Tag: Photography

The Alamo!

The battle of the Alamo (1836) has attained a mythical status in american culture and history. The story of this battle has been told many times in print and on film, so much so that it is now difficult to separate truth from hype and fiction. Either way, the remains of the Alamo mission is a historical legacy of the wars between american forces of the Texas colonist and Mexico leading to the establishment of the Republic of Texas. The story of a few embattled soldiers fighting against an overwhelming force resounds throughout human history and the Alamo is one such example of exemplary bravery in the face of all odds.

The Alamo Mission, San Antonio
The Alamo mission. Ruins from the Battle of the Alamo (1836). Click on the photo for a larger version.

 

Photographed at ISO100, f/14 20 second exposure. Sigma 28-70 f/2.8 lens perched on a bottle cap!

Human activity

A stark reminder of the destruction we are causing to life in the oceans. A shark made up totally of non-degradable garbage found in our seas on display at Sea World, San Antonio. The disappearance of flight MH370 and the number of false sightings of wreckage in the ocean indicates that our oceans are full of floating debris resulting from indiscriminate and reckless dumping of waste, much to the detriment of all life that has survived for millions of years.

Floating peril
All manner of plastic waste found in our oceans!

The Oldest Church in Texas

San Fernando Cathedral was founded in 1731 and is the oldest, continuously functioning religious community in Texas. The Cathedral building has the added distinction of being the oldest standing church building in Texas. (Source: http://www.catholicearth.com).

San Fernando Cathedral
San Fernando Cathedral, San Antonio, Texas

3-shot bracketed HDR at -2, 0 and +2. Merged in Photomatix Pro.

You lookin’ at me?

A red-eared slider turtle basking in the Texas sun at Sea World, San Antonio.

You lookin' at me?
3-shot bracketed HDR photo.

3 -shot bracketed HDR photo merged in Photomatix Pro and processed in Adobe Lightroom.

A flint(stone)

If you came looking for Fred or Wilma Flintstone, then you’ve come to the wrong place :)!

East Anglia and Norfolk in England have many flint stones that can be found littering the countryside. Flints have been used since the stone-age to make sharp-edged weapons like axes and arrow-heads, as well as in the creation of sparks to produce a fire. The flints found in our local area take on peculiar shapes, like the one below which looks like a horseshoe.

Flintstone
A horseshoe-shaped flint. Hinxton, England

A lily recovered..

While shooting couple of weeks ago I took a single photo of a lovely lily (a mistake, but excusable as I had my 6-year old tugging me along!). The photo was under-exposed and grey. I have tried to recover from this photographic disaster using post-processing. The results and the original are below.

Lily
Attempted recovery
_DSC4080
The original!

I used Adobe Lightroom for general photo handling and Color Efex Pro to enhance detail and contrast. I realise I have lost detail on the petals due to the original problems with the photo (which was in RAW format).