The Frost bank building in Austin Texas looks pretty tall until you view it from the top of the new Austonian. A resident of the Austonian that recently acquired one of my Austin art images was kind enough to allow me into his home to see my art displayed in these amazing surroundings. While I was visiting he also arranged a tour for me to scout locations for a future Austin skyline image. Now I’m just waiting for the scaffolding to be removed from the Capitol building so I can shoot a series of new Austin skyline photographs that show off the views afforded the fortunate residents of this amazing space.

The new Austin skyline is finally getting to a point where a photograph doesn’t appear to obviously be a “work in progress”. I love this particular view of Austin. The arch at the Long Center for the Performing Arts frames the city perfectly. There is nothing like enjoying a great performance there and then stepping out on the patio during intermission and enjoying the view.
Since panoramas tend to be rather small on my blog I am also including a cropped portion of the photo.

Here is a crop of the image showing the new “Austonian”.

This was going to be a wildflower shot. I was driving home to Austin from Ft. Worth & thought I’d take the opportunity to photograph some of the amazing wildflower displays that this very wet spring has created. While driving down Interstate 35 I saw the exit for Maypearl Texas. (Maypearl is a little town about half way between Grandview on Interstate 35W and Waxahachie on Interstate 35E.) The town holds a special meaning for me because it’s the home of my maternal ancestral roots. As a child I would spend time every summer with my grandmother in the home my grandfather built. It’s a beautiful drive between Grandview & Maypearl & I felt hopeful i would see some great Bluebonnet displays. No such luck. The drive was beautiful (it’s always great to get off the main roads) but no super floral displays. I decided to shift gears & photograph some of the old buildings. Some were boarded up and quite sad, but the old Maypearl Garage has been reborn as a feed & pretty much anything else you might ever need store. I’m glad they did not cover up the old ‘ghost sign’. If you look closely, you can see where a previous owner covered up the old Maypearl Garage sign with a banner. Tacky. Now all it needs is a hound dog & a couple of old guys playing checkers on the porch.

I’ve been meaning to do a more current photo of the Stevie Ray Vaughan statue for awhile. The challenge is getting the rather dark statue to pop out from the evening sky. This image is a combination of light painting & HDR. I did three long exposures of Stevie while lighting the statue and surrounding area with my super duper mini flashlight. You can see my other photos of the Stevie statue here.