Uploads from butlerphotography, with geodata

On the River Road

nobody@flickr.com (butlerphotography) — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 14:11:21 -0700

I've been out of town for almost a week in the New Braunfels area spending most of my time kayaking on the Guadalupe. It has been glorious but I haven't gotten to take as many pictures as I would like so yesterday I got this shot coming back from kayaking over towards Sattler on River Road. This is a 2 shot vertical panorama. And it's not an HDR for once. I used CS5 for the seaming and LR 3 for everything else. More to come soon. Off to Gruene tonight to get some old structure panoramas. Keep looking folks!

AMO8 RADAR GHHL DELVESAPRE MENACE REAKILL COKE ZITOSEN *GMIX// DELVE! ATM<-- -->TICKER ZENAC 4DC DRAKE-> CRAZY->PKC RADAR BERGER<-

nobody@flickr.com (butlerphotography) — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 21:03:00 -0800

butlerphotography posted a photo:

I thought the things written along the top of the bridge were interesting so I zoomed way in and tried to figure out what they said. I'm not sure I understand the message.

I've always admired this bridge and I finally got around to photographing it. When I got there I had originally planned to setup on the other side of the street but I wasn't able to get close enough so I went to this side and discovered if the trees under the bridge weren't there it would be a beautiful view of downtown.

Strangers 3 and 4: Brenda and Sonny

nobody@flickr.com (butlerphotography) — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 18:28:01 -0800

butlerphotography posted a photo:

Today I had absolutely no game plan to take pictures but luckily my good friend Emily told me that there was a dude on Cameron Road holding a sign that read "Dreaming of a cheeseburger", I got a kick out of that so directly after school I headed down there. Unfortunately I wasn't able to find him but as I was about to call it quits and turn around, I saw Brenda here standing on a corner of the bridge I was driving over. I went nuts because I've been looking for Brenda for quite some time now. A few weeks ago I had seen her standing on the same corner late at night, I was instantly drawn to her as I was driving by because I saw that she had crutches and was moving exceptionally fast down the median, at first I thought she just had a bad foot but at closer inspection I saw that one of her legs was completely gone. It was so fascinating to me that she was a homeless woman with only one leg in one of the more worse parts of Austin. Since then I've been trying to find her.

Once I turned around and got over the bridge I parked at a Homedepot and speed walked like the dickens. When I got to the intersection I was trying to find her through the sea of cars going by but I was unable to see clearly enough to tell if she was there or not. I went all the way across the highway sprinting, I walked down the road a ways and tried to find out which direction she went in if she did leave, but I saw nothing. So I went back to the intersection and I scanned the horizon and caught a glimpse of her in a space between two cars driving by for a split second.

I ran to the cross walk, tapped my foot impatiently while waiting for the light to turn red and tried to keep my eyes locked on her while I was waiting. When the light finally turned I ran across three cross walks and walked up to her panting. I didn't really think about what I was going to say to her so I spit out. "This is going to sound weird but I have been looking for you for a very long time." She died laughing and before she could say anything I explained how I had seen her, the project ,and that whole spiel. She agreed with no hesitation and asked me to come sit down with her on a wooden post on the ground next to us. We shook hands and she asked me my name and I asked hers.

Once we got settled I asked her if she was from Austin, she told me she was from Chicago, I asked her why she came to Austin and she explained that things where she had been had gotten bad and she had some friends in Austin that invited her to come stay with them. She took the offer and she's been in Texas ever since. She said that she used to have a 154 acre Ranch in (I think) Windmill,Texas. She said that after some hard times she was no longer able to pay the bills so she had it taken away from her, she said that she somehow always ends up back in Austin. I then went on to ask her why she likes this corner so much. She said that she likes the neighborhood, she has some good friends in the area such as Sonny and she also told me she is taking care of an old man here who has continually gotten his things stolen and she always goes and gets him new things like blankets, food, etc. I told her how much I respected that and how selfless that is for a homeless person to take care of another homeless person themselves. Without any hesitation she responded, "You have to give it away to keep it."

