Colonial Williamsburg: The U.S. history theme park
Governor’s Palace, Colonial Williamsburg – Williamsburg, Virginia
Colonial Williamsburg was a puzzle to me. I’ve heard about the place but never went there, even though I lived on the East Coast. I heard conflicting reports that it was a made up place while some claimed it was a real town. So when I had the chance, I decided to start our winter vacation there. And even after looking at their website and brochures, I still didn’t understand Williamsburg until I actually got there and started exploring.
Colonial Williamsburg is sort of like a theme park for American history. Buildings have been moved and rebuilt to simulate life in the American colonies around the time of the American revolution. But it is also the real deal — the town really did exist from way back. The Governor’s Mansion and Capitol, the centerpieces of Williamsburg, were rebuilt on their original foundations as close as possible to the original specifications. The Courthouse and The Magazine, where they kept the arms, are original structures.
Virginia Colonial Capitol – Williamsburg, Virginia
While there are actors in costume, in fairness to Colonial Williamsburg, this is no ordinary theme park — there are no cute mascots and amusement rides. It’s more of a living museum to American History. Also, unlike a typical amusement park, you can get in and walk around in the town without a ticket. Paying the entrance fee entitles the visitor to tours of the trophy buildings and seeing the demonstrations of the craftsman, such as the blacksmith and wig makers. There are no blatant food stands but there are restaurants in recreated Taverns that line Duke Of Gloucester, the main street.
In Costume, Governor’s Palace – Williamsburg, Virginia
In Costume, Virginia Capitol – Williamsburg, Virginia
Next to Colonial Williamsburg, there are the Market Square Shops, a shopping area done in the Neo-Colonial style. And beyond that, lies the College of William and Mary. Colonial Williamsburg buses, that allow ticket holders to get on and off at several places, make it easy to get around. The main Visitor’s Center complex is where you can buy the tickets. It also has additional shops, restaurants and is the logical place to get started. Everything is done in a classy way and I have come to realize the price of admission is well worth it.
Merchant Square Shops – Williamsburg, Virginia
Colonial Williamsburg Bus – Williamsburg, Virginia
We spent 2 relaxed days there but there is more than enough to fill 3 days. There are resort style hotels right next to the historic buildings but we opted to stay in a more conventional hotel several miles away. The greater City of Williamsburg is like any small city with the usual sprawl. Drive down Richmond Road and you can find a large selection of standard, new restaurants with modern 21st century food.
The DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art museums, both under the same roof, are surprisingly good. The museums are included as part of the general admission ticket. Entrance to the museum was a bit confusing — you can enter the primarily underground complex through the Public Hospital of 1773. Since we were during the winter vacation, there was a magnificent Christmas Tree in the restaurant area.
Christmas Tree, Rockefeller Folk Art Museum – Williamsburg, Virginia
Big Cat, Rockefeller Folk Art Museum – Williamsburg, Virginia
Exhibits, Rockefeller Folk Art Museum – Williamsburg, Virginia
Colonial Williamsburg is a must for history buffs especially if you are into early American History (the Historic Jamestown settlement is also fairly close). I think the 13-year-old was old enough and knew enough history to appreciate the place. For my 9-year-old, it was more of a stretch. He liked the optional Tavern Ghost Tour we took at night and he was mesmerized by the blacksmith’s handicraft. There are activities geared towards kids that we didn’t strictly follow. Perhaps if we did, our younger son would have like it even more. The Fife and Drum parade down Duke of Gloucester, while not exactly the Disney Electric Parade, did add a nice closure to our stay.
Blacksmith, Colonial Williamsburg – Williamsburg, Virginia
Fife and Drum Parade, Colonial Williamsburg – Williamsburg, Virginia
Of course for me, any new place is a chance for photography. I enjoyed Williamsburg and its history but I like the architecture the most. It’s not the big city and there are no shiny lights but finding texture and compositions entertained and challenged me. If anything, I would like to spend more time shooting photographs deliberately but the family schedule didn’t allow for that. My small bag carried two cameras with lenses attached. My new Olympus E-PM2 with the 14mm f2.5 and the Olympus E-P3 with the Panasonic Leica 25mm f1.4. That’s it. I also had a Panasonic wide-angle adapter that I can attach to the 14mm but I had no other lenses. This kept the photography gear to a minimum and let me enjoy the experience without being weighed down.
The Carriage and Courthouse – Williamsburg, Virginia
The Magazine, Colonial Williamsburg – Williamsburg, Virginia
Historic Jail Cells – Williamsburg, Virginia
Reflection on Duke of Gloucester Street – Williamsburg, Virginia
Sunset at the Capitol – Williamsburg, Virginia
My wife, who doesn’t know much American History, also enjoyed Colonial Williamsburg. We vowed that sometime in the future, perhaps when we are retired, we will return to this place. We can take our time and savor the details especially since we won’t have young kids in tow. Sounds good to me since I’m always up for more photography. I wonder what kind of camera I’ll be using in the distant future.
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2012 ROT Rally Parade
ROT Rally Parade #1, 2012 – Austin, Texas
As June arrives in Austin and the heat begins to build, the rumble of thousands of motorcycles can be heard. It’s that time of year again. Every second Thursday in June, The Republic of Texas (ROT) biker rally rolls into town. I’ve seen estimates as high as 50,000 participants and 200,000 spectators, making this one of the biggest biker rallys around. I’ve been going to the downtown festivities for the last couple of years and this year, I met up with some photographer friends, Pete, Jim and Dave. Friday night was the highlight of the downtown events with a big, boisterous display of motorcycles parading down Congress Avenue, Austin’s main downtown street.
My friends and I met a couple of hours early and shot the scene around 6th street. There was a fun, carnival like atmosphere, with thousands of bikers showing off their vehicles and partying at Austin’s most famous entertainment district. There were many non-bikers too enjoying the mood along with an ever-growing number of photographers documenting the scene. A healthy police presence ensured things stayed calm and from what I could see, they did an excellent job. But mostly, the mix of people were there to have fun and these events further Austin’s reputation of being a weird and eclectic place. I’ll leave the pre and post parade scenes for another blog post but today it’s all about the big Congress Avenue parade.
