Nice Weekend Getaway!
Wimberley, Texas
June 18, 2004 - Friday

Just on a whim, Lisa and I decided to drive to the hill country and spend the weekend there. We had no plans of where to go or where to stay so it was completely unplanned. After a few calls we finally found a nice cozy little Bed & Breakfast up in the hills to stay in for the weekend in Wimberley, Texas. Wimberley is a nice little town nestled in the hill country between Austin and San Antonio. We had a great time and plan to make a trip back there in the Fall. This is an image I took of Cypress Creek right in side of Wimberley.



Lisa took this picture of me while I was in the creek snapping some shots. In fact, for the image above I was almost waist deep in water try to get the best perspective for the shot. I was a little nervous at first carrying my camera into the water but since it was so clear I could see the low spots, rocks and such so that I would not trip or fall in.



This is the view we had from our balcony. This part of Texas is absolutely beautiful. We sure don't have views like this back in Houston.



We have a big day planned for tomorrow so we turned in a little early in order to get some rest.
 

Foo Foo Decorations
My Humble Abode
June 17, 2004 - Thursday

Lisa and I picked up these kitchen decorations from Bed Bath & Beyond awhile back. The first thing that came to mind just then as I was typing that was that scene in the movie Old School with Will Ferrell talking about that store. You guys know which scene I'm talking about. Anyways, back to the subject, well kind of. It was getting late and I hadn't taken any photos so I decided to take one of these.



Hopefully the weather is nice and clear this weekend so that we can get out and venture around again. I haven't really had a chance to use this new 17-40 L lens I just got but I am looking forward to it.
 

Photographer For A Show Contest
Dave Matthew Band
June 16, 2004 - Wednesday

Let me start out by saying that I have been a huge Dave Matthews Band fan since I first saw them here in Houston in 1998. I have been to every concert that they have had here in Houston which is 9 total as well as having gone to 4 of their concerts in other cities here in Texas. I was planning on attending their 2 shows here in Houston this coming August but it just so happens that some friends of mine will be getting married in New Orleans that same weekend so this will mark the first year that I will have to miss.

Now comes the interesting part. The Warehouse which is the official Dave Matthews Fan Club is putting on a Photographer For A Show Contest which will give 10 winners a free pair of tickets to an upcoming show as well as a press pass so that the winners can photograph the concert during the first three songs from the base of the stage. Nikon cameras will also be given to some of the winners along with a few certificates for free tuition to The Nikon School which is a photography based workshop taught by Nikon. The official rules state that there is no limit to the amount of entries that one can submit so after sifting through my PAD gallery I finally decided on 16 photographs that I have taken. The deadline for the contest is 12:00 midnight tonight so at about 10:30pm or so I sent off 16 individual emails with my submissions attached. Click here to see my submissions.



Hopefully I have a fighting chance in this contest because I think it would not only be great to see the Dave Matthews Band in concert but it will be very cool to photograph them up close and personal. The other cool thing about the contest is that hopefully I could possibly win tickets to a concert which does not interfere with the wedding that I am going to. Who knows maybe a show on the East coast somewhere which would be cool because then Lisa and I can make a mini vacation out of it. Winners to be announced on July 1st so I will keep you guys updated, Keep your fingers crossed!
 

A Nice Evening Out
West Side Of Town
June 15, 2004 - Tuesday

Lisa and I drove over to Barnes & Noble Bookstore after dinner tonight so that I could get my monthly fix of photography magazines. I also picked up a cool book on different scenic spots and different state parks and such that are located here in Texas. This book will help me decide where we will be going on our next little day trip. Anyway, as we were walking out of the bookstore we noticed this little red Honda Civic parked in the middle of the main driveway. At first we thought, who in the world would park like that and then we realized that the driver probably left the car in neutral. Sure enough, I went up to the car and the guy did leave it in neutral which allowed the car to roll right out of the spot where he parked it. Luckily the car did not hit the guy behind him. We actually saw the rocket scientist that the car belonged to and I was not surprised that he was the one responsible.



On the way home, we stopped over at a small park at Addicks Reservoir that I had never been to before. There were a ton of bike riders and joggers enjoying the cool evening air. It was about 7:30pm or so and the sun was just setting so I decided to take a few photographs. This first image was taken on a foot bridge which crosses over one of the large drainage ditches that feeds into Buffalo Bayou. I thought I would try my hand at some abstract silhouette images for a change.



This particular image shows a short granite block which stood about 2 feet tall with the sun setting behind it over the reservoir wall. The rock looks huge in this image but its all an optical illusion of sorts. I need to make time to experiment with different perspective techniques that I have seen in different magazine ads and television commercials and such. Hopefully I can try some soon, I think they would be fun to recreate.



My wide angle lens should arrive tomorrow so I definitely plan on making another stop at this location soon so that I can try some different photographs with my 10D. As you can see I am very impatient when it comes to having toys shipped to me. That's one of the downfalls to ordering online I guess.
 

Spirit Flutes
My Current Playlist
June 14, 2004 - Monday

Well I ordered a new Canon 17-40 L lens for my 10D last night and it should get here sometime on Wednesday. I had it shipped out overnight because I am a very impatient customer! Hehe. I have been a little restricted with my 10D usage since all I had was the fixed 50mm lens but now that should change. The next lens on tap for me is a nice long zoom lens so that I can get some nice animal/nature close ups.

This is an image of a CD that I bought the other day while I was in a local store. It is called Spirit Flutes and is an instrumental compilation of tribal melodies performed with a Native American Flute. The Native Flute is a hand made wooden musical instrument used by Native Americans in various tribal ceremonies and such. I really enjoy listening to this type of music because it is extremely relaxing. Come to think of it, maybe I shouldn't be listening to this CD during work hours because I may be too relaxed. :o)



This image was taken with my S400, from this point on you will be able to see which images were taken with my S400 and which were taken with my 10D. The aspect ratios from both cameras are slightly different so it will be easier to see which ones were created with what camera. The images created with my 10D are not as tall as what my S400 produces.
 