She then went on to say that she believes in angels because she has met them herself. I asked her how that belief came about. She then said to me "Well, I'll tell you a story....", She told me that one day she had slept under the bridge and she was covered in filth. Later that day a lady at the intersection rolled down her window to give her a dollar but was shying away from her because the lady didn't want to touch her. A woman in a car behind her saw this and called her over. The woman reached out to her with her hands and she responded "You don't want to touch me, I'm filthy." The lady in the car responded "None of god's children are filthy." The lady then grabbed her hands and "held on tight."

Then she began another story, she used to see a man all the time where she would hang around that would never say a word to anyone but would always stay in the same place. One day she saw that he was crying, she went up to him and saw that his eyes were all bloodshot and he had tear after tear streaming down his face, she said to him, "You need a beer don't you buddy?" She told him to stay there while she went to go get him something. When she came back he was gone and she never saw him again. She went on to say that she felt like god was trying to tell her something.

Then she began yet another story, she used to see a big dog around all the time, he never let her touch him. One day she had some granola bars with her while she was standing on her usual corner. She didn't want them, she paused and said to me, "If I eat one more damn granola bar I'm gonna turn into Yule Gibbons." We both laughed and she continued the story, she figured she would give them to the dog so she left her corner. Right when she left her corner and was about to walk up to the dog she heard a huge crash behind her, she turned around and saw that a car had ran into a pole right where she had just been standing. She went on to say "My halo needs a chinstrap but somebody was looking out for me."

After reminiscing about that for a good while I asked her about her family. She told me she has 5 "marvelous" children, 2 of her own and 3 stepchildren. She has been at this street corner off and on for years to put her kids through school and her oldest son through a firefighter academy. Because she has been arrested a few times by APD for things like "pedestrian in roadway" and "excessive solicitation" she has no social security and has had her license taken away. As she was telling me about this, a small man emerged from some hedges next to the road and walked towards us with a big smile and a slight hobble in his step. That man was Sonny, Brenda's best friend. I shook his hand and Brenda explained to him who I was. Brenda asked me if I happened to have a first aid kit cause Sonny had hurt his foot and she was trying to get it bandaged, unfortunately I didn't have a first aid kit. I figured out pretty quickly that he was in a considerable amount of pain so I tried my best to wrap it up quickly so they could be on their merry way.

I could tell right from the start they were really close, they talked about so many hilarious stories and about all the good times they've had together, they laughed and talked like they were just on an adventure making the best of it, and they are. They talked of times when they were soaked inside their tents with their friends "freezing our asses off!" Sonny would chime in after Brenda would say something, "Ahhhh! Remember that night Brenda?! Remember that day Brenda?!" They told me on Brenda's birthday it's a tradition to climb a tree and hop a fence. It made me so happy to hear that regardless of the circumstances they still have so much fun. They were just like kids recalling on their first time camping with their best friends.

They then showed me jewelry that they had gotten for one another. Sonny had gotten her a ring and Brenda had gotten him a charm for a necklace that said love on it. I wanted to show how happy they were so I asked if I could take some pictures before they left and they happily agreed, laughing and giggling as I snapped some shots. Their other friend Ricky came up to us not seeming quite as joyous and a bit annoyed. They told him to get in the picture with them and I got a shot of the three of them, those will be up later.

The best part of this whole experience for me was when I was done taking pictures and Brenda asking me to send the pictures to her kids so they could see she was alright. I got the address and gave them my phone number so if they got access to a phone they could call me to see how it went. I'm going to print these off and send them as soon as possible and write a letter to her kids telling them how wonderful their mother is and that she is ok. This was a really good day, one of the most if not the most fulfilling and eye opening days in my entire life. If you ever see this Sonny or Brenda, yall are my heroes and I will cheerish this memory for the rest of my life.

As some of you know there is a project called 100 Strangers. Find out more at:
www.100strangers.com/index.asp?Pageid=1
There is also a group on here, www.flickr.com/groups/100strangers/

Thanks for looking.