ROT Rally Parade #2, 2012 – Austin, Texas
I shot the same parade last year, and I made a couple of changes for this year. First, I decided to stand on the opposite side of the street. The parade downtown starts at the State Capitol and moves south on Congress Avenue, does a loop, and heads back north on the same street. I was on west side so I caught the action as the parade looped back north. I think both sides are equally good and I don’t have a s strong preference. Next, I made big changes to my photo gear. Last year I shot with my Canon 7D and a 50mm f1.4 lens and also brought along a super-wide angle lens. This year, I used a trio of Olympus Pen cameras. I had my E-P3 with a 14mm f2.5 lens, a E-PL1 with a 20mm f1.7 and a E-PL1 with the 45mm f1.8. It’s hard to believe that a year ago, I didn’t even own a single Olympus camera; now I was sporting three of these small and light devices. And even with three cameras, they still weight less than last year’s setup.
Happy Couple, ROT Rally Parade – Austin, Texas
ROT Rally Parade #3, 2012 – Austin, Texas
Juggling 3 cameras may be a pain at times but generally worked well. I shot mainly with the 14mm and 20mm lenses. I used my 45mm when there was something interesting to zoom into like the handsome African-American couple above. they were clearly having a great time and I made a satisfying image with both my 45mm and 14mm lenses.
Horns, ROT Rally Parade – Austin, Texas
Matching Dogs, ROT Rally Parade – Austin, Texas
True to Austin, there were colorful and playful riders too. Love those horns, kind of gives a Viking on a motorcycle feel. And how about those two riders with the matching dogs with goggles. All part of the fun at the parade. You can tell the riders and the spectators had a great time. People stuck out their hands to greet the bikers. There were warm smiles and camaraderie between the riders and the on lookers.
Passing Shake, ROT Rally Parade – Austin, Texas
Greeting, ROT Rally Parade – Austin, Texas
Hook’em, ROT Rally Parade – Austin, Texas
As the sun set, the glow of the headlights took on a magical appearance. The wild LED colors that lit the engines cast an eerie glow. After they parade down and up Congress Avenue, the riders get to park their motorcycle in the middle of the street. There is a crazy jumble of bikes and people. To the right the bright lights of the old Paramount theater beacons and to the north, off in the distance, the Capitol of Texas sits proudly, anchoring the street. With the parade over, the second wave of festivities were just beginning. Down the street, a stage with live music. Some kind of southern rock, country music combo, blaring away. It’s the kind of music I couldn’t identify but it worked perfectly for this kind of event. It’s dark now and my friends and I switch from hand-held photography to tripods. There were bikes decked out in colored LEDs, calling us. We oblige.
ROT Rally Parade #4, 2012 – Austin, Texas
ROT Rally Parade #5, 2012 – Austin, Texas
ROT Rally Parade #6, 2012 – Austin, Texas
Within the Crowd, ROT Rally Parade – Austin, Texas
State Capitol, ROT Rally Parade – Austin, Texas
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The train to Agra, India – comfort, beauty and poverty
Indian Countryside – Between Delhi and Agra, India
This is part 5 of an ongoing post about my trip to India and Singapore. The previous post is Street shooting in Karol Bagh market, Delhi, India
After a night of not too restful sleep, I was up at 4:45am to get ready for my train ride to Agra. I only got a few hours of sleep on the flight between Austin and New Delhi, hoping that I’ll be tired enough to get a good night’s sleep. I went to bed at 10:30pm, quickly fell asleep and woke up promptly at 12:30am. Curse jet lag. For the next 3 – 4 hours, tossed and turned and only got a few winks. I had a couple of issues with my hotel room too. First, when I woke up at 12:30, the room was pitch black. I was in a daze but I could have sworn I left the light on in the bathroom so that I can navigate. I stumble around and attempted to flick on more lights, but nothing seemed to work. Maybe the hotel is trying to save power? Maybe the power would kick on later in the morning? Then I remembered that I needed to charge all my camera batteries for my big sightseeing trip. Also, what if the power didn’t come back on early enough? After all, I had to take my shower at about 5am and it would be challenging to wash myself in a dark room. I decided a trip to the front desk was a necessity. Luckily the hallway lights were on so it wasn’t a building wide power failure. On the ground floor, just next to the elevator, there was an unidentified lump in a dark corner that surprised me. It was one of the hotel staff taking a nap on the floor; definitely something that I have not experienced at a hotel in the U.S.
The attendant at the front desk looked groggy but awake. My questions regarding the lack of power seem to confuse him; but I did confirm that the power is supposed to be on all night; so it wasn’t a power savings ploy by the hotel. After a check by the hotel staff, the issue was narrowed down to a blown fuse in my room. Problem solved. I was back to charging my camera batteries. I tossed and turned, relaxed, read a book but I was generally unsuccessful getting any kind of meaningful sleep. And of course, the more you stress about trying to get sleep, the less you end up sleeping. 4:30 rolled around and I decided to take a shower but after 10 minutes of running the water, it refused to get warm. That’s strange, I got plenty of hot water earlier that night; I had taken a shower before I went street shooting in the market. I decided only to wash my hair, with cold water, which certainly got me going and fully alert.
Train Information, New Delhi Train Station – Delhi, India
The driver and guide arrived promptly at 5:30. In, what seemed like a 15 – 20 minute ride, I was at the New Delhi train station. Despite the early hour, the place was bustling with people, cars and all kinds of goods being transported. The beauty of having a guide is that they bring you right to the train and your exact reserved seat. I’ve read in guide books that you should allow up to an hour to find the correct train at New Delhi station. That’s because the signage is not too good and the darn place is quite big. The books suggest to listen to the audio announcements rather than trying to decipher the information screens. I felt lucky that I had an expert guild that whisked me through the chaos to the correct platform. We were there in plenty of time and before the 6:15 Shatabdi Express train to Agra arrived.
