More from the Austin Trip

The Texas Senate in Session

North entrance to the Capitol

Joseph Visits Austin

Inside the Texas State Capitol Rotunda

Me Waiting in Vain to Testify in the Senate

Tuesday I was at the State Capitol for the day to attend a House Subcommittee meeting and offer testimony, then attend the Senate debate on a voter ID bill, where several of us from Collin County were going to testify. The Senate ended up meeting all night and never got around to any witnesses other than invited experts. We drove back at 5pm when we figured they weren't going to get around to us.....

The Dandelion

Tucker Hill

Tucker Hill is a Master Planned Community on the north side of McKinney, with a nostalgic, small-town feeling. The community is so far about 20% built-up. The fountain is the centerpiece of the community. I was out Friday while shooting some pics for our real estate website....

Oppositions in Harmony and Disharmony I

Living/Artifical I (2008)

Rough/Smooth I (2008)

I came up with the idea for this series the other day while walking along the Wilson Creek nature trail as the sun was setting Friday afternoon. I will post more from this series as I edit them.

Wilson Creek Nature Trail and Meditation Garden

Here are some more pics from my Tuesday trip down the street to the Towne Lake Recreation Area and Nature Trail. Along the trail, the squirrels (pronounced a little like "squiddels" if you are English, which will throw you off a little bit if you are an American hearing it for the first time...) were out in force, including one who seemed to be having a bad fur day. You could hear them before you saw them, for you would hear this odd-sounding "scritching" noise, then look around to see what creature was about to maul you, only to find a squirrel nibbling in a state of carefree nirvana upon a nut.

I also discovered the Howell Meditation Garden (second pic from the bottom) in the center of the trail area, which I did not know about. Apparently the area was dedicated in 2007. It is indeed a nice area for quiet reflection.

I refelected upon how cold my hands were getting....

Infrared

I love infrared! To those who may not be familiar with it, it is a form of film sensitive to both visible and infrared light that produces images like black and white, but with a far more ghostly or surreal appearance. They are often used with colored filters to block out different wavelengths of visible light to produce different effects.

Infrared can be simulated in Photoshop or PSP Photo, which is much easier and less expensive than messing around with infrared film, which has little exposure latitude.

I like infrared for some of my images to enhance a sense of isolation, aloneness, and separateness from normal reality. Whether it works or not, I leave that to others to decide.....