Downtown Austin 2022 - Peek-a-Boo Dome #2

 

Downtown Austin 2022 - Peek-a-Boo Dome #1

 

It's just now that I've taken to calling these peek-a-boo shots, since the subject seems to peek out from behind the foreground.  Almost everywhere you go in downtown Austin this majestic edifice juts into view from behind buildings, foliage or signage.

Downtown Austin 2022 - Saint Mary's Stained Glass Bookmark a

Here we are again with stained glass, this time made into a bookmark.  As in yesterday's post, had to do considerable sharpening to counteract the slight camera shake since it was so dark inside.

More stained glass pics featured in this search.

I've been thinking about what to do when this series runs out in just a few more posts.  I've gone back into the years 2021, 2020, and 2019, mining those archives for as-yet-unposted blogworthy pics, and am faced with a decision to either go back even further or simply go out and take some more pictures.  Think it would be valuable to simply go out and take some more pictures.

So where to go?  Why, the ZOO of course!  Every evening at around 7:30 the wife and I sit for an hour or so of TV time.  This is to help us wind down from the day, and also to bring Koko into a traditional family time together, which she very much enjoys because this is when we practice her tricks with treats.  And the TV show of choice nowadays is Secrets of the Zoo, which of course features all kinds of animals that sometimes grab her attention.

As we were watching the Columbus Zoo series of the show, I decided to look them up.  Turns out they rank way up there - in the top 10 world-wide - in terms of quality, care, etc.  But what we also found out was that the Houston Zoo also ranks highly among zoos in the U.S., and is even consistently in the top 25 worldwide!  Go figure...right in our back yard.  So now that the pandemic is pretty much over and it's safer to be in a crowd, think I'll mosey on over and see what we can capture.

Downtown Austin 2022 - Old Church Bell

...at least I'm guessing this is a bell of some sort.  As could be seen from yesterday's post, it was quite dark inside the sanctuary, so was a challenge to tame the shakes out of the Bigger Cahoona.  After considerable sharpening in post-capture, am pleased with this result.

Being in this place was a reminder of the sheer volume of denominations there are, and how different they can be one from another.  The church I attend - the Church of Christ - is the polar opposite of the manner of worship found here, but the artistry and traditions are still fun to explore.

And I never imagined I'd end up in the Church of Christ.  Did quite a bit of cross-driving through Texas as a lad, and noticed that - especially in West Texas - there seemed to always be a sign entering a town about the Church of Christ and where you could find it.  Later on I discovered that the folks attending that church are, by and large, a mighty good bunch and very sincere in their study of the Word.  To top that off, I've found that, by and large, I fit fairly well in the culture...which for me is really saying something since I generally don't fit into the mainstream of anything.  This is another testament that, at its foundation, the Bible is a great leveler, stripping away things such as economic, social and physical differences (such as race) among its adherents.

Downtown Austin 2022 - Saint Mary's Sanctuary

Moving indoors, managed to shoot this while stationed in the back of the auditorium, squarely in the center of the aisle.  It was a weekday morning so there were only a few worshipers.  Since the Bigger Cahoona is somewhat noisy I was very careful to minimize the number of shots, but think the ambiance mentioned in yesterday's post was successfully captured.

Downtown Austin 2022 - Saint Mary Spire Reflection

This reflection shot of the Saint Mary spires will round out the exterior shots; next we'll move inside.

I was telling someone the other day what an awesome thing it is to attend a service in such a cathedral.  Not because we belong to the Catholic church (which we don't), but because of the music, pageantry, architecture and ambiance created by those awesome stained glass windows.  I'll never forget touring the Notre Dame.  We were in the long, slow tourist line stringing along the side of the sanctuary when the service started.  The organ music was so majestic it drew me in, and before you know it I'd crossed the barrier meant to keep the tourists at bay and sat down in a pew, taking it all in.  Then after a while the incense guys came around and did their thing, during which the two cantors - who apparently appeared out of nowhere - started singing.  It was so beautiful...I'll never forget the moment.

Another time we were in Lucerne on a morning walk, and the breeze must have been just right because suddenly a strong organ prelude wafted our way from a church across the river.  In the same way this drew me in, but unfortunately we weren't dressed properly to enter its doors...