Shatabdi Express Arrives, New Delhi Train Station – Delhi, India
Interior, Shatabdi Express Train – Delhi, India
I had 1st class air-conditioned reserved seats on the Shatabdi Express Train to Agra. The travel agency told me that this is fastest way to get to Agra, a mere 2 hours from New Delhi. And I needed all the time savings that I can muster, I was scheduled to visit 3 locations in Agra and wanted to maximize my touring time before I take the 8:30pm express train back to New Delhi. A quick, one day trip to Agra was all I had time for. The express train was unimpressive by Western standards; its not the French TGV or the Japanese bullet train but it was clean and roomy. The dated decor was neither modern or old enough to be retro or cool. Most of the other passengers seem to be tourists and the occasional well to do Indians, like the couple that sat behind me. The couple lived in the United States and the husband worked in the high-tech industry in Silicon Valley; they were back in India for some sightseeing. At about $20 per one way trip to Agra, the 1st class Shatabdi Express is a nice way to travel that won’t break the bank for most Western travelers. I’m sure, however, that the ticket price is a luxury or beyond the means for many of the Indians, hence this section of the train seemed to be, more or less, dedicated for tourists.
Porter, Shatabdi Express Train – Delhi, India
Free Newspapers, Shatabdi Express Train – Delhi, India
Passengers, Shatabdi Express Train – Delhi, India
There was a flurry of activity in the 15 minutes before departure. Porters carried heavy bags for what looked like American or British visitors. The Indian Railways staff first passed out 1 liter bottles of water and followed with newspapers in English and Hindi. The train left on time and it wasn’t long until we the cityscape gradually turned into the country. The sun was coming up and I was on the left side of the train, next to the window, which perfectly positioned me for sunrise photography. Shooting out the train was more difficult than I imagined. Initially, the light was dim so I had to have a higher ISO and larger aperture. However, even under better light, I kept the ISO high to increase my shutter speed and to have a deeper depth of field, Shooting into the sunrise, while beautiful also creates more challenges. The dynamic range is so wide, between the glowing clouds and the dark ground, that inevitably you end up with bright spots or shadows that are darker than you like them to be. I did my best to balance these factors and created a few misty and hazy sunrise photographs. Between the expressive clouds, and ground hugging fog these were some beautifully serene landscapes. I liked how the trees that dotted the landscape added another dimension to images
As beautiful as the landscape was, there was a another, more haunting scene, that would breakup the idyllic countryside. In little settlements and villages along the tracks, you see people sifting through the litter that was tossed out the windows. There was a wide swath of junk that is thrown out of the local trains, which have open windows, especially near the train stations. I saw maybe a hundred people walking along the track and searching through the garbage. I can only assume they were looking for bits of food that may have been tossed out. I guess any discussion and observation of India will not be complete without talking about poverty. I saw a small bit of that in the Karol Bagh market but certainly not on the scale I saw out the window of this train. And no doubt there are other places that are far worse. This was a gentle yet striking reminder that I live a privileged life in a privileged country.
A View of Poverty #1, Shatabdi Express Train
A View of Poverty #2, Shatabdi Express Train
During the 2 hour trip to the Agra Cantt train station, we passed though several stations and stopped at a few more. These were great photo opportunities for catching people when the train was slowing down or stopped. The ones below are some of the more interesting ones that I captured. The second image, with the colorful clothing and the luggage on top of the woman’s head, really gives an exotic feel. I would love to spend time just doing street photography at these stations. There were so many interesting people and with such different customs.
Train Station #1, Shatabdi Express Train
Train Station #2, Shatabdi Express Train
Finally, when I wasn’t shooting the photographs, I was enjoying the food service inside the train. First, we got some hot coffee or tea with cookies and biscuits. Then we got a cold breakfast with cereal and bread. I especially enjoyed that brown bread wrapped in the unassuming paper wrapper. The corn flakes were similar to the U.S. but I was not used to eating them with hot, sweet milk, which was served from steaming metal containers. I assumed the breakfast was complete but then there was yet another course, a hot entree. There appeared to be a choice of entrees but people who did not speak Hindi where just handed a container. My aluminum container had a spicy vegetable cutlet that really tasted good. Now, my perception might be clouded by expectation but I could swear that his food tasted better than the food I got in Business Class on American Airlines. Maybe I was expecting something fantastic on Business Class, which I didn’t get. And I wasn’t expecting any food on this train and I ended up with a nice two course meal. Either way, hats off to Indian Railways. They exceeded my expectations for a comfortable and enjoyable trip. I complimented the staff on the great tasting cutlet and I think he understood my happiness. He gave me another aluminum container of the same vegetable cutlet. Now that’s service. When was the last time you got extra food on the airplane? Of course, when was the last time you wanted extra airline food?
Cold Breakfast, Shatabdi Express Train
Hot Breakfast, Shatabdi Express Train
The train pulled into the Agra station on time and my real adventure for the day was just beginning. The two-hour trip was just a warmup and generally a pleasurable one. I was treated to great service, a fast and comfortable trip, tasty food and a beautiful sunrise. Of course, I got a small dose of reality in India. Seeing the poverty outside my window is certainly an eye-opening experience. One that I certainly have not seen in my limited travels to other countries. It is something that needs to be seen, however. The poverty is something that I wish more people in the developed world would see. Even if it’s just a small glimpse into a very tough world that I can not begin to imagine.
This post is part 5 of my travels to India and Singapore, Start from the beginning at, Quite possibly a trip of a lifetime and part 4, Street shooting in Karol Bagh market, Delhi, India.. Continue the story with part 6, Loving the train station bustle in Agra, India.
I took these photographs with my Olympus E-PL1 with the Panasonic Lumix 20mm f1.7 and Olympus 45mm f1.8 lenses. Please make sure to click on a photograph to see a larger image and hover over the photo to see the exposure details.
See more images from India on mostlyfotos, my one photograph per day photo blog.
