The legacy of Buck Winn {San Marcos photography}

So, I'm back! When last we spoke I said I was going to go play with my new anniversary gift from Lisa, an infrared converted DSLR. I didn't have to go far to find interesting subject matter--I was able to stay on campus, in fact. I work at Texas State University, and in the 1990s Texas State acquired the former San Marcos amusement park Aquarena Springs, and the location is just a short drive from my office.

Aquarena is very different from the days when mermaids swam in the underwater theatre and Ralph the Swimming Pig entertained crowds. The park was a money-losing operation for many years, and the university suspended operations a few years after acquiring it. Today Aquarena Center focuses on environmental research and the protection of several endangered species native to the springs. The former rides and entertainment venues are in a state of decay, slated for eventual removal including the Alpine Swiss Sky Ride. The "cable cars" themselves are long gone, but the landings are still in place, and one in particular is noteworthy.

Famed Texas artist and resident of nearby Wimberley, Buck Winn, was hired to design the departure station for the new sky ride in 1963. Winn is probably most famous for his record-setting "History of Ranching" panorama for the Peal Brewery in San Antonio. He set about designing a forest of mushroom-like shades evocative of the trumpet-like form of morning glories.

The flower structures are made of a unique fiberglass, rebar and concrete mixture Winn developed himself. Originally they were intended to be illuminated from within and wired for lighting, but the material proved too thick for the scheme to work. A pond/water garden was incorporated into the design as well. The disused sculpture is eye-catching even today. In infrared, it is positively ethereal.

Sadly, Buck Winn's distinctive sculpture is not long for this world. It lies on the flood plane adjacent to Spring Lake, and is one of the remnants of the old Aquarena Springs slated for removal. Corrosion has attacked the pillars, and before too long I expect they will become a public hazard. The main cluster of flowers is too massive to move without great expense, and even then might prove too brittle to survive relocation.

If I had the land (not to mention the money) I'd happily give the sculpture (or at least part of it) a home. There has been an outcry, and efforts to save the petal sculptures are under way. Current plans have the structures going into storage, but with space at a premium on campus, I have no idea where they'll find room for them. Regardless of their final fate, I'm fortunate to have had the opportunity to photograph them.

Lisa On Location Photography

Anniversary gifts for photographers {New Braunfels photographer}

Lisa and I celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary today. It's amazing to think that so much time has gone by, but we've got three children--one just a few months away from becoming a teenager--to prove it. I remember when we first met, working at the same newspaper. She was already a working photojournalist by then, although she spent more time writing in the newsroom than working in the darkroom. Hindsight's always 20/20, but it seems funny now that we had no inkling she'd one day make a full-time career out of her photography. Since she's gone pro, however, the majority of the gifts I get her for Christmas and birthdays tend to skew towards photographic equipment. Because that's where her desires lie these days. For our anniversary, I got her a Manfrotto 3011-3211 camera tripod with a Manfrotto 3265 grip action ball head, plus a 1TB internal hard drive for her computer, because she's shooting so much these days she needed the extra storage. Not sexy, I know, but she'd been taking about getting both for months, so I just beat her to the punch. I'll readily admit that she completely stole the show with her gift to me. That's it above. My own camera. I bought that Canon XTi back in 2008, and have taken many, many photos with it. I learned how to be a photographer with that camera. I learned how to take infrared images by using an R72 Hoya filter on the end of the lens, because I'm a sucker for oddball things like that. Lisa is just feeding the fire now, because she sent it to Life Pixel for conversion. My camera is now dedicated to shooting infrared full time, and I cannot express how cool that is!

Digital image sensors are very sensitive to near-spectrum infrared, that which lies just beyond what the human eye can see. This isn't the type of heat-signature infrared the military uses, but rather "cool" infrared like you'll see on television shows like Ghosthunters. Using a visible-light blocking IR filter on an unconverted camera allows you to take infrared images, but exposure times can range from 10-30 seconds or even longer. Converting a camera removes the internal filters over the sensor and replaces them with a dedicated infrared-friendly filter, allowing normal shutter speeds. It's a tremendous amount of fun, and produces new perspectives of familiar landmarks, like the false-color infrared image of the old LCRA power plant in New Braunfels above.

One of the nifty characteristics of infrared is the fact that the chlorophyll in leaves reflect it very strongly. The result is that trees and grass appear bright white in IR images, creating a snowy, surreal, fairyland look. The effect is dramatic in my shot of the pedestrian foot bridge over the San Marcos River, above. This lends itself nicely to striking bridal portraits and dramatic wedding shots.

