Myrtle Beach, SC – Kiss Coffeehouse

Jan27

When I was younger I belonged in the KISS Army! I know dating myself again. I had all the records of KISS….yes, records. Even before 8 Tracks…yikes I may be old!? LOL So when we visited Myrtle Beach this past summer we stopped on by the Broadway at the Beach shopping area and walked around looking for dinner. Unbeknownst to us….we walk by and see this coffee house! How classic! The KISS Coffeehouse! I had no idea such a place existed. So we went in an checked it out. Memorabilia and merchandise are all over the store…and you really can get some great coffee! I grabbed a T-Shirt and took a few pics. If you are in Myrtle Beach go check it out! You may Rock-N-Roll All Nite!!

Talke Photography Settings:

Camera: Nikon D300
Lens: Nikon 18-200 VR f/3.5-5.6
Setting: Aperture Mode
Focal Length: 18.0mm
ISO: 200
Exposure: 1/1000 sec
Aperture: f/4
Gear: Hand Held
Post Process: Adobe CS4, Topaz Adjust

Austin, Texas – Stevie Ray Vaughan Statue (HDR)

Jan5

In Austin, Texas you can find this statue in honor of Stevie Ray Vaughan. If you look in the opposite direction of this photo…it is one of the best skyline views of Austin! This past weekend I was taking skyline shots right next to Stevie and happened to look back and saw this wonderful view! The sun was setting and it looked perfect with the winter trees. A few people were jogging or walking by as I took this shot…so I put the f/stop to f/22. This would allow me to make them disappear due to the long exposures. I’ll post an IR-HDR of the skyline from this nite soon! I had never visited this spot before…if you are in Austin visiting look for the Long Center and it is right behind it!

I have been playing with textures in Photoshop…I think you can go crazy with them, so I will only try it once in a while…so here is a version with texture…better? Worse? Looks ok.

Some info from the web: Stevie Ray Vaughan (born Stephen Ray Vaughan; October 3, 1954 – August 27, 1990) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is often considered to be one of the most important electric guitarists in the history of rock music by other musicians and commentators. Six albums of Vaughan’s work have been released. In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Stevie Ray Vaughan #7 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time, and Classic Rock Magazine ranked him #3 in their list of the 100 Wildest Guitar Heroes in 2007. He is widely considered to be one of the most influential blues guitarists in history. In 1994, the city of Austin erected the Stevie Ray Vaughan Memorial Statue at Auditorium Shores on Lady Bird Lake, the site of a number of Vaughan’s concerts. It has become one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions.

Talke Photography Settings: