Last night my mom and I had a great time at a Texas Rangers game in Arlington. The game was great (we won), the staff was wonderful & the hot-dogs were only a dollar. When my mom talked to me about going to see a Rangers game I was excited. I also was really hoping to be able to bring my camera. I was very pleasantly surprised when I checked out the Rangers website to see what would be allowed. In fact, the Texas Rangers have amazingly reasonable rules regarding photography equipment. They basically state that cameras are fine as long as they don’t interfere with another guests enjoyment of the game. That makes sense. Heck, they even allowed me to bring my tripod. The whole attitude at the ballpark was very friendly. While shooting the photo below I was approached by a security officer. I was anticipating the typical reprimand for taking photographs and a bit of questioning as to what I was photographing. I was amazed to discover the officers mission was to suggest I also take a look at the view from one level up as a possible photograph. Unbelievable.

In contrast, the Dallas Cowboy’s (and many professional & college sports venues) have rules that approach the ridiculous. For instance, the new Cowboy’s Stadium rules state:” ONLY small cameras are allowed, video cameras and cameras with zoom lenses are prohibited.” I suppose they are now confiscating guests new iPhones at the gate since they have zoom lenses… Anyway enough of my ranting. I just hate ridiculous rules created my lawyers to protect people from taking photographs. Speaking of the Dallas Cowboys; The Rangers Ballpark in Arlington has an amazing view of the new Cowboy’s Stadium. I’m sure the reverse is also true, but I would never be able to do a similar photograph of the Rangers Ballpark. The Dallas Cowboys would never allow me to bring my camera into their stadium.

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.

Ok, I know its not Valentine’s Day, but looking at Jena in her red dress just sorta makes you feel like it should be. This is another portrait from her last session here. I love it when I have the opportunity to get some totally different looks in a two hour session. This one more fun & the last one I posted was a much more classic look. (You can see the previous post here.)

This pose would also make a great Christmas card!

This cute guy’s (or girl, it’s difficult to tell from this angle…) ancestors were no doubt partially to credit for us having National Parks. Theodore Roosevelt visited this area to hunt buffalo (bison actually,) when he was young and fell in love with nature. Later during his presidency he created the first National Parks to help protect and prevent development of our unspoiled lands. It was quite a new and controversial concept.
We recently attended a wedding in North Dakota. As first time visitors we really had no idea what to expect. We were quite pleasantly surprised by beauty of the badlands. We stayed in Medora which happens to be the location of the South Unit of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. This guy (and many of his cousins) greeted us as we made a morning drive through the park.