Snail Hunt
My Parent's House
June 13, 2004 - Sunday

My family threw a graduation party for my sister today which meant we had a full day of food, drinks and more food! We started getting things together very early this morning and finally got to the point where we could start the cleanup duties late in the evening. As Lisa and I were leaving, I noticed a large snail in one of my mother's gardens. After a closer look, I realized that there were about 30 or so large snails that were climbing all over this one particular shrub. Apparently the rain we had earlier drove about them to climb up the shrub and soak it all in.



Today was a very long day to say the leas. I know this is not an award winning image but it's an image nonetheless. GO PISTONS!!!
 

Elk Sighting
The Woodlands Mall
June 12, 2004 - Saturday

Lisa and I drove out to The Woodlands Mall so that we can do a little shopping and such. After we walked around the mall a bit I decided to drive us around the area and look for a subject for today's photo. I noticed some very interesting statues sitting at the base of the Anadarko Tower so I pulled over and got the camera out. The Anadarko Tower is a very well designed structure which sits across the street from the mall.

The building itself was very nice and unfortunately I only have a 50mm lens which really acts like a 80mm lens on my Canon 10D so I could not take any nice overall shots of the building. The lens was just simply not wide enough to fit the tower into the frame even from a good distance away. This really got me upset and I knew it was time for me to stop procrastinating on lens shopping and just pick one and go with it. The tower had about eight life size elk statues positioned in front of it so I took a few snap shots of them. I didn't spend too much time at this location because I was already pretty bummed about my lens situation. I will definitely make plans to come back to this spot once I get my problem taken care of and should have plenty to show. I told myself that first thing Monday morning, I'm ordering a wide angle lens!



I didn't spend too much time at this location because I was already pretty bummed about my lens situation. I will definitely make plans to come back to this spot once I get my problem taken care of and should have plenty to show. I told myself that first thing Monday morning, I'm ordering a wide angle lens!
 

One HOT Day
Abel's Mobile Sauna
June 11, 2004 - Friday

I had to run a bunch of errands today after work but I managed to pull over and take this photo. A lot of people always say "It's not the heat, it's the humidity that gets you." All I can say is that 100 degrees is 100 degrees no matter how it got there. Anytime the thermometer in my car reads anything over 90 degrees I always wish I was somewhere up north in some nice 70 degree weather.



I can't wait until the Fall season gets here so that we can get back into some cooler temperatures. This Texas heat is absolutely crazy.
 

My New Toys
Abel's Studio
June 10, 2004 - Thursday

Well after a few weeks of contemplating, debating and flat out being confused; I'm finally starting to get my photography setup close to what I've wanted from day one. Here is a shot of my equipment that I am now using: Canon 10D, 550EX Flash, 50mm 1.8 Lens, Bogen 488CR2 ball head with quick release and a Bogen 3021BPro tripod. I must say the Bogen products are very top notch and I love how sturdy they are. Sure being sturdy does mean it will weigh a bit more but I don't mind making that sacrifice.



I'm hoping to finally decide on which zoom lens to go with by early next week so I should have it in before Friday just in time for the weekend. I'm leaning towards a Canon 70-200mm 2.8 L lens since I really enjoyed the one I rented last weekend. Other things on my "Get List" are a Canon vertical grip and also a nice hefty Lowepro backpack so that I can carry my equipment around easily during our day trips.
 

Candlelight
My Studio
June 9, 2004 - Wednesday

Check out this hi-tech lighter! Lisa bought this Zippo lighter at Bath And Body Works and I am so glad she did, for obvious safety issues. This lighter has spared me from burning my fingertips like I used to do while trying to light our candles with those cheesy matchbook matches we picked up at a local bar.



Hopefully the weather will start to clear up so that I can get outside and take some photographs of interesting subjects.
 

Weekly Poker Night
Abel's Hotel Casino
June 8, 2004 - Tuesday

Tonight is our weekly poker game and we had a total of eight players tonight which made for a very fun night. As usual, Lisa and I treated our guests to tons of strawberry margaritas in hopes that the alcohol would impair their judgment and result in a win for the home team! Hehee. Just kidding of course. For the record, I finished second place overall so it wasn't too bad. I think the more margaritas I drank, the better my poker judgment got. :o)

If I remember correctly, my photo of the day for March 3rd was of my very first Jose Cuervo Piggy Bank and tonight's poker game granted me a new addition. Now I have a third bottle to fill with my loose pocket change since I've already maxed out the first two. I'm curious to see how much money is in the first two bottles because are extremely heavy.



Maybe once I get the third bottle filled I may go cash the change in and see how much money all three bottles bring in. Although, we need to get another bottle of tequila for margaritas so maybe I'll just make this a new tradition until the end of the year and see how many bottles I can fill up by then.
 

A Change Of Pace
Middle Of Nowhere
June 7, 2004 - Monday

On my way home today I decided to take a different route and drive down some roads that I had never been on nor knew where they ended up at. The change of scenery made for a pleasant drive home and I will have to make it a point to do this again every once and awhile. I noticed these wildflowers on the side of the road so I pulled over and snapped a couple of photos with my S400. It looked like a storm was brewing on the horizon so we may be in for some bad weather tonight and tomorrow. I saw plenty of interesting subjects on the way home that will make for a great photo for my gallery but the weather was not cooperating. Hopefully once it clears up a bit I can make another trek out here, that is of course if I can find my way back.