Shooting the Olympus E-P3 in a sea of Leicas
Jacquelyn’s Leica M6, Peter Turnley Lecture – Austin, Texas
A few weeks ago I attended a photography lecture given at the Blanton Museum of Art on the University of Texas campus. Peter Turnley was the guest speaker at the Icons of Photography series hosted by ACP, The Austin Center for photography. I got there an hour early so that I can take photographs, a consequence of having a photo blog; you need a constant source of new images and it forces me to get out there and shoot all the time. That night I brought one camera and one lens, the Olympus E-P3 with the Panasonic Lumix 14mm f2.5. The 14mm prime is probably smallest lens in the micro 4/3 line up. When paired with the E-P3, it makes for a very compact and stylish retro-modern camera.
Registration, Peter Turnley Lecture – Austin, Texas
Jacquelyn and Glen, Peter Turnley Lecture – Austin, Texas
During the pre-lecuture get together, I noticed an abnormally large number of Leicas, carried by the attendees. Very strange, even if I knew the ACP events tend to attract the more serious, photography purists. It turns out that this particular event was co-sponsered by Leica and some Leica camera club members from out-of-town made the trek to Austin to hear Peter speak. Peter Turnley, a photojournalist who shot for Newsweek, uses many different kind of cameras but some of his famous, early work were shot in black and white and with a Leica. With the Leica connection established, I now understood the atypical skew of photography gear. And the Leicas looked very comfortably at home in a place like this; they look beautiful, classic and not oversized. The few DSLRs at the pre and post lecture gathering looked out-of-place. The people who used them look like event photographers at a corporate media shindig. The size of the DSLR attracted attention and didn’t seem to fit the vibe of the place or the gathering.
Lecture Hall, Peter Turnley Lecture – Austin, Texas
Inspired, Peter Turnley Lecture – Austin, Texas
My E-P3, however, worked perfectly. It was small, good-looking and didn’t stick out. While it didn’t have the Leica’s range finder style, the retro curves and small 14mm lens echoed the same feel as a classic rangefinder. while Leica users might disagree, I find the Olympus eminently more usable. It auto focuses, quickly and quietly. I can shoot away and experiment without worrying about film. Its high ISO capability is better then the digital Leica M8 or M9. All this and my Olympus E-P3 was considerably smaller than the Leicas. Now I do know the Leica have their strengths. Their optics are legendary, the full frame film or sensor (in the M9) is going to have more shallow depth of field and in good light, they can take some amazing photographs.
After the Lecture, Peter Turnley Lecture – Austin, Texas
But here is the deal. For a small fraction of the Leica price, I have a camera that’s arguably much more functional. It fits in at the same type of places without standing out like a DSLR and I can shoot and keep shooting. I believe cameras are made for creating photographs. And no matter how beautiful Leica makes them look, why carry a camera around if you are not going to shoot it. With the exception of my friend Gary, who shot so much with his film Leica, I thought he had a digital M9, I didn’t see much photography going on. Now to be fair, maybe taking photographs at a gathering is not their style. After all, while street shooters might like this environment, fine art photographers may find it uninteresting, photographically. Perhaps the Leica owners thought it was a waste of their film and their money to shoot there. But with all these awesome, beautiful cameras around, I found them somewhat underused. And that is what separates my E-P3 from the sea of Leicas. My camera gets used extensively to feed images into my blogs but more importantly I enjoy creating images and improving my photography.
After the Lecture, Peter Turnley Lecture – Austin, Texas
Truth be told, I’m also somewhat guilty of having a Leica on display and not shooting it. My father gave me a beautiful Leica M3, which I have in a display cabinet at home. I don’t shoot film and while I admire the M3 for its beauty and craftsmanship, I’ll take an Digital Olympus for its ease of use and lower ownership cost. I may shoot the M3 someday, if it still works. For now, my E-P3 and other Olympus digital Pens are my cameras of choice. And if I ever shoot in a sea of Leicas again, I may have to put a bumper sticker on my Olympus that says, my other camera is a Leica M3.
Book Signing, Peter Turnley – Austin, Texas
I took these photographs with my Olympus E-P3 with the Panasonic Lumix 14mm f2.5. Please make sure to click on a photograph to see a larger image and hover over the photo to see the exposure details.
See more images taken with the Olympus E-P3 at mostlyfotos, my one photograph per day photo blog.
Eeyore’s, The Last Remnant of Hippie Austin
Blowing Bubbles, Eeyore’s Birthday – Austin, Texas
Eeyore’s Birthday Party is something that I’ve head of, ever since I moved to Austin 20 years ago. It’s an Austin spring ritual and after all these years, it’s still supposed to have a 60s, hippie vibe. For the longest time, I really wasn’t interested in going. I never identified with the 60s, I’m probably more a product of the 70s. As my love for photography increased, however, I began to take more trips downtown and to events around Austin. Eeyore’s started to peak my interest but my schedule never seemed to work out. Also, as my friend Kirk Tuck mentioned, Eeyore’s Birthday Party is something best photographed with a smaller, intimate camera. Kirk has covered Eeyore’s many times on his blog and this year he again talks about using one camera and one lens to best cover the event. I felt a bit self-conscious bringing a larger DSLR to the event, so in the past, I used this as an excuse to stay away. This year, with my new-found love for smaller cameras, especially the Olympus Pen series, I finally had the perfect small camera to use.
Dancer, Eeyore’s Birthday – Austin, Texas
I got there early, right around noon, and stayed several hours. I’m told the place really doesn’t get hopping until later in the day. Even so, I found an interesting mix of people and a large contingent of photographers. To my surprise or maybe disappointment, many sported fairly large cameras, some with multiple DSLR bodies with large telephoto lenses. I found this a bit strange I guess; it just didn’t meet the expectation of the environment that I had imagined. After all we weren’t going on a safari where we were trying to photograph wild animals at a distance. I was expecting a more intimate, crazier and more free-spirited place where outsiders with large, tactical cameras would feel out-of-place. There were lots of eclectic people around, in costume, but there were more onlookers than participants. I too was a mere onlooker with a camera, not wearing any special garb. And just because I sport a smaller camera, it doesn’t mean that I necessarily fit in better than someone with a larger camera. Equipment aside, I do think, however, that my style of shooting and engaging with my subjects gets me closer to the event. Certainly compared to someone who uses a large telephoto lens. I didn’t shoot the action from afar; I was shooting amidst the people dancing and celebrating. I created portraits, up close, with permission.
