As we left Galveston this morning, the wind was so calm that the water was still. I took this picture of Galveston Bay from the bridge on 61st St.
Galveston Bay
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Tag Archives: Galveston
Sunrise
We awoke this morning to an absolutely beautiful sunrise. I am behind in my blogging, but I wanted to post this picture. It was taken at about 7:30.
Best of 2012
I have gone through the over 7000 images from this year and chosen five that I think are the best. I am not going to rank them. Rather, I will present them chronologically.
The first one is from Galveston. Earlier this Spring, Debbie was walking on the beach and saw that someone had started to pile rocks on each other. As other people came along, they created their own piles of rocks to the point where eventually, there were hundreds of piles of rocks. I took this picture of one of the piles. I used a strobe and softbox to help me make the sky a little darker and to help define the surfaces of the rocks.
Earlier this Summer, Pat Jones asked me to serve as a second shooter at a wedding. I enjoyed the process. The wedding was at an interesting outdoor area in Roundrock. As the sun was going down, we got the couple to walk with us. There was a place in the woods where the setting sun was coming through a break in the leaves of a tree. I positioned them in the spot where the sun hit their faces and got this picture.
For the Waco Wild West 100 Bike Ride, last year, I stood at the end of the Washington St, Bridge and tried to get pictures of the cyclists with the suspension bridge and the Hilton in the background. I got some similar shots this year, but noticed that the river was absolutely still. So, I went down along the river and shot up at the cyclists on the bridge, with the reflection in the still water.
Ashley Henager wanted to get some pics at an old house in Speegleville. A couple days before, she contacted me and asked it we could change and shoot with her husband and son. I loved the idea. We shot at Midway Park. Noah was as cute as could be, but he really wanted to get in the water. He kept trying to get away and get in the water, and at one point, the tug between them resulted in this picture.
Finally, the last shoot with a model I did was with Heather Lynn Johnson. I have already discussed the lighting issues, but this shot was really great.
Galveston Pleasure Pier
We went to Galveston for New Years. The weather was pretty bad – cold and wet for most of the time. Monday night, we decided to go the The Pleasure Pier for dinner. I took my camera, and got a couple of pretty good night images of the pier.
Both of these images were taken in the early evening. I actually ended up underexposing with exposure compensation because the camera meter wanted to make the pictures brighter than it really was.
Dickens on the Strand – Steampunks
Steampunk is an alternative world conceptually akin to Jules Vern. Lots of gadgets and alternative technologies. A few years ago, steampunk costumes were scarce at Dickens on the Strand, but over the past couple of years, they have really caught on. Now, it seems like there were probably more steampunk themed costumes than any of the others.
Lots of leather and strange accessories adorn these costumes.
This couple was dressed all up. Too bad they didn’t have anything for the child.
This guy was demonstrating his own flying machine.
And, sometimes, steampunk and pirates co-mingled.
Dickens on the Strand – Pirates
Another favorite theme for costumes was Pirates. You might think that at a Dickens Christmas festival there would be people dressed as Scrooge or ghosts of Christmas past, present, future, or Jacob Marley. But by far and away, the character most used was Captain Jack Sparrow. But, lots of people dressed in various ways in pirate costumes
Dickens on the Strand – People
There were all kinds of interesting costumes taking essentially three themes. Some were just dressed in Victorian clothes.
I am not sure how many of the costumes were “vintage” and how many were made for the event. Galveston does have several shops that specialize in these kinds of clothes. But, lots of people wore these things.
There were also lots of street performers and stage performers. They had several stages, and they all seemed to have magicians and jugglers performing when we were there. There were also people just performing in the street. This is a girl who just sat in the middle of the street playing her violin.
Dickens on the Strand
Last Saturday was “Dickens on the Strand.” It’s a Christmas festival in Galveston where people dress up in Victorian clothes, and everyone pretends they are in Victorian London. Lots of people and lots of fun.
It used to be that if you can in costume, you got in free. I don’t know if it is still that way or not, but most people were dressed up.
Everyone lines the street, and in the middle of the afternoon, they have “The Queen’s Parade.” I am not sure how one gets chosen to be in the parade, but they march up Mechanic and down The Strand.
The Skull Fetish of Motorcyclists
There is an obvious fetish in the motorcycle community. Although skulls are the most common expression of this fetish, it goes a little wider than just simply skulls.
Skulls are painted onto motorcycle parts, and they are incorporated into parts that are cast.
They can be rather straight forward depictions, or more stylized.
They are universal in the culture.
But, I believe the skull is just a convenient icon for a broader involvement.
The skull fetish is really an expression of a wider fetish with the morbid.
Lone Star Rally – The Event
We went to the Lone Star Rally on Saturday. There were probably 200,000 motorcycles there. We got there about noon and stayed until about 3:30. The motorcycles are parked two and three deep all along Strand and Mechanic Streets.
There is barely enough room in the middle of the street for a line of motorcycles to ride in. There is a constant parade of motorcycles all day long. 
There is lots of food and entertainment and a competition for the best custom cycle.