named after Schroeder. But unfortunately for Schroeder the mercantile company seems to be closed for business. But I believe the Schroeder Dance Hall is still open even though I have no idea where the customers come from. Canon XTI Rebel, hand held. Canon 28-135mm lens. Focal length 60mm. f/8. ISO 400. Exposure 1/1600 second.

Day 165. June 13.

Day One Hundred Sixty Five. June 13. # 165. "Untitled".  The company I work for had to install an exhibit at Fanning Battlefield Park.It was a two-day install so we ended up spending the night in Victoria, Texas. By the time we get cleaned up and went out to eat dinner, I did not have much time left to go out and get a picture. Luckily I had seen this set of buildings as we drove into Victoria from Fanning. There were three buildings on the site with a large kiln that was at least 30 feet tall. Looking around I could not figure out what used to be manufactured here. Canon Rebel XTI on tripod. Canon 18-55mm lens. Focal length 20mm. f/22. ISO 400. Exposure 6/10 second.

Day 164. June 12.

Day One Hundred Sixty Four. June 12. Picture # 164. "Levi's Blanket". Cindy Thoreson is making this incredible baby blanket for a child named Levi. She asked me if I could help her get some pictures of it before she gave the gift away. I agreed, but when I saw the intricate detail and fine workmanship, mixed with the colors and textures; I knew this would have to be one of my pictures of the day. I have included a overview of the blanket in the picture below. I asked Cindy how many stitches would be in the blanket this size. She pointed to one small ring of color and said there were over 500 stitches in that ring alone. She did the math after I left and sent me this explanation, "The blanket is made with single, double and triple crochet stitches so the stitches are different sizes but for a quick idea in 1 square inch there are 24 double crochets. The blanket is 30 x 30 so simple multiplication gives us 21,600 stitches." This blanket obviously was a labor of love and I thank Cindy for sharing it with me. Canon Rebel XTI, on tripod. Canon 75-300mm lens. Focal length 155mm. f/5. ISO 100. Exposure 1/15 second.

Day 163. June 11.

Day One Hundred Sixty Three. June 11. Picture # 163. "Untitled". View from the south bank of Lady Bird Lake formerly known as Town Lake. http://www.highlandlakes.net/townlake/ . There is a small foot path that leads directly on to the main tree trunk. My tripod is actually sitting on the trunk of the tree for this shot. With water on both sides and me balancing behind the camera I had to keep all my motions slow and deliberate. Canon Rebel XTI, on tripod. Canon 18-55mm lens. Bower Super Wide lens. Focal length 28mm. f/25. ISO 100. Multiple exposures 1/2- 2 seconds.

Day 162. June 10.

Day One Hundred Sixty Two. June 10. Picture # 162. "Untitled". This barn is in a rural area east of Austin out towards Elgin, Texas. I first saw it this winter when the fields were plowed and barren. I took some pictures the first time from almost the same location as this one, but was not happy with the results. The orderly rows of the now planted field gives foreground interest that was missing in the original pictures. I had a very bright unremarkable sky today which served to emphasize the shadows and textures in the barn and the field. Canon  XTI  Rebel on tripod. Canon 75-300mm lens. Focal length 80mm. f/18. ISO 100.  Exposure 1/40 second. 

Day 161. June 9.

Day One Hundred Sixty One. June 9. Picture #161. "Naked Ambition". I decided to take a night shot of the Capitol building in Austin, Texas. As I got out my camera and set up the tripod, I noticed that there was a group of people gathered at the front steps of the Capitol building. I decided that they would actually add interest to the shot rather than detract from it. So I took the series of shots. I then put my gear away and decided to walk up to see what the meeting was about. I had to laugh, only in Austin would you find a large group of naked and almost naked bicycle riders meeting on the Capitol steps. http://austin.culturemap.com/newsdetail/06-09-12-16-05-naked-and-sweaty-world-naked-bike-ride-streaks-through-austin/ . My camera never left my bag. Trust me, you do not want to get any closer than this picture. It was not a pretty sight. Canon XTI Rebel, on monopod. Canon 28-235mm lens. Focal length 28mm. f/3.5. ISO 1600. Exposure 1/50 second.

Day 160. June 8.

Day One Hundred Sixty. June 8. Picture # 160. "Untitled". Summer is the time for the yellow belly sliders in Texas to leave the lakes and rivers to lay their eggs. Every year I see turtles far from the water looking for loose soil in which to bury their eggs. This turtle was still searching for the right spot when I took this picture. I stayed away from her and used a long lens to get the picture. By the time I was ready to head home she had dug her hole and was settled in to lay her eggs. I did not approach closer than 100 feet from her. Canon Rebel XTI, handheld. Canon 75-300mm lens. Focal length 300mm. f/9. ISO 1600. Exposure 1/125 second. Flash -2. 

Day 159. June 7.

