Austin, Texas – Zilker Botanical Garden (HDR)

We have been in Austin now for 3 years and I must say, photographic opportunities are everywhere in this great little city!  I have been to a few of the same places multiple times, but that is ok.  It gives you a chance to find a shot you may have not taken yet at that location.  This brings me to Zilker Botanical Gardens.  I have been here often.  Close to downtown and filled with wonderful flowers!  In the back of the park is this dinosaur statue.  All that live in Austin have seen it many times.  I have shot it in infrared, but never HDR.  I was there a few weeks ago and decided to give it a try.  Typically lots of greenery is not beneficial to an HDR…makes the photo look too busy!   This one cuts it close, but the dino and water help out!  The sun was shinning just right to give this critter a nice glow!  He almost looks alive!   Stop by Zilker if you are ever in Austin during the summer!   Cute little place!

Talke Photography Settings:

Camera:  Nikon D300

Lens: Nikon 12-24 f/4

Setting: Aperture  Mode

Focal Length: 24.0mm

ISO: 200

Exposure:  HDR 5 exposures (+2 to -2)

Aperture:  f/14

Gear:  Tripod

Post Process: Adobe CS4, Photomatix, Viveza

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Jurassic Park IR (Infrared)

NIKON D70S (Modified IR by Life Pixel), Nikon 18-70

I’m having fun with the new IR modified Nikon D70S.   I’m trying different things to see what works.  My little one and I took a lunch break the other day here in Austin.  We went to our local Zilker Botanical Garden to take some flower pics.   I brought this camera and my Nikon D300 with the 105 VR Macro lens.  The park was quiet and the flowers were not really out….summer time will be better.  So I mostly took IR pictures….curious to see how they would turn out.  We were just about to head out and I forgot about this little dinosaur guy!   He stays there year round and is located in the Prehistoric Garden.    We walked down to see him and I took 2 shots – a vertical and horizontal.   When I got back and post processed in CS3…I was pleasantly suprised.  Kinda cool!  The IR makes it feel other worldly already….throw the little dinosaur in there and it gives it an interesting effect!

Another note to make on IR shots…animals can work!  So for IR – this shot has trees, water and sky – important to make a shot look good in IR (my opinion so far).   Note the sky with the clouds.  If you can take the shot with some clouds in it….adds a little more fun detail.   Hope you enjoy the Land of the Lost!