Infrared also has an interesting effect on portraits. The upper layers of skin are fairly transparent to IR, and wrinkles and blemishes magically vanish in IR portraits. The self-portrait above is straight out of the camera with no extra processing, but once converted to black and white (I'm particularly partial to duotones) the result can be quite flattering.

So, yeah, I'm very happy with my anniversary gift this year. Now excuse me while I go play with my new toy!


Lisa On Location Photography

Zeiss! {New Braunfels photographer}

Those of you with no interest in excessive fawning over camera equipment might want to click away now. Because I'm about to gush passionately about a camera I bought (okay, okay--Lisa gave me the money. But still!). One of the things Lisa wants for her studio space is a collection of vintage cameras to display, classics like the famed Graflex Speed Graphic cameras that reporters carry in all those screwball comedies from the 30s and 40s. So the other day I was poking around Craig's List, and came across a listing for a Zeiss Ikonta in good shape. I made an offer that was accepted, and shortly thereafter I drove down to San Antonio to pick it up.

The camera is a Zeiss Ikonta 521/2, a nicely designed medium-format folding rangefinder from the famed German camera maker, Carl Zeiss. Details are hazy, but from what I can tell this particular camera was designed just prior to World War II, production was suspended for the duration, and picked up shortly after Germany surrendered. Zeiss manufactured this camera through the late '40s and perhaps as late at '54, as I've seen different dates given.

One thing is for sure--this is an elegant camera. It is economical in its size and stylish as well. It came with it's own embossed leather Zeiss Ikon carrying case, which apart from a few age cracks and some scuffing is in surprisingly good shape for its age. Likewise the camera itself. There are a couple of spots of chipped paint, but no rust or dirt or other gunk or wear that you might expect for a 60-year-old camera.

This camera takes 120 or 220 medium-format film, which is still available today (surprising in this digital age). On the back of the camera, above, there is a small octagonal window covering a window of red glass. The photographer opens this window to check how much film is left in the camera by reading the frame numbers printed on the paper backing, a simple and straightforward solution that is just as effective as mechanical counters but a lot easier to engineer.

Therein lies its beauty. This is a simple camera, and there are lovely aesthetics at work here. The shutter, aperture and exposure are all controlled by the mechanics in the front lens mounting. The photographer composes by looking through the rangefinder viewfinder to the side, then sets focus by dialing in the distance on the lens mounting. Ditto for the aperture and exposure time. Old school photographers--and we're talking really old school here--had to be mathematicians to calculate the proper exposures using this little gem. Unlike today's digital cameras, there was no auto focus, and you couldn't chimp the LCD display after a shot to see if you got the lighting right!

This particular Zeiss Ikonta has a 105mm Novar f/4.5 lens, which is well-regarded and fairly common for this model. It was also available with a f/3.5 Novar or a f/3.5 Tessar. The higher-quality, wider-aperture Tessar models are much rarer and collector's items. Unfortunately, the lens on our little Ikonta shows several translucent spots of fungus on the internal element. This will degrade image quality unless cleaned off. The mechanical exposure timer also sticks, which I understand is common for old cameras like this. A thorough lubrication and cleaning should restore it to prime operating condition.

What we weren't expecting was the hidden surprise inside. Opening the camera, Lisa discovered an exposed, undeveloped roll of Plenachrome 120 film! This is a type of black and white film produced until the late '40s. Maybe production continued into the early '50s. Either way, this film is at least 50 years old. Maybe older. Considering the lack of wear on the camera, it wouldn't surprise me if this was packed away prior to 1955 and not touched since.

Naturally, we're going to develop it. Which is easier said than done, since 50-year-old film needs special TLC that won't be found in a commercial film lab. The film is likely bonded with the backing paper, and may be fogged to some degree by age and exposure to heat. Nevertheless, we're going to persevere and find out what secret images are hidden on that film, no matter the quality. It's like a miniature time capsule nobody knew about.

And just to show how nice people can be, the fellow who sold me the Zeiss also gave me the little Japanese "spy camera" above when he learned that Lisa is building a collection of vintage cameras. The Hit cameras were popular in Japan after World War II and used 17.5mm film. They had a fixed focus 30mm f/11 lens and a 1/30 shutter speed. That's it. Talk about minimalist! But in post-war Japan, with staggering resource shortages, these cameras served a role. This one's obviously seen better days and won't ever take a picture again, but it's a nice piece of photographic history to have and will have a place of honor on the shelf next to Lisa's old Canons, Nikons and Zeiss.