Downtown Austin 2022 - Saint Mary Cathedral Spires #2

Another view of same, sans traffic signals and foliage, captured when I got a bit closer.  To get just the right angle I must have made myself very conspicuous, as for this one I ended up standing squarely in the middle of a traffic lane on E 10th Street.  Not the best place to be at the time, since it was in the tail end of the morning rush hour, but knew it was a keeper when I snapped the shutter.  Guess the Good Lord watches after babies, drunks and obnoxious photographers!

This brings me to another topic - that of seeing something that would make a great photograph and not being able to capture it in the moment.  This happens a lot when we're driving.  I've had my eye on an awesome shack on Highway 6 about ten miles south of Waco for years now, but would have to stop on the shoulder of a busy highway in order to capture it.  Is it worth it?  Not while my family's in the car.  Thus, a great photograph remains anonymous as we speed by on our way to Dallas.

Another time for these is when there's a great sunset, or building, or something, that's either obscured by foliage or has telephone wires cutting across which would be a pain to remove in post-capture.  The cure?  A drone!  A new, higher-end drone was recently gifted to me, and immediately I saw the value in gaining some height, however slight.  One day, perhaps after retirement, I'll be able to use it to its potential.  In fact, I'm already thinking about the next level regarding sensor size, features, etc.  Meanwhile, the Big and/or Bigger Cahoonas will suffice just fine.

Oh, by the way - MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Downtown Austin 2022 - Saint Mary Cathedral Spires #1

As per usual, when the wife travels to attend a conference, I take some vacation time and tag along.  While she's in her meetings I'm free to wander with the Bigger Cahoona to either scout or take photographs.  This is how I got the pics for the Denver 2017 series, the McKinney Falls series, the Austin series posted June through September of 2020, and many others.

This particular conference was two full days with a stay of three nights in Austin, so I decided to use the first full day just to scout.  After her meetings started, on that first day I took a gander around the neighborhood, which was on the southern edge of downtown, then trekked deeper into downtown to see what might be worth capturing the next day.  Photographically I was armed with only my iPhone 11 to capture references such as street intersections and landmarks for the return trip.  And as is usually the case, several times I regretted not having the D850, but didn't yet know how safe it would be hauling that thing around while by myself.  Turns out it wasn't so bad.

So here we are with what was captured on that second day.  There were some pretty interesting things going on - such as the construction of the tallest building to date in the city - but this is what caught my eye first: the juxtaposition of the old Saint Mary Catholic Cathedral, built in the 1800's, against the modern Texas Tribune building behind it.

Andrew and Ellen's Wedding - Night Shot of Ceremony Venue

This is when I wished a tripod was handy.  Think I leaned against a back wall to hold it steady, and the results aren't too bad.

Thus ends the series on Andrew and Ellen's wedding.  Next we'll go to Austin again, where Chenjean recently attended a conference.

Andrew and Ellen's Wedding - Reception Dinner Table for the Bride and Groom (after dinner)

As can be seen by the cake, this was obviously after dinner and the cake-cutting part of the reception.  Here I wanted to capture the stark shadows created by the dance floor lighting.  Revelers were caught in the background of the shot below:

This is where things got loud and boisterous, a part that I generally avoid because I don't like a lot of noise and I don't dance.  Many times I had to retreat to the relative quiet of an adjacent courtyard to clear my head, but those participating seemed to be having the time of their lives.

Andrew and Ellen's Wedding - Reception Dinner Table for the Bride and Groom (with flowers)

 

...and the flowers did make all the difference - beautiful bouquets and arrangements generously provided by Ellen's parents.

Andrew and Ellen's Wedding - Reception Dinner Table for the Bride and Groom (pre-flowers)

As anyone who's attended an American wedding knows, the bride and groom have their own center-stage place during the reception.  To make this setup even more conspicuous, the table was positioned at the bottom of a grand staircase, which served as a visual funnel that zeroed all eyes on the blushing couple.  I can hardly imagine a more uneasy position to be in, where expectations are high and all eyes are on your every move.  This pic was captured before the table was adorned beautifully with flowers in each vase lining the front.  At least those provided a hedge of sorts between the couple and everyone else in attendance.