Dee, Eeyore’s Birthday Party – Austin, Texas
Stephanie, Eeyore’s Birthday Party – Austin, Texas
I brought two cameras with me, tucked away in a small, brown, Domke camera bag. I had my Olympus E-P3 with the Olympus 45mm f1.8 lens and my second camera was a Olympus E-PL1 with the Panasonic 14mm lens. Overwhelmingly, I used the 45mm lens that day which makes for an excellent portrait lens. It also gave me enough distance that I can shoot the action without being in the face of my subjects. I found the 14mm, which is equivalent to a 28mm after accounting for the crop factor, too wide for Eeyore’s. There was too much clutter shooting the crowds and I found the deep depth of field too distracting. By shooting the 45mmm with a large aperture, I was able to reduce my depth of field to better isolate my subjects. You can still see the crowds but they are slightly out of focus which makes for a cleaner composition.
Banjo Fiddle, Eeyore’s Birthday Party – Austin, Texas
Drumming Elf, Eeyore’s Birthday Party – Austin, Texas
There was much to photograph but I ultimately concentrated on taking two types of pictures. I shot candid images of people in the drum circle. This seemed like the heart of the event and the most interesting people congregated there. Exposure wise it also worked well since the area was shaded, allowing me to get better quality images. Mid-day direct sun is nasty lighting and best avoided if you can. I also took portraits of the more colorful personalities that I encountered. Since I’m taking a lot more street candids these days, I feel less intimidated going up to people and asking for a portrait. Especially here at Eeyore’s. You can bet that if a person went to the trouble of getting dressed up, they would feel honored to pose for a photograph. For photographers who are shy, this type of place is a perfect opportunity to practice asking people. If you missed Eeyore’s or don’t live in Austin, think of other events where people would love being photographed. Certainly Halloween parties and Street Parades are places that come to mind.
Ciara, Eeyore’s Birthday Party – Austin, Texas
Olivia, Eeyore’s Birthday Party – Austin, Texas
Lilly, Eeyore’s Birthday Party – Austin, Texas
The early part of the day was cloudy which worked out great for taking photographs. Even mid-day, overcast skies softens the light and prevents that really harsh lighting and shadows that can ruin a portrait. Later, the clouds began to break and I had to contend with the harsh sun; photos under these conditions are not great. On portrait shoots, I would ask the subject step under an awning or get into a shade of a building, though usually, I would not schedule a portrait session for mid-day, if I had the choice. At Eeyore’s I just shot wherever and whenever I ran into an interesting subject. These next three photographs were taken in varying degrees of direct sun. Shooting in RAW mode allows some post-processing latitude which can improve images somewhat but it’s still not ideal. In cases like these, using a fill flash, outdoors, can also soften the shadows. Here is where my little Olympus Pen is at a disadvantage. The small, built-in pop-up flash won’t help too much. Attach an external, powerful flash especially with high-speed syncing capabilities and you can end up with decent images in direct sun. When I use my Canon 7D, this is the way I shoot outdoor events. Of course, an external flash can be attached the Olympus Pens too but the ergonomics of a big flash and a small camera body is not the best.
Sonia, Eeyore’s Birthday Party – Austin, Texas
Sara and Lilly, Eeyore’s Birthday Party – Austin, Texas
Beth and Lina, Eeyore’s Birthday Party – Austin, Texas
While having a DSLR with an external flash may work better for reducing the effects of harsh light, using the E-P3 was a blast. I can carry it and another camera with ease. After hours of use, the equipment didn’t dragged me down. It also think it works better for the closeup, intimate portraits that I made; the camera is unobtrusive and non-threatening. I was also surprised that three people at the event thought that my little Olympus was a film camera. I guess the retro influenced styling is distinct enough to be noticed by non-photographers too. During Eeyore’s I ran into a couple of photographers that I knew, including Kirk Tuck. He was sporting his new Sony and a single lens. We talked for a few minutes, shot some around the drum circle, and went our separate ways. It was also fun to see his work, on this blog. Though we both packed light and shot with basically a single camera (I hardly took any pictures with my second camera), his style and mine are different enough that I enjoyed seeing another point of view; the images are both recognizable and different at the same time.
Finally, I present the last two photographs. The hula hoop dancer wins my vote for having the best time. I think she best shows the fun and energy of the event and matches my imagination of what Eeyore’s Birthday Party is or was in the past. The second photograph of Patricia and Sallie wins my award for the most color coordinated. Gotta love how they match in color down to their umbrellas and how the green and red primary colors creates contrast. A wonderful sense of style and something you don’t see everyday.
Hula Hoop Dancer, Eeyore’s Birthday Party – Austin, Texas
Sara and Lilly, Eeyore’s Birthday Party – Austin, Texas
I took these photographs with my Olympus E-P3 with the Olympus 45mm f1.8 lens. Please click on a photograph to see a larger image and hover over the photo to see the exposure details.
Street shooting in Karol Bagh market, Delhi, India
Late Night Fruit Stand – Delhi, India
When we last left the story, I just arrived in New Delhi and got bombarded with my first visual taste of India. I was zipping along in the back of a Tata automobile driven by Mr. Kumar. I was frantically shooting street scenes from the back of the moving vehicle and I arrived safely at my hotel after a short stop at the India Gate. I mentioned previously that I hired a driver for my short stay in the Delhi area. I went through a company called Indian Panorama who arranged everything for me. The transportation between all the places I wanted to visit, a private driver and tour guide to pick me up and drop me off at the right places and even my hotel in New Delhi were all arranged by the tour company. They did a great job and I highly recommend them. For the hotel in Delhi I requested Indian Panorama to find me a 3 – 3 1/2 star hotel in a safe but interesting neighborhood. I told them that I wanted to be near a market place where I would be safe shooting photographs at night. They found the Florence Inn in the Karol Bagh section of New Delhi. After checking in, I quickly organized my photo gear for some street shooting. I had to get up early the next day so I wanted to shoot for only an hour or so and get to bed by around 10pm. I headed out the door by myself for some night-time street photography.
