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Lots of color everywhere...

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This fellow was photoshopped in from another location in the park. Just a bit of Gaussian blur was applied to the background (about 6%) to simulate depth of field and make it less busy...

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Crouching down, I was able to capture the same canes silhouetted against the sky. This must be the point where Sheryl got a little nervous.

The black dropper tool in the Levels dialogue box was used to completely blacken the cane heads. It's easy to see the fringe here created by the contrast between the dark cane heads and the blue background. Thankfully, Photoshop (the full version, not Elements) can remove that with a click of a button...

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I must have taken six or seven shots of these canes before getting one that I liked. The lady that sold them grew impatient and shooed me away.

Interestingly, that lady was none other than Sheryl Duncan. We didn't recognize each other, but learned from my brother later that she is the one that sells these canes - and looking back she fit the description. (They were boyfriend and girlfriend in high school 35 years ago.) Next time I'll stop and say hi.

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Really had trouble with the dynamic range on this one...everything in the shadow area was almost completely dark. I'm considering purchasing the Nikon D700, which has a setting that would improve the range to something like 11 stops. Not sure though...lots of money for just a hobby. I would not settle for a typical kit lens, but would get a good piece of workhorse glass that could basically be kept permanently affixed. I like waterfalls, so would probably also get some neutral density filters.

People state how lucky I am to be given the green light by the wife to go ahead and get the "camera of my dreams", but I'm in no hurry. This will take time and careful consideration, even if it means waiting a year or so. As stated in a previous posting, getting an SLR is an intimidating thing to me, as I have had some degree of success with nothing but point-and-shoots up to now. Besides, some photographers of note have counseled to hold back and not get hung up on equipment, lusting for the latest and greatest. One fellow in Singapore said that what has been used for this blog (the Fujifilm Finepix 3800 and 7000) is more than enough for the kind of pictures that I like to take, and that all the extra equipment would be nothing but a burden. But what about growth? I did one magazine shoot with both of the aforementioned cameras, and would have given anything for a sensor that could do justice to some of the interior shots that were required of the job (it was a restaurant piece).

It all boils down to a matter of...am I ready, and is it even worth the time to move on to the next level? If so it will be with equipment that will not require replacement in the near future (hence the 700). However it would be foolish to make the investment just to have it sit idle due to time constraints, or the intimidation factor, or the fact that this is just a hobby after all, and will not be turning into a profession, even part time (per mandate from said wife).

Thus, we sit back and patiently consider these things with soulful reflection, and a dose of prayer...

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Lots of the good rustic stuff that I like to capture...

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Tried my best to avoid bystanders for this one, but was not successful...

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One of the neat things about walking around the Festival is the randomness; there is no telling what you'll see from one moment to the next. This girl appeared to be thoroughly enjoying herself fishing in the little puddle. She evidently had her act down pretty well, including a running dialogue with herself while maintaining tabs on how many were gathered to watch. The challenge was to capture the scene without bystanders.

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I was waiting for one of the shows to begin when overhead this pattern with the background colors caught my eye.

Naturally, with so much color and cultural opportunities at hand, there were some photographers with serious rigs walking around. I think the 7000 did a good enough job...

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...and a participant from another show.

It's interesting that these are being posted now, because there is a podcast called Tech Stuff that just the other day did a feature on the technology that was around during the Renaissance; one of the guys on their staff goes to a Festival somewhere. They covered cannon and other firearms of the period, focusing on the year 1510.

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This lady was in the audience at one of the shows...

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Just as in Six Flags or Sea World, there is a sophisticated entertainment venue at the Festival that follows a printed schedule that you can get at the door upon entering. This too has evolved over the years from an informal, sometimes rag-tag bunch of entertainers to a showcase of talent, complete with pre-season auditions. This fellow was doing a comedy act with a team that actually was quite good.

With something like this a photographer must simply snap away, counting on volume to (for me) luck into a good shot. The reason for that is the unpredictability...ideally one would attend a show or two before shooting so that a) he'll become familiar with what comes next; and b) he can position himself for the best shots when the time comes. Not having done that, I chose to stand in the back of the crowd, zooming all the way in and counting on that volume for the lucky shots...

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And speaking of period technology, this is a case in point...all of the entertainment, all of the rides, all of the shows rely on technology that would have been in place during the Renaissance. No electric motors, no gas or diesel, and no microphones with loudspeakers anywhere, which keeps it busily quiet wherever one goes.