Andrew and Ellen's Wedding - Reception Table Candle Lighting

I really, really like candle shots.  Suppose it's up there with silhouettes and pictures of something through something.  The brightness of the flames increases the shutter speed, and exposure is automatically adjusted to the subject.  Many more candle shots can be found using this search and this search.

Andrew and Ellen's Wedding - Wine and Water Glasses

...and who doesn't like a little refraction here and there?

This is one of the few times I've allowed a person into a posted shot, as he is indistinctly featured in the background.  Similar shots can be found here and here from Enchanted Rock.

Andrew and Ellen's Wedding - Chandelier with Light Graphic

Moving indoors now for the reception, and a much more challenging place to take pictures with the Bigger Cahoona's middling lens.  Though these pics were captured freehand - that is, without tripod or even a column in the right places for support - a few keepers snuck into the mix, such as this one.

Andrew and Ellen's Wedding - United We Sand

At some point in the ceremony Andrew and Ellen blended these flasks of sand, much as two candles are used to light a common wick in traditional US weddings.  Result below in this post-wedding shot:

Andrew and Ellen's Wedding - Ceremonial Tea Set

Being an avid student and chronicler of culture, I was pleased to see that Andrew and Ellen's ceremony would provide ample opportunity to observe, learn and capture elements not commonly seen at weddings here in the United States.  This included a carefully planned and choreographed tea ceremony.  But not just any tea ceremony; this was one conducted by a special family friend flown in to handle it just right.  Naturally during the ceremony itself I stayed put where I was seated, so couldn't capture it with the Bigger Cahoona, but was able to photograph the setup before guests arrived.

Not to say that it wasn't expertly captured in every aspect.  The professional photographer they hired, along with the assistants and all of the equipment they brought in, were top-notch, and I've hardly seen better wedding photography anywhere.

Andrew and Ellen's Wedding - Sunlit Chairs

Turning the camera the other way, captured this and used Photoshop to brighten just the sunlit chairs for better contrast.

Andrew and Ellen's Wedding - Chairback Pattern

As stated yesterday, there was a pattern here to be explored.  And since most of the lines are sharp, decided to try the Glowing Edges effect in Photoshop:

Andrew and Ellen's Wedding - Venue from Outside #2

This is where the wedding itself took place.  Really a beautiful scene, and fortunately the weather cooperated...sometimes a tall order in Houston.

As you'll see tomorrow, I zeroed in on a pattern that makes up part of this frame.

Andrew and Ellen's Wedding - Venue from Outside #1

All agreed that the venue for our son's wedding was fantastic, with the ceremony itself taking place in an outdoor courtyard area.  Naturally, as parents of the groom, we had to get there early, providing plenty of time to scout good photo opportunities such as this.

Just for grins, decided to see what it looked like with only the windows against a black background...as if they appeared from nowhere with a view to what's inside:

 

Andrew and Ellen's Wedding - Rose Shadow Box / Being a Pseudo-Wedding Photographer

Ah, so now I've found another cache of untapped photographs, many of which were taken with the blog in mind.  Always a good moment when discovering something heretofore neglected, these being captured when our son Andrew married his good wife Ellen.

I've learned to be careful, though, when lugging either the Big or Bigger Cahoonas around during a wedding, as there is a risk of either  a) getting in the way of the real photographers, or  b) being mistaken for one of the real photographers (though one time it was sort of fun).  As can be collectively seen from the pics in this blog, I generally don't like to take pictures of people, and at a wedding that's just a part of it.

Actually, I was asked once by a good friend to photograph his wedding, to which I agreed since he's a good friend and since he really likes my photography.  I was so nervous about it, however, that I called another friend - a photographer experienced in doing weddings - to meet me at the church the night before for some tips and to teach me how to work a new flash unit I'd just bought for the Big Cahoona, the D300s.  After that I felt a little less nervous.  But imagine when, the next day, the pastor told me I couldn't use flash during the ceremony!  My gosh, what a disaster.  The lighting inside the chapel was hideous and I didn't have enough experience to adjust to a plan B.  Needless to say, the bride and groom were less than pleased.  I vowed never to photograph another wedding, and have not since.

So now I wander about on a wedding day, capturing subjects such as this as unobtrusively as possible, offering anything the family likes for free.  It's almost people-less, with no obligation or time constraint, and a joy to capture and share.