Rugs and Street Vendor – Delhi, India
The neighborhood was surrounded by modest but clean-looking hotels. About a block away, there was a lively area of shops with many people on the street. The streets were dirty, broken down and generally a mess but the area didn’t seem dangerous. There was nothing I encountered that made me worry about my safety. At least at 8pm – 9pm, the streets were full of people of all ages, shopping, eating and having a good time. It seemed exactly like the place I wanted to street shoot. A dense mix of interesting places and people and with sufficient grit to make me realize this is unlike any place I’ve been before. Everywhere, people seem to be shopping, picking up the daily necessities both from stores as well as street vendors. This was not a typical tourist area catering to foreigners, there were no high-end luxury goods here. Just the stuff that the average Indian would need on a daily basis.
Ordering, Restaurant in Karol Bagh – Delhi, India
Closeup, Restaurant in Karol Bagh – Delhi, India
Wedged in between stores, I saw Hindu temples and places that sold flower garlands. There were slightly nicer stores right next to stalls that sold shoes and everywhere there were vendors that setup temporary displays on the street. I even saw a McDonald’s amidst the local shops. It seems like capitalism was alive and well in India and everyone had their little niche to make some money and survive. The street life was lively with an inexhaustible supply of people walking around. The density of people was similar to what I see on 6th street in Austin during the weekend party scene but here in Karol Bagh, the people were not partying or being rowdy. They were just going about their business as a small group of tourist wandered among them. The cars, motorcycles, 3 wheeled Autos, bicycles and pushcarts all slowly weaved between the people walking on the street. At first It seemed overly chaotic but it didn’t take long before I mostly ignored the traffic and shot the world around me. I’m not sure how someone from a small town in the U.S. will react to all this. A lot earlier in my life, I grew up in some large cities on the East Coast so I’m somewhat used to the crowds, though the dynamic here is certainly different from, say New York City.
Hindu Temple, Hanuman – Delhi, India
Garlands for Sale – Delhi, India
WOW Sale at Maya – Delhi, India
Multitude of Shoes, Street Market – Delhi, India
Fruit Stand and the Golden Arches – Delhi, India
I must have walked 5 or 6 blocks from my hotel when I decided to head back. I didn’t want to risk getting lost and besides I needed to get to bed early for the big day of sightseeing. It didn’t take me too long to get a feel for the place but there were things that were certainly different from other places that I have visited. This is the first time I’m in a developing country so I don’t have a lot of context. I don’t know if other developing countries have similar characteristics. While I can understand that there are a lot of litter on the street, I was fascinated by, what appeared to me as, random piles of dirt. They look like piles of dirt you seen around construction sites but I saw these in places where I saw no signs of construction. I also saw a lot of stray, skinny dogs but I don’t recall seeing any cats.
I’m sure it is no surprise that there is still a lot of poverty in India. I don’t recall many people asking me for money that night in Karol Bagh. Maybe I turned on my dispassionate New Yorker mode and chose not to see it. Or maybe my purposeful street shooting kept them at bay. There was one situation that I do recall that took me by surprise. Off near the side of the road there was an old, skinny lady, crouched down. The street scape was dark enough that she nearly blended into the background and I almost stumbled over her. I decided not to take her picture since I felt self-conscious of shooting people who are down on their luck. I also didn’t want to give a distorted view of the place since she seemed like the exception. This shopping district was dirty and chaotic by Western standards but it was far from squalid. There was a vibrant energy and I hope it comes though in my street photographs. I felt a bit of regret for not giving the old lady any money. But I console myself that I really didn’t have any spare change with me. As you may recall from the previous India entry that I didn’t bring much cash with me on this trip. Yeah, it is a lame excuse but it is the only excuse that can justify my actions. There are certainly homeless people in Austin and the rest of the United States. And I usually do not give them handouts either. But somehow, this felt different. The lady was so tiny, forgotten in the corner of this busy street. She was not even actively looking for any help.
Bicycle and Litter – Delhi, India
Back Alley Market – Delhi, India
It was a short street photography session but I feel like I captured that flavor of the area, But this was merely a warmup. Tomorrow was my first full day of touring and I was heading out of the city by train. The driver was coming to pick me up at the hotel at 5:30 so I needed to get to bed. And as you will find out in the next installment, there were some unplanned situations at the hotel before the night was out.
Karol Bagh Intersection – Delhi, India
Ingenious Transportation – Delhi, India
Pista Badam Kulfi Vendor – Delhi, India
Hot Oven and Gelato – Delhi, India
This post is part 4 of my travels to India and Singapore, Start from the beginning at, Quite possibly a trip of a lifetime and part 3, New Delhi, India: tired, excited and ready to shoot. Continue the story with part 5, The train to Agra, India – comfort, beauty and poverty.
I took these photographys with my Olympus E-PL1 with the Panasonic Lumix 20mm f1.7 and my Sony NEX-5 with the wide-angle adapter. Please make sure to click on a photograph to see a larger image and hover over the photo to see the exposure details.
See more images from India on mostlyfotos, my one photograph per day photo blog.
Images from SXSW Interactive 2012
Life is a Sport, Nike at SXSW Interactive – Austin, Texas
I had a great time during my India and Singapore trip and have some interesting stories and photograph to share. However, before I get into my international experiences, I wanted to shift gears and talk about SXSW. South by Southwest, the large music, film and interactive conference that started last Friday is a big deal here in Austin. Last year there are about 50,000 attendees that took over downtown for 2 weeks. In previous years, I’ve gone downtown to listen to some music and do a photowalk but I’ve generally stayed clear of the madness. Luckily for Austin, SXSW is confined to downtown so most of the rest of the city can go about its business without much of an impact. This year, I decided to see what the fuss is all about and made a trip to the heart of the activity with my usual 2 camera setup. The rainy weather finally cleared at it was a perfectly sunny and comfortable Sunday afternoon.