As can be seen, this is sort of a bungee-in-reverse ride, where they strap you in between huge rubber bands to sling you into the air. This kid was in his fifth or sixth bounce, coming down from an apogee that was still well above the tops of the telephone poles. Just as good as a roller coaster, I'll bet...

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Another friendly sort...he was charging $2 a pop, and relied on good 'ole period technology.

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This one is the result of compromise. I knew the shirt would blow out, but didn't want the right side of his face to be completely obscured with shadow. This man was very patient as I took several seconds to meter the exposure. The result isn't all bad but the shadow areas still needed a little brightening in Photoshop.

There was a show concluding behind me, and our friend was waiting for a fare in his horse-driven carriage. What drew me to the scene was that everyone in the background happened to be in period costume...

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...and others constantly move about.

This picture is a bit overexposed and I normally would not have posted it, but the guy was just so pleasant and willing to stop for a pose...his friendly demeanor is conveyed very clearly.

He was calling out "Road dill! Road dill!" as he pushed his cart.

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Some vendors more/less stay in the same place...

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I'm not sure how planned or structured this is, but every so often little musical groups assemble and play songs, attracting knots of passersby. This is a good opportunity to get candids from among the musicians, waiting for just the right moment to capture a joyful, enraptured, or wistful expression...

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The first thing that one notices upon entering is the menagerie of people that populate the village. It is very easy to tell the difference between the die-hard "residents", the wannabe's, and the tourists.

This obviously is one of the full-timers. These people seem content and amazingly at ease in their garb - most are very friendly, tolerating the influx of tourists into their domain in a trade-off that allows them to show off a skill, pose for photographs, or simply be themselves in a place that offers comfort and escape from the world at large. Most also speak exclusively in an English accent adopted from the Middle Ages. For an eccentric like me they offer a chance to rub elbows with some who have successfully found a way to live a lifestyle that is definitely "out-of-the-box".

For the neophytes and wannabe's there are vendors that will rent you a period costume so they can at least look like these guys and feel closer to fitting in the culture.

On my first trip to the Festival I brought a Philippino preacher...definitely the glasses-wearing, camera-toting tourist type that went crazy jumping from one of these guys to the next, getting pictures to share with the folks back home. Then it dawned on me that the next time a visiting preacher flies in on his first trip to the U.S., I should time it so that straight from the airport we drive to this place as soon as it opens, before the tourists crowd the place. Welcome to America!!

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One of the more interesting events around the Houston area is the Renaissance Festival. About an hour's drive from town is a little East Texas town called Plantersville. Just before arriving at Plantersville, on the left, there is a huge entranceway that suddenly appears as a break in the pines. This is an entrance that will lead you to a transformative domain, back in time to the European Renaissance.

I've known about the Festival since my college years, when one of my brothers had several friends that participated. He described a world apart, where fantasy gives birth to a place of escape...from which some fail to exit (mentally at least).

It was not until 2008 that I finally got around to visiting. By now the place has become a substantial money-maker, giving it a more commercialized feel as opposed to the cultish, clubbish atmosphere of yesteryear. Still an interesting place.

This is the sign that one sees upon entering the arched gateway where tickets are sold. It states that firearms are prohibited. After going into the property there are signs that tell what you can and cannot do with the swords, clubs, and truncheons that most openly carry...

Bluebonnets 2009

'Tis the time for bluebonnets in the Houston area. I haven't taken any pictures of them this year, but have been holding this one from 2009, which was taken at Washington-on-the-Brazos with the 7000...

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We were just about to leave for the evening when I darted through a doorway to capture this guitar sculpture hanging on a wall near the pool.
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This concludes postings from the wedding shoot...

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As seen in previous postings, flowers were everywhere - positioned so that no surface was void of decoration. This was on a small table in a hallway...

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In the only shot of the day that I can say was planned, we scurried outside in time to snap the scene from the other side of the window. Here he is again, watching from the interior of the mansion.

It may not be noticeable in this posting, but in my haste to capture the moment there was no time to affix the camera onto the tripod (which was right next to me at the time). The shot is a bit blurry, even after using the unsharp mask tool in Photoshop Elements.

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It's all about timing. As the guests and participants were getting ready for the ceremony outside, my daughter had to go to the restroom so we went indoors, which was pretty much vacant. Very serendipitously we discovered the father of the bride peering through the window, waiting for his moment...

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It was getting darker...just enough to let the light be seen through the window on the left. The place was really beautiful, and had enough acreage to remain insulated from the hustle and traffic of the surrounding city.

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