HDR On The Guadalupe

Well, I found the photographs I'd taken on the Guadalupe in late December 2005. Gillian and I were driving down to San Antonio for Ellen's and Stan's New Year celebration and we took a detour to Guadalupe River State Park. Several of my siblings had camped out there recently and I'd never been. It seemed like a good time to check it out.

Late December would be considered off-season in any universe so I didn't know what to expect. The park itself was different enough that, even after spending a couple hours taking pictures, I wasn't sure I'd have any pictures to get excited about. Eventually, after I got home and reviewed the pics on the computer, I was more than happy. Now, six and a half years later, I'm really happy I decided to stop enroute to SA.

I took this one straight-on to the near vertical wall across the river. The reflection is interesting but, except for the river surface, the two-dimensional quality of the image is what does it for me.

These two (above and below) are among my favorite all-time efforts. The serpentine roots of these cypress trees provide such intricate detail, an observer can easily lose himself in the image. The reflection of the sky by the river made for a surprising blue-green hue which perfectly complements the warm tones of cypress needles.

I like being able to study the textural detail "close-up" in this last one. The color of the submerged rocks somehow brought out the rusty tones late December in Texas take on, again, working so well with the blue-green highlights in the water.

In case you're wondering, I'm really liking this HDR stuff. . .