Much of the interactive portion of SXSW in centered around the Austin Convention Center, where they have their conference sessions. The SXSW film also runs in parallel with Interactive with the music portion starting tomorrow. I was amazed how the 5 block area around the Convention Center transformed into another world. A world of large corporate logos, parties and promotions. I didn’t notice all the promotions going on while I visited, I guess the years of commercials have desensitized me to all the advertising. However, when I got back and looked at all the photographs, I was struck by the prevalent commercialism that permeates SXSW. There are big and famous corporate entities, small startups and everyone in between, working feverishly to make an impression.
After coming back from India and Singapore, where there is a lot of people on the streets, the US can be a calm yet disconnected place. Most of our cities are more geared towards cars which tends to isolate us from each other. The good news is there seems to be a trend to redevelop the downtown areas. Events like SXSW, even though they are transient, get people together and interacting in an vibrant and urban area. Though it seems overly commercial, it was nice to see all these people in downtown Austin. So below are some images that I captured from my afternoon at SXSW. A visitor to my own city, taking in the sites from the periphery.
Austin Convention Center, SXSW Interactive
The Austin Convention Center was packed. I was able to enter the main floor without a conference badge but the conference rooms were restricted to the attendees. I’m not sure what Interactive really encompasses, but my best guess is it’s everything social, web, media and the future trends. I imagine when the SXSW Interactive started in the mid 90s, there were more multi-media topics. Anyone remember interactive CDs? I heard Twitter got it real start back a few years ago here and I’m sure the next generation of entrepreneurs are looking for the next great thing. The message board below is a microcosm of what I imagine SXSW to be — everyone vying for their spot, trying to get their message heard.
Message Board, SXSW Interactive
The noise, crowds and clutter were in high gear. People rushed from place to place, purposefully, to get to their next thing. I heard one of the problems with SXSW is that it has outgrown its space. The convention center is no longer large enough to contain all the sessions. People are forced to travel to different hotels and venues throughout the city. Consequently, the downtown core now becomes the new extended convention center. Between the venues, the open parking lots transform into corporate showcases. The image above is a sports oriented play and promotion area for Nike. Another parking lot next doors became a lounge are for Bing (Microsoft). Restaurants become private, conference badge only meeting places. Fast Company magazine and CNN both transformed local restaurants into their temporary promotional spots.
CNN Grill SXSW
Fast Company Grill
The thing I found amusing are the big corporations, with no apparent media connection, trying hard to cater to the crowd. Lincoln and Chevrolet had their wares on display. Lincoln had a sleek-looking prototype and Chevy offered test drives. My vote for the biggest corporate play to look cool to media/tech people is PepsiCo. I’m not sure how a beverage and snack food company convinces computer people that they are hip and cool but they did have a really neat phone booth with animated LCD panels as well as a scoreboard with some kind of tweet competition results.
Lincoln Concept, SXSW Interactive
Pepsico Phone, SXSW Interactive
Pepsico Scoreboard, SXSW Interactive
And here is a backdrop for any impromptu photo-ops, a la Hollywood. No celebrities spotted but I did get a good image of the sponsors.
Backdrop, A word from our sponsors, SXSW Interactive
Back outside the convention center, I shot some group portraits of people doing world of mouth advertising. Some promoted a new upcoming TV shot on CBS, others a new iPhone application and yet others were promoting media services. Either way, it was a great way to get some street photographs and portraits.
NYC 22, SXSW Interactive
M Go, SXSW Interactive
Sarah and Blair from Convio, SXSW Interactive
Simple Squad, SXSW Interactive
Finally, my vote for the two coolest things I saw at the event. First up is Morgan from FedEx. She was sporting a one of a kind jacket with numerous USB connectors so that you can plug into her (yeah, she’s heard all the jokes) and charge up your phone. The jacket has batteries sewn in to power the entire wearable charging station. The last item is decidedly very low tech. A nice contrast to all the newest gimmicks around. A film company, as part of their promotion, offered to take Polaroid photos with this beautiful Wista Field camera. The photographer mentioned that this rosewood and brass camera can be used almost anywhere because it is fully manual. In fact, she took this to the North pole where it worked perfectly, no batteries to worry about. Of course, this is a perfect place to end this post, with camera hardware, since this is a photography blog after all.
Thank you for stopping by. Now is everyone ready for the SXSW Music? It starts tomorrow.
Morgan from FedEX, SXSW Interactive
Wista Field Camera, SXSW Interactive
The photographs were taken with my Olympus E-PL1. Please make sure to click on a photograph to see a larger image and hover over the photo to see the exposure details.
An alternative view of the Chinese New Year
Fanning the Flames, 2012 Chinese New Year Celebration – Austin, Texas
I decided to try something new. An experiment in photographic processing. I had some extra images from the recent Chinese New Year celebration that I blogged about last week. These photos were taken at the closest point to the action. I used my smallish Olympus E-PL1 and stuck it out there almost in between the legs of the dancers to see what I can capture. What resulted was a smokey mess but the images had some potential. Unlike the very colorful photographs from my first Chinese New Year post, I decided to go in an entirely different direction. To recover the most details out of the haze, I decided to lose the color. In found with black and white, I can push the detail recovery a bit more than in color. So as an exercise, I decided to experiment with my Topaz B&W Effects plug-in. The software is designed to create black and white conversions that mimic the old style black and white films. While the software has a large number of presets, I decided to do a custom effect. As I played with the software, I ended up creating images that, in my mind, reminded me of vintage travel photographs from the Far East.
What resulted is something I find interesting. Something certainly different from my norm. If you don’t look closely and you ignore the camera bags and the bits of modernity, I find myself transported back a 100 years to some village in China. To me, these images seem timeless and exotic. So I deem my experiment a success, if only to show an alternate reality of a scene from Austin, Texas in 2012. The photograph at the top of the post is my favorite. I posted the original RAW at the bottom for comparison.