Texas Visitor Center in Orange - Dead Trees Against the Sky

Always liked pics like this, with the decaying trees against a blue sky...especially when a heron is involved.

Another view below, with a comment about hanging moss in these posts:

Texas Visitor Center in Orange - Licks from Mr. Hoke

Another vivid memory I have of Mr. Hoke (and he was a Mr. then, because he was in his first year of teaching and nowhere near obtaining his doctorate) is when he gave me licks...that is, a paddling.  This was in a time when paddlings were routine punishment for transgressions in school.  Mr. Hoke was greatly respected among all his students because, while he was great fun as a teacher, he spared no strength when using this method, and was perfectly fair and impartial in its administration.

One day he announced that later in the week he'd be absent, and we'd have a substitute in his place.  He also sternly warned us that if the sub wrote anyone's name down for misbehavior we'd get the fabled paddle upon his return.  You'd think that would instill enough fear in all to ensure a well-behaved class on the appointed day.

But not in my case.  On that day the class started out quietly enough, but after about 20 minutes one could sense a restlessness in the air.  A murmur of whispers was soon heard as several attempted to communicate important messages to their neighbors.  Then I saw it...a spitball.  Well, you heard it first - a pffftt sound as the paper bullet made its way through and exited the barrel crafted from a Bic pen with its insides removed.  We all had those pens in case it became necessary to use them for such a purpose during class.

Soon enough the air was lightly sprinkled by those brave enough to defy Mr. Hoke's threat of the day before.  The sub caught on, and whenever he looked up all weapons were silenced.  It was about then that I severely miscalculated.  My pen was loaded with a particularly large and appropriately heavy wad, at the ready to be discharged in a final blow to an offender who sent one my way a few minutes earlier.  He was not going to get away without retribution.  Thus, at the exact moment the sub decided to look up, I actually stood up and with all the breath I could muster delivered my vengeance on the adversary.  Imagine the muffled laughter of the class upon witnessing that stupidity, and the fact that I'd made the list to get the paddle when Mr. Hoke returned.

A good teacher always does what he says he's going to do, so those of us who'd made the list that day came to class with great fear of the certainty that we were in for some hurt.  And as expected, Mr. Hoke gave the class an assignment and called us one by one to walk with him to the office for the consequences - three licks with the paddle.  And yes, it hurt plenty.  And yes, we all had an even greater respect for the man that day, and worked harder in class as a result.

There was one time, though, when he went a little soft.  A classmate named Dwayne Brown cut up a little during a lab assignment.  Sometimes Mr. Hoke, for the sake of immediacy, administered his licks in the storage closet right there in the back of the room.  He'd take the student in and, without closing the door so that it could be heard better by all, would use the paddle to administer one, two or three licks.  But this was behind the wall so no one could actually turn around and see it.  On that day Dwayne got his licks back there.  We all heard it and felt for poor Dwayne, who had the highest grades in the class and was a bit of a nerd.

Later, however, Dwayne told me the whole story.  When they got back into the storage closet, Mr. Hoke pulled out a big fat wallet from his back pocket and told Dwayne to put it in his back pocket.  This greatly lessened the pain while still producing enough noise to calm the flock.

One would think that, based on the two incidences above, Mr. Hoke was a mean, dictatorial teacher...but such was not the case at all.  Even under threat of sure punishment for misbehavior, his students all had an awesome time in his classes, because he never lost his sense of humor, was terrific at his job, and had us laughing more than not.  What an awesome teacher.  Sadly, in this day and age a teacher's hands are tied to such an extent that those types are fewer and further between.

Texas Visitor Center in Orange - Raccoon / An Adventure with Mr. Hoke

After yesterday's post got to thinking about an adventure we had with Michael Hoke.  When I was in 7th grade he conducted a field trip to the Anahuac Wildlife Refuge, and I was among the four students selected to go...four probably because that was all of the students that could fit into his old junker college car.  At the appointed time on that Saturday morning I waited in front of my house at 1512 Chapman, and along he comes to pick me up.  Wasn't so easy to get in the car, though, because as soon as I reached for the handle he sped off for a few feet, kidding around.  Somehow he could get away with that kind of stuff because of his personality, and because it was just a different time then.  Another time he was on the North Junior High faculty team when they played the Orange Police Department in a charity basketball game, and, not-surprisingly to us, picked 98.6 as his number.  He was all about science, but was also very civic-minded.