Lisa On Location Photography

Kitten Season {New Braunfels Photography}

Did you know there was a kitten season? Well there is. And that season is now. Cats like to breed frequently during the spring and summer so as a result there are kittens galore this time of year as opposed to December, which happens to be the time of year we tend to like to adopt and have a heck of a time finding kittens.

I'm a firm believer in spaying and neutering cats to control the overpopulation of animals. I've volunteered in shelters in the past and am always so heartbroken to see the kittens coming in on a daily basis -- most of them destined not for a happy home but for a short life in a cage. Sadly, it was often the same people who brought in entire litters of kittens year after year.

The cats in our home are fortunate to have the 9 lives that we provide each of them. Our cats tend to live for many years (with the rare exception of the unfortunate case of our lovely Holly). Many kittens are not so lucky.

Last weekend I paid a visit to a friend of mine who found herself with the unfortunate task of having a large number of kittens to find homes for. It's not easy. Sure, they're cute and most people love them when they're kittens. Kittens grow up to be cats, however, and if those cats are cared for properly, there's a big expense in veterinary care, cat litter, food, scratching posts, flea control and of course, spaying or neutering so you don't end up in that situation. If they're not cared for properly there's the potential for disease, rabies, fleas, malnutrition, coyote attack and of course the inevitable litter after litter of kittens, thus repeating the whole vicious cycle.

I had a hard time pulling my children away from their house when it was time to go. There were teardrops, and the kids cried too. I would love to shelter all the kittens of the world, but I know my limitations. And my darling husband's. But if you know of someone looking for a kitten for which to provide an everlasting home with all the responsibilities to go with it. I know some who'd be happy to go home with you.
Lisa On Location Photography

R.I.P. Dear Point and Shoot Cameras {New Braunfels photographer}

Recently while perusing some of my favorite photography news sites I read something that caught my attention. It seems the point-and-shoot (or compact digital camera) field is not doing so well. Sales are declining for the little pocket-sized cameras that pack a whopping 12-15 megapixels into a tiny sensor sized perfectly for on-the-go shooting. Sales in the DSLR (digital single lens reflex) cameras, however, are increasing. What this seems to say to me is that people are starting to care more about quality photography that they are opting for the DSLRs instead of the smaller point-and-shoot varieties. Maybe. Or maybe people are depending a whole lot more on their camera phones.

I suspect the drop in the point-and-shoot sales is purely a result of the increased use of the camera phones and the increased ease in transporting them. Yet people still want the higher quality for more important events and are opting more for the DSLRs. Why would they want a little pocket camera when they have their phone?

The problem with this is that I'm seeing a decline in the picture quality of the photo albums of this generation. Or, worse, a non-existent photo album with the ease of collecting digital images on one's phone and never printing them out. How often do you see people pulling a DSLR out of their pocket at a theme park? Go to any elementary school event and what do most people have in their hands -- holding them into the air above the heads of the crowd to snap a photo of Junior on the stage 20 yards away -- their phones. Phones with teeny tiny sensors, slow shutter releases.

Thirty years ago the little instamatic cameras were all the rage. You remember them. Your mom had one with a little cube flash on top. They sold film in little rolls that popped right in. The results were nice.

That's me and my sister in about 1976. It's not a high quality image from a photography pro point of view, but it's priceless to me. It hangs in a frame on my wall. The quality is nice, and the exposure was just right. Most importantly, it actually got printed up rather than left on a phone.

I don't take my expensive DSLRs with me to Six Flags. Who wants to worry about that thing on the log ride. I do, however, have my phone with me all the time -- who doesn't? So this is what I have to show for my most recent trip to Fiesta Texas.

It's cute. But for my standards it kind of sucks. It's pixelated, it's low quality, and I may never bother even printing it up. Or maybe I will. Maybe I'll print up all the images I shot with my camera phone and stick them in an album for my kids to peruse when they grow up. But if I put that album next to the albums my mom made with her little instamatic, there would be no contest.

I'm hoping the quality of the camera phone will improve for the sake of all our children. I don't see a return for the point-and-shoot. And I mourn the loss of the photo albums the way we saw them growing up.

That reminds me, it's time to print out some photos from Easter. They're still on my flash card.

Lisa On Location Photography

M.W.C., C.P.P. {New Braunfels Photography}

Acronyms define each industry from within. If you're a journalist you know what AP style is and you know that SPJ is a worthy organization and PEJ is leading the field into the next generation. That sentence makes no sense to you if you are not in the media.