Vintage Lion Dance #1, 2012 Chinese New Year Celebration
Vintage Lion Dance #2, 2012 Chinese New Year Celebration
Vintage Lion Dance #3, 2012 Chinese New Year Celebration
Lion Dancers Unmasked, 2012 Chinese New Year Celebration
The photographs were taken with my Olympus E-PL1. Please make sure to click on a photograph to see a larger image and hover over the photo to see the exposure details.
Here is a sample of my work. I’ve posted them on my one-photo-per-day photo blog, mostlyfotos. There are a lot of images so click the << Previous Photo link to see more. You can also hover over the photos to see the exposure information.
Fanning the Flames, 2012 Chinese New Year Celebration (Unprocessed)
2012 Chinese New Year Celebration in Austin
Lion Dance, 2012 Chinese New Year Celebration – Austin, Texas
NOTE: I posted an An alternative view of the Chinese New Year for a completely different take on the very colorful images on this post.
In last week’s blog post, I wrote about how I made a mistake and went to a photo event on the wrong day. I made the best of this by getting some interesting and possibly exotic images at a local Asian supermarket. I was also in search for my dragon image that I wanted to post on the Chinese New Year. I headed up to the Chinatown Center again, yesterday, in north Austin for the Chinese New Year’s day festivities. This time, I definitely had the correct day and place. Even at 10:30am the place was jam-packed with cars. I brought the same camera and lens setup as last week, the Canon 7D with the 70-200 F4 and my trusty Olympus E-PL1 with the 20mm lens. If you account for the various crop factors, I had a setup that covered 112mm to 320mm with my Canon and 40mm on the Olympus. Turns out the combo worked out great. From behind the ropes surrounding the performance area, I was able to get closeups with my zoom and use my E-PL1 as a wide-angle. Later on, I also used my Olympus exclusively when I was able to walk up close to the action.
Musical Performance, 2012 Chinese New Year Celebration
Ellen Chang, 2012 Chinese New Year Celebration
Dancing, 2012 Chinese New Year Celebration
Drumming, 2012 Chinese New Year Celebration
The festivities started at 10:45 am with some traditional Chinese music. The two stringed instruments set the mood and the pace and action continued to increase from the opening performance. The music was followed by dancing and then drumming. Of course, there were the usual martial arts demonstrations.
Martial Arts, 2012 Chinese New Year Celebration
More Martial Arts, 2012 Chinese New Year Celebration
I haven’t been to one of these events in a while. Interestingly, many of the performers seem to be from the Austin area, including a large contingent from Summitt Elementary School which is part of the Austin public school system. Back 5 years ago, the performers came in from Houston so it definitely seems like the Asian population is Austin is growing. The dragon and lion dances were the main attractions of the Chinese New Year celebration. After a bit of research I discovered that the participants parade the dragon around on poles. The multicolored costumes worn by two people are the lions.
Dragon Dance, 2012 Chinese New Year Celebration
Dragon Dance Closeup, 2012 Chinese New Year Celebration
Dragon Dance Performers, 2012 Chinese New Year Celebration
Intensity, 2012 Chinese New Year Celebration
Big Head Buddha, 2012 Chinese New Year Celebration
Lee Leffingwell, Austin’s mayor came out as the guest of honor, lighting the fireworks for the finale. The action shifted away from the makeshift stage to the back. The crowds at this point were 5 – 6 levels deep in most places. I somehow was able to escape from the stage and moved over the the backside where the firecrackers were in full force. The smoke and noise were so loud, it started to disperse the onlookers in the back. The people in the know had ear plugs which really is a necessity. Luckily for me, a blog reader suggested that I bring ear protection, something that I definitely would not have thought about — thank you, Jack. I was easily able to slip to the front right, right on top of the small explosions. By this time, I switched exclusively to my Olympus Pen camera. The 40mm lens was perfect for catching the up close action. I probably would have gotten even closer but the lack of eye protection made me hesitate.
Mayor Lee Leffingwell, 2012 Chinese New Year Celebration
Lion Dance and Statues, 2012 Chinese New Year Celebration
Big Head Buddha and Fireworks, 2012 Chinese New Year Celebration
After the main firecracker lion dance, the performers shifted to several locations around the shopping center. A large firecracker performance occurred in front of the Asian supermarket that I visited last week, intimidating some of the customers. After that, smaller firecracker lion dances erupted in front of the various smaller stores throughout the complex. Between the smoke and fast action, it was a bit of crap shoot to get great images. With all the mini-explosions near me, I didn’t have my usual time to compose the shot. Overall, I was extremely pleased with the performance of the cameras. The lenses I used worked great for me and by having two cameras I didn’t have to change lenses. Certainly a plus in this very smokey environment. Incidentally, my Canon 70-200 f4L and the Panasonic Lumix 20mm f1.7 are my two favorite lenses. It was nice to put them through their paces on the same shoot.
I was a bit out of practice carrying the 7D with the 70-200 and the 430EX external flash. This is my heaviest combination and after a while my back started to feel the weight. I guess I need to work out more since my light weight mirrorless setup is making me soft. I may have look a bit strange with 2 cameras, with a dramatic size difference, around my neck, but it worked for me.
Lion Dance and Supermarket, 2012 Chinese New Year Celebration
Three Lions, 2012 Chinese New Year Celebration
Lion Dance in Parking Lot, 2012 Chinese New Year Celebration
Lion Dance and Fireworks, 2012 Chinese New Year Celebration
I’m not sure how this New Year’s festivity compares to the traditional celebrations in Asia but for a few hours I felt transported to another place. I’ve talked about seeking out other ethic celebrations in your hometown before on this blog. Whether it is the Dia de los Muertos celebration or the Chinese New Year, it is great to be able to shoot a different and diverse slice of American life. For the readers that have such opportunities, I encourage you to go seek out your local celebrations.
The photographs were taken with my Canon 7D and Olympus E-PL1. Please make sure to click on a photograph to see a larger image and hover over the photo to see the exposure details.
Some more information on the Lion and Dragon dance teams. Here are links to the Texas dragon/lion dance team and the Summitt Dragon/Lion Dance Team just in case you are interested in the groups or thinking about partaking in new year’s celebrations.