Become a fan on Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Sam-Butler-Fan-Club/223407230894

Stranger 1: John

nobody@flickr.com (butlerphotography) — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 07:36:42 -0800

butlerphotography posted a photo:

Last night I had so many ideas going through my head about different projects I wanted to do that I wasn't able to sleep. I tried everything to make myself tired but NOTHING worked. A word for how I was feeling would be "wired", purely on thoughts for pictures. So I eventually came to the conclusion that the only remedy was to go take pictures. I was out the door at 6 and headed downtown first. By the time I was done with downtown I had created a short film of Austin places from the perspective of a dashboard camera and had walked a good portion of Town Lake taking pictures of anything that wasn't the norm for me to photograph (one of the projects I've been wanting to do). On my way home I still felt unfulfilled, right as I passed an intersection next to my house I glanced over and saw John standing on a corner and it immediately clicked. When I got over to him I told him I was a street photographer (I have no idea why, it just spilled out) and that I was starting a project called 100 Strangers and asked if I could take a few pictures of him. With a huge smile he agreed so I took 4 shots pretty quickly being content with all of them. I gave him some food and ten dollars which he responded laughing "you are starting my day off gooood!" We ended up talking for a good 20 minutes.

John is from Florida and moved to Austin because of losing his job and having "some other issues." He says that most people are really nice and will give him food or small jobs around the neighborhood but there is the occasional "hardass cop" that tries to give him a $300 ticket for excessive solicitation and there are always a few people that look at him like "the scum of a bugs ass." Quite the character. He says that the 183 and Spicewood Springs intersection is his favorite place because he knows a lot of people around here and it's a lot friendlier rather than some places downtown. He comes to this corner on Sunday's and on an average day he doesn't get much but him and his friends help each other out. I asked him about how he stays warm and he said he sleeps in a tent at 183 and braker, one of his sleeping bags is broken but his friend who also brings him food got him a new sleeping bag so he just sleeps inside both of them, he added "no matter how cold it gets I'll stay warm."
For the most part John loves it here and repeated several times "just trying to make it but I'm happy." And he wasn't just saying that, he is the human form of "the cup is half full." As I was leaving I said "I'll be back from time to time to give you a little something." He concluded saying "God Bless you."
Needless to say, John is no longer a stranger.

As some of you know there is a project called 100 Strangers. Find out more at:
www.100strangers.com/index.asp?Pageid=1
There is also a group on here, www.flickr.com/groups/100strangers/

Thanks for looking and if you just read all of that I'm impressed.

Become a fan on Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Sam-Butler-Fan-Club/223407230894

Henry D. Gruene

nobody@flickr.com (butlerphotography) — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 20:46:17 -0700

butlerphotography posted a photo:

Originally my main goal for Gruene was to get shots of all the historic buildings they have but once I got there all the buildings had cars in front of them so I abandoned that idea and walked down to the bridge. I eventually found a star trail shot with the Guadalupe's giant cypress trees in the foreground. I took an hour long exposure because it seemed dark enough but I didn't think about the cars driving by me on the bridge and how each time their headlights hit the cypresses in the frame it was overexposing everything. Luckily when those cars were driving by most of them were leaving Gruene so I hiked back up to the old buildings and got this. I really like the harley davidson "sitting pretty" in front. I added in stars again. Lately the sky just isn't cutting it and I've been into the surrealist look lately.

Into the City

nobody@flickr.com (butlerphotography) — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 21:13:15 -0700

butlerphotography posted a photo:

Still going through the archives. Found this one from back in February. I'm not pleased with the banding or the obnoxious pole that doesn't have a light. I'm tired of finding old stuff I'm only halfway pleased with. New stuff will be up real soon. Thanks for looking folks.

Click the photo it looks better that way.

Summer's Foreshadow

nobody@flickr.com (butlerphotography) — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 19:45:14 -0700

butlerphotography posted a photo:

Searching through the archives again and found this guy from back in August. I only had one exposure so I created my own bracket of 0, +1, and -1 in photoshop. I'm pleased. More one exposure HDRs it is. Stay tuned for new posts of headshots and landscapes folks.

Over the Hill

nobody@flickr.com (butlerphotography) — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 21:10:52 -0700

butlerphotography posted a photo:

I haven't posted a picture in a long time by my standards. The notorious allergy season Austin has during spring is on a tirade and has kept me from being able to do much of anything, because of pollen I now have a sinus infection. It's extremely frustrating, April is a fantastic month. I've tried everyday this month to try and go outside but every god damn time I have an attack. I'm now resorting to "the archives" and posting stuff that I don't exactly think are my best. This particular photo was taken back in November when I took this photo: www.flickr.com/photos/butlerphotography/5165620027/in/set...