Back to the adventure.  We got to the Refuge, where he drove us around pointing out this or that about the wildlife.  It was fun, and at one point he had some of us sitting on the hood of the car so we could see better.  As mentioned above, it was just a different time then.  I was positioned behind the passenger-side wheel when Guess what happened - he (non-intentionally, I think) ran over a fresh cow patty, which sprayed all over my left pants leg!  Yep, and there it stayed because Lord knows we were in the middle of nowhere and had no way of washing it off.  And taking off my pants was not exactly an option for the hour-drive home.  So on the way back I sat in the front seat in order to maximize the distance between me and anyone else in the car.

That incident sort of sticks out in my mind when thinking about those days with Mr. Hoke.  He was truly an unforgettable character.

Texas Visitor Center in Orange - Heron on Branch / Dr. Hoke and Shangri-La

This type of wildlife is one of the reasons the Texas Visitor Center in Orange is one of my go-to places to take pictures.  I'd love to rent a 500mm lens one day and come back here - and to Shangri-La, also in Orange - to capture these guys up close during nesting season.

Speaking of Shangri-La, it still surprises me at how far it's come in contributing to the economy, culture and education of the communities in Orange County and beyond.  Its founder and first administrator was Michael Hoke, who in 1971 was my 7th-grade science teacher...his first year teaching and probably the best school year of my young life.  His talent, ingenuity and influence eventually landed him in the Bush-41 White House to receive an honor in the Rose Garden.  Quite the individual.  While I was living in Nacogdoches, when he learned that I'd become certified to teach 7th-grade earth-life science and high school biology, he invited me to join him as staff during his summer program, Bios, which was basically a field trip on steroids.  Reluctantly I had to decline.

But that's not what surprises me.  It is a strange feeling to go into the place and wander freely, because as kids my friend Brent and I used to have to sneak through a fence and trespass to walk (or run, as was sometimes necessary) along its pathways, always on the alert for the tight security placed to catch folks like us.  The Stark family was notorious for their zero-tolerance stance on anyone caught in such a transgression.  Now, thanks to Dr. Hoke, all you have to do is fork over a little cash to go inside.

After all of that, what surprises me most was his sudden and unexpected death in 2016.  His obituary is easy to find on Legacy.com, but does not mention the cause of death at the relatively young age of 67.  Surely he is still sorely missed by the community and all who knew him...

Louisiana Visitor's Center - Swamp Reflection Shot

This was the only other blogworthy photo that resulted from our visit to the Louisiana Visitor's Center.  Next we headed back to Texas and stopped at one of my stand-by and favorite shooting locations, the TEXAS Visitor Center...

Louisiana Visitor's Center - Lake Panorama

Standing in the same place where we were in yesterday's post and swinging the Bigger Cahoona to the right yielded this 3-shot panorama.  A huge file with incredible detail thanks to the Bigger Cahoona's 48 megapixel sensor.

Louisiana Visitor's Center - Fishermen

One day I decided to go somewhere to test my new, expensive 24-70 F2.8 Nikkor lens.  I hadn't been to Orange in a while so headed in that direction, picking up my brother Mike and his girlfriend Linda in Beaumont on the way.  While on I-10 heading east, on a lark we kept going into Louisiana and stopped at the visitor's center.  So it is there that we first tested the lens.  At the conclusion of this series I'll give my assessment and the results of the test.

Saw these guys fishing out on the lake, and thought this might make a good silhouette shot.  Clicking on the image to make it larger, you can zoom in and see the features pretty well of the man on the right, in the back of the boat:

 

Neighborhood Walk Shots - Willow Branches Bookmark

This post will be the last from the neighborhood walk shots captured in 2020, during the pandemic.  Will have to go back a little further to find something more to post, unless we go to a photogenic spot between now and the first of December...

Neighborhood Walk Shots - Corner Flower

Keeping the rule of thirds in mind, this flower was tucked neatly in the middle of the top-right ninth of the frame.