Doctors, accountants, truck drivers -- every field has its own list of acronyms that make no sense to most of us, but they are simple and straightforward to those within the industry.

Among photographers there are a few that I'd like to share with you. The first is C.P.P. It stands for Certified Professional Photographer. Just like C.P.A. is Certified Professional Accountant, which I'm sure you've heard.

As of yesterday, I'm allowed to put C.P.P. after my name on my business card. I'm excited about it. It means a lot to me. I blogged about my journey toward certification in the past (also here and here) so I won't repeat all of it now.

Basically, there are fewer than 1,800 CPPs in the country. That's about 8% of all professional photographers. Being certified is a designation that tells the public you know what you're doing. When hiring an accountant, many people look for that CPA designation. It's how they can be assured this person has met certain professional standards.

Now I'd like to introduce you to another acronym in the world of photography, and this one is not so flattering. MWC or GWC. Mom With Camera or Guy With Camera. I hear the phrase repeatedly at the photography conferences I attend as well as online when I peruse the professional photography forums. A MWC is a person (in this case a mother) who picks up a camera and decides "I want to be a photographer," and then hangs out a shingle, so to speak, and starts charging a small (very small) pittance for photographing families. No photographic training, no professional equipment, no knowledge of the use of the "manual" mode on her DSLR. She doesn't use a multi-light set-up (depending instead on her pop-up flash) and often wouldn't know a reflector from a frisbee. I am a Mom with a Camera, but I am not a MWC, and you know what -- so what if I were. There are plenty of MWCs who produce fine quality work -- just as there are plenty who produce crap -- and have no desire to learn otherwise. But who am I to say at what point she stops being a "MWC" and becomes a "professional photographer." Most will never stay in business long enough to advance past a minimum skill level. But for every MWC who closes down, another three pop up.

It's ironic, but I've been called a MWC, by the same men who probably were in about junior high when I was pushing film in a professional darkroom in the early 90s -- before the ease of digital photography and Photoshop. Looks can be deceiving. Mom plus camera does not equal MWC in the derogatory sense. The face of professional photography is changing. It's the MWCs who are standing up and taking charge. It's the MWCs who are learning the ins and outs of the business. It's the MWCs who are leading photography seminars, working towards their CPP, and eventually their M.Photog. (Master of Photography -- there's another acronym for you) or their Cr.Photog. (Photographic Craftsman).

I support these women and I encourage them to get educated. You want to be a photographer and that's great! Take some classes, talk to photographers you admire, learn from them. Get knowledgeable about it. And don't be afraid to get that certification. Yes, it's challenging, but three years ago it was something I thought I would never do.

But I'm not done learning yet. Every single session I come away from I see where I can improve. I see my weaknesses and they frustrate me, but I keep at it. Each time learning from past mistakes. Some day I'll have M.Photog. after my name as well. That's my hope. I have a long way to go. I have a fear of photographic competition and I need to tackle that fear. It's the only way to improve my skills.

I am a mom and a I have a camera. And I use it. A lot.

Lisa On Location Photography

It's like "Trash the Dress" without the dress {New Braunfels photographer}

It rained last week. That alone was enough to earn a 2-inch letter headline across the front page of the newspaper here in New Braunfels. I can't remember the last time it rained. Had it even rained since the new year here? I don't know. Rain is a stranger to us lately and the event troubled our 9-month-old beagle to the point that he turned his nose to the sky and barked and growled for the entire shower. Is he that unfamiliar with the wet stuff coming from the sky that in his short life, he hadn't seen enough of it to understand what it is?

So anyway, the rain brought with it a little mud. It's that mud that sparked an idea in the mind of one of my clients. She e-mailed me with her exciting idea. "I want to be photographed in the mud." Okay, I thought. I love a good trash the dress session -- yeah, only except there would be no dress in this session. Just my client and the mud.

"Great! Let's do it," I said. We secured a remote and private location thanks to one of my wonderful friends and then we met in the morning to get down and dirty.

Photography isn't all glamour and glitz, you see. It was hot and humid and the mud was everywhere. But the results were fantastic. I was so excited to have such a willing client who wasn't afraid to get mud in her hair, mud under her fingernails, and who didn't freak out when a roach decided to join her in the mud -- well she didn't freak out too terribly much. It was a lot of fun and a great way to start my weekend.

Now to clean out my boots and do some laundry.

Lisa On Location Photography