Anyways, get ready for leftovers. And as always, thanks for looking folks.

Click the photo, it looks better that way.

Springtime on Town Lake

nobody@flickr.com (butlerphotography) — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 16:51:27 -0700

butlerphotography posted a photo:

Took this on Tuesday while I was downtown running errands. A lot of people were kayaking and the train was scooting by so it seemed like a good idea to get something. I've been wanting to redo this shot for a while but I have yet to be satisfied. This is at least a start. Thanks for looking folks and for those of you that follow 100 Strangers I have one coming up hopefully sometime this week.

Rest Grow

nobody@flickr.com (butlerphotography) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 18:12:12 -0800

butlerphotography posted a photo:

This is a hidden away little back room in the powerplant, I walked through these doors and took a left to get to this particular room. I was a bit hesitant at first because next to this room was a storage closet that looked like someone had been living in but on closer inspection it was an empty nest. When I walked into this room the ground was covered with old blueprints and cardboard with interesting messages written on them. I thought it was interesting that the graffiti said Rest on the left wall and Grow on the right wall. This was my first time photographing graffiti and I really enjoy it. It's fun to bring out the colors and really make it pop.

I really wish I would have had a fisheye or a super wide lens to get the mass of graffiti, it's quite an art form to be able to do all of that with just some cheap spray paint.

The Uninvited

nobody@flickr.com (butlerphotography) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 16:09:28 -0800

butlerphotography posted a photo:

Took this in the interior of the Seaholm Powerplant in downtown Austin, Texas this past weekend.

There was broken glass all over the place inside and I got knicked a couple of times trying to get some funky angles. I took this on the ground level of the powerplant, directly across from these doors are stairs leading underground which is another realm I was fortunate enough to be able to explore. I walked back into this particular room that strangely resembled a looney bin on so many levels. There were really disturbing things written on the walls and the ground of the room was covered in old blueprints and documents from when the plant had been running and mixed in were recent inhabitants' old makeshift dwellings. It seemed like a manmade jungle. Regardless of the overwhelming eeriness I had fun :)

Down the Line

nobody@flickr.com (butlerphotography) — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 14:39:09 -0800

butlerphotography posted a photo:

This is another shot from the Seaholm Powerplant in Austin, Texas. To the left are stairs to giant turbine looking things and a bunch of contraptions and then to the right past the pillars the whole place opens up into a warehouse looking thing and there are stairs to go undeground which is where I got this: www.flickr.com/photos/butlerphotography/5460508636/lightbox/

I Love My Chick

nobody@flickr.com (butlerphotography) — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 19:50:18 -0800

butlerphotography posted a photo:

"I Love My Chick" was the only piece of Graffiti I was able to make out on this wall. If anyone wants to take a whack at figuring out what they say I'd appreciate it.

I took this in the abandoned Seaholm Powerplant in downtown Austin, Texas today. I got to explore the grounds and I turned into a small child in a candy shop. Except it was a candy store with broken glass everywhere. More to come soon. Thanks for looking folks.

Sitting in the Stillness

nobody@flickr.com (butlerphotography) — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 14:35:48 -0800

butlerphotography posted a photo:

Took this on a rainy January morning. Saw this kayaker going full steam ahead for a while and when he got to this spot he just stopped and sat in the calm. I admired that and it made me even more relaxed than I already was so I took this to share the relaxation. This was the same morning the homeless man walked by me and said "Gorgeous day isn't it!", I agree wholeheartedly.

You can see that photo here: www.flickr.com/photos/butlerphotography/5346945833/

I'm leaving to go downtown and do some risky new shots that I've never taken before. Be on the lookout and thanks for looking.

End of the day Contrasts

nobody@flickr.com (butlerphotography) — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 21:31:50 -0800

butlerphotography posted a photo:

Couldn't really muster up an artistically convicting title for this seeing as I have photographed it so many times. I guess it's sort of a pun. I took this the other week and just got around to editing it today. Still can't do too much right now, found out I have a sinus infection on the left side of my face today so I got some horse pill antibiotics to feast on for a while. I have so many things I want to do, I've been itching to get back onto 100 Strangers since I met Brenda and Sonny which because of all the feedback I've gotten on it, it made explore which I'm very happy about. They definitely deserve to have their story told. Anyways, my projects for while I'm sick are to continue my water drop series, experiment with the strobist package I just got, send the photos to Brenda's kids, and edit some more past shoots. At least it's enough to sort of keep me busy. Thanks for looking folks, I really appreciate all the feedback!