Day One Hundred Fifty Nine. June 7. Picture # 159. "Untitled". This eclectic collection is made up of odds and ends of my family's history. Each item has a story or some meaning. My grandfathers pocket watch sits on top of a newspaper article saved by my mother about Lee Harvey Oswald. There are three generations of business cards from both sides of my family. The picture of the football player is my dad. This mixture of "stuff" is just randomly displayed in a shadow box table in my apartment. No one ever sees this except for me. Today I share these items with everyone. Canon Rebel XTI, handheld. Canon 28-135mm lens. Focal length 30mm. f/3.5. ISO 1600. Exposure 1/200. Flash -2.

Day 158. June 6.

Day One Hundred Fifty Eight. June 6. Picture # 158. "D Day". On Yahoo's website there is a section called trending now. It is a list of the most actively searched topics for the day. Today's list, 1. Sheryl Crow brain tumor, 2. Amanda Bynes, 3. Kris Humphries, 4. Penny Marshall, 5. Miss New Zealand, 6. Ray Bradbury dies, 7. Tom Barrett, 8. Arthritis drug, 9. Cloud computing, 10. HTC phones. 68 years ago today the largest invasion fleet in the history of man was launched. The liberation of Europe had begun. On June 6th the allies suffered over ten thousand casualties with at least 2500 dead. But the day marked the beginning of the end for the Third Reich. June 6, 1944 has been called " the 24 hours that saved the world". My uncle had a landing craft shot out from under him on Normandy beach. He swam ashore unarmed into a active combat situation. He survived. My father was in the air over the beach on D Day as a flight engineer in a B-24 Liberator. His brother was a paratrooper. The medals in today's picture were my father's. Trending now on Yahoo not a damned thing about D-day. There is a profound message here. Canon SX 20 on full auto.

Day 157. June 5.

Day One Hundred Fifty Seven. June 5. Picture # 157. "Transit of Venus". This is a sight that will not be repeated for 105 years. The faint dot in the top right quadrant of the Sun is Venus. I did not have the correct filters to shoot directly into the bright sun so I had to improvise. Before the clouds moved in I had stacked two filters on the lens to cut down on light and was wearing two pair of sun glasses to look into the view finder with out hurting my eyes. I would like to thank my friend James Barnes for explaining to me what a rare photo opportunity the Venus Transit would be. I would also like to thank Jill Jackson for reminding me about the event. http://news.yahoo.com/transit-venus-begins-venus-crosses-sun-last-time-222441091.html. Canon Rebel XTI, on tripod. Canon 75-300mm lens. Bower Neutral Density Filter # 4. Bower Color Polarizer. Focal length 300mm. F/45. ISO 100. Exposure 1/640 second.

Day 156. June 4.

Day One Hundred Fifty Six. June 4. Picture # 156. "Sprite". This little sprite resides at Castleton Village along side of Lake Austin. Canon Rebel XTI, handheld. Canon 75-300mm lens. Focal length 205mm. f/5. ISO 1600. Exposure 1/800 second.

Day 155. June 3.

Day One Hundred Fifty Five. June 3. Picture # 155. "Untitled". Some day someone needs to do a study on why cameras are attracted to rusty things. Canon Rebel XTI, handheld. Canon 28-135mm lens. Focal length 38mm. f/6.3. ISO 1600. Exposure 1/320 second.

Day 154. June 2.

Day One Hundred Fifty Four. June 2.  Picture # 154. "Untitled". This beautiful animal is Cassie Jackson's Maine Coon cat named Tigger. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maine_Coon. Maine Coons are big cats and they have a somewhat wild appearance. But they are actually very gentle and affectionate animals. Canon Rebel XTI, handheld. Canon 75-300mm lens. Focal length 300mm. f/5.6. ISO 1600. Exposure 1/200 second.

Day 153. June 1.

Day One Hundred Fifty Three. June 1. Picture # 153. "Clash". This is a limited piece of vertical real estate in East Austin. On this wall there is an on going competition to be noticed. No one seems content to coexist with any other message. Rip off, deface, plaster your poster or graffiti over your rivals. There is a sort of Darwinism in this on going battle for space. There is an ebb and flow to which image or statement survives for any length of time. But like the fruit flies in the jar experiment from school. There is to much competion for the existing resource. So in the end, there are no winners, only chaos. This wall could be seen as a metaphor for the rise of civilization. While anarchy is the norm, there will only be fractured dreams and ideas. There will always be someone waiting to tear down what is good or destroy something just for being beautiful. With a little bit of community this wall could display many ideas. A free society then could let the market place choose the winners and losers. But give someone complete control over what is on this wall and the wall is no longer a monument to truth and free thinking. When a people asks their government to tell them what words are correct and what ideas they should think, all is lost. In a politically correct world this wall would be painted some bland color, so as not to offend anyone. I do not want to live in that world, I will take the wall as it is. Canon Rebel XTI, handheld. Canon 28-135mm lens. Focal length 38mm. f/6.3. ISO 400. Exposure 1/640.