Webshots Update for 11-15-05

I just got done scanning and uploading pictures from my recent expedition to Austin to my Webshots account. Initially the purpose of the trip was to see a KKK rally being held in support of Proposition 2 (which sadly passed by an overwhelming majority.) I did not want to support the KKK, but my friend and I thought this would provide a unique chance to shoot some pictures and is an interesting bit of Americana. Before the rally we walked around the neighborhood near my friend’s apartment and then rather than the KKK rally we ended up at the counter-rally. All in all it was an interesting experience, particularly since I have never been that politically active in my life.

Anyways here are a couple of my favorite pictures from the day:


This was a little white flower growing in the little patch of dirt at the edge of the curb. A little bit of beauty defiant in the face of neglect and urbanization. I am always amazed at Nature’s ability to overcome man’s depredations and the fact that many times it is something as fragile and beautiful as a white flower. Oddly enough I like the scan more than I do the actual photograph.
The scan seems to be a bit darker which allows the pure white of the flower to stand out more.

This tree had all the bark stripped off of it and the lightness of the trunk made a very interesting contrast with the darkness behind it. I kind of wish I had this picture in color, but I like the black and white because of the way the background detail is lost.


There was this house that had some weird wooden carvings of people peeking over their wall. Sadly I did not compose this shot very well in-camera and therefore I had to crop the picture once I scanned it. Here is the cropped version:


I like how I feel like I am the focus of the carving’s attention rather than they being the subject of my attention.


Finally the only intentional art shot of the trip. There is this house/palace that has this awesome fence running along the road, so I felt the need to shoot a close-up of the geometry of the fence.

All of these pictures were shot on Fortepan 100 B&W negative film with my Vivitar 220SL and various lenses (primarily my 135mm and 28mm lenses, if memory serves.)

You can see the rest of my pictures from that trip in the Austin (11/2005) album in my Webshots account.