Stranger 2: Shelly

nobody@flickr.com (butlerphotography) — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 16:13:06 -0800

butlerphotography posted a photo:

Today I met Shelly, she was standing at the corner of 183 and McNeil holding a sign that possibly could have been bigger than her. When I first walked up to her she was grinning from ear to ear, I introduced myself, shook her hand and told her about the project and she shyly agreed. I told her to not mind me and just keep doing her thing, she nodded with a smile and started walking down the median. I took about 5 shots before I noticed that every now and then she was glancing over her shoulder uncomfortably. I looked up to be greeted by a death stare from a very large and intimidating man on another street corner. I asked her if she knew him and she then told me it was her husband, she assured me it was alright but then I looked over again to see him waving his hand as to tell me to leave. I told her it was ok and I didn't want to cause any problems, I shook her hand and said thank you. She smiled and as I was almost across the highway she yelled "Good luck with school! I hope you get what you want!" Made my day. Although I didn't get to hear about Shelly's story I felt connected with her in a sweet motherly kind of way.

It kills me to look at this picture because her face says so much. She has a lot of hurt in those eyes.

As some of you know there is a project called 100 Strangers. Find out more at:
www.100strangers.com/index.asp?Pageid=1
There is also a group on here, www.flickr.com/groups/100strangers/

Thanks for looking.

Become a fan on Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Sam-Butler-Fan-Club/223407230894

HOLLYWOOD

nobody@flickr.com (butlerphotography) — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 20:48:56 -0800

butlerphotography posted a photo:

I was going for an old hollywood film look on this but I didn't quite get it. This is the best angle I was able to scavenge of the sign on my trip when I was at Sunset Ranch and it didn't really work out but I at least wanted to put it up for documentary purposes rather than have it collect dust in the archives. Thanks for looking.

L.A. is my lady

nobody@flickr.com (butlerphotography) — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 17:10:59 -0800

butlerphotography posted a photo:

As good old Frank says... www.youtube.com/watch?v=13x3pcDRBek

I thought I wasn't going to be able to get to this spot due to the rain that had been constant all day yesterday but it had died down enough to where it was manageable. Griffith park closes at 10 and I got there at about 9:58 so I jumped out of the car and sprinted to a side balcony of the Griffith Observatory and fired off about 15 shots before a park ranger found me. Then after this whole spiel we went downtown and drove around for a little while and then after that around 11:30 I went to Santa Monica pier and dabbled. Those should be up tomorrow. I didn't get all I wanted this trip but I got the main places I was after so I'm satisfied, hope yall are too. Thanks for looking folks.

Sunset Ranch

nobody@flickr.com (butlerphotography) — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 12:04:20 -0800

butlerphotography posted a photo:

Tried to go to the observatory at Griffith Park yesterday around sunset but I pulled a tourist move and ended up on the complete opposite side of where I was supposed to be but luckily we asked a local where to get a view of the city and she was able to direct us here. It's called Sunset Ranch and it's right next to the Hollywood sign and horse stables. This place was really cool but I'll still be going to Griffith Park, I just need to research a little better this time. Today were off to Santa Barbara to visit Brooks Institute for Professional Photography which I am extremely pumped for. And were taking Highway 1 which should make for some sweet seascapes. More up later tonight. Thanks for looking.

The Real Disneyland

nobody@flickr.com (butlerphotography) — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 14:41:05 -0800

butlerphotography posted a photo:

Spent 8 hours at Disneyland yesterday and I've had my fill of children, lines, and the Tower of Terror for a very long time. I carried around my camera stuff all day just so at the end of the day I could get the fireworks in all their glory but they ended up not doing the show. I was standing on a perch above everybody next to the Walt Disney statue shaking my head about the fireworks but then I turned around and saw this sea of people with the giant Christmas tree and thought it was pretty neat. Badabing.

Went to Venice beach today and met ~~a few~~ a lot of characters. Now were off to Griffith park for sunset. Pictures will be up sometime later tonight. Thanks for looking.