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Archive 2013 · Dallas Texas, a rental car and one week off ....

  
 
Leeuwtje
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Dallas Texas, a rental car and one week off ....


Hello,

If you had a ticket to Dallas, a rental car and a week off .... where would you go to do some decent (landscape) photography?

I have been Googling for a while, and have to say that the past trips to Colorado, Utah, Nevada and New Mexico were easier to plan :-)

Thanks for your suggestions!




Jun 17, 2013 at 03:39 PM
Sneakyracer
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Dallas Texas, a rental car and one week off ....


My advice, the Dessert SW is HOT as HELL this time of year. It should be avoided until October. But, it does not mean there are no images to be made.

The Colorado high country should be in good spring conditions in the coming weeks. The very high peaks will still have some snow and the mountain valleys should be blooming which is very nice for photography.



Jun 17, 2013 at 04:15 PM
kdowning
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Dallas Texas, a rental car and one week off ....


Hmmm...if you consider cityscapes falling into that category there are a ton of opportunities. If you're looking for traditional landscape opportunities you'd probably have to be willing to head out of town, the downtown dallas is pretty urban.

My folks live in Ft. Worth and I make it up there a couple times a year. How long will you be in the area and how far are you willing to travel?



Jun 17, 2013 at 04:59 PM
Leeuwtje
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Dallas Texas, a rental car and one week off ....


Thanks for the replies!
Situation is that I have visited the more obvious photographic places in the USA, and I was wondering what there is to see in Texas, Lousiana en the surrounding area.

I can always head back to New Mexico, but I think I must give these two states a change :-)

Thanks again.



Jun 18, 2013 at 12:07 AM
Greg Campbell
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Dallas Texas, a rental car and one week off ....


Any interest in severe weather?

Without becoming a dedicated weather nerd, a casual chaser would have little difficulty finding nice storm structure shots, enjoying glorious sunsets, shooting lightning after dark, etc.



Jun 18, 2013 at 01:52 AM
Leeuwtje
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Dallas Texas, a rental car and one week off ....


Sounds good Greg, your tip about weather and cloud photography.
Better not tell my girlfriend about the storms



Jun 18, 2013 at 05:46 AM
Greg Campbell
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Dallas Texas, a rental car and one week off ....


Leeuwtje wrote:
Sounds good Greg, your tip about weather and cloud photography.
Better not tell my girlfriend about the storms


Naw! She won't mind!
Some of the more spectacular shots are taken from a perfectly safe distance.
http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=supercell%20mothership&s=int

Trying to find entertainment ("Look, dear, it's only another 50 miles to the world's largest ball of string!") while you wait for the weather to get going will likely be her greatest concern.



Jun 18, 2013 at 10:52 AM
kdowning
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Dallas Texas, a rental car and one week off ....


I live in Austin and there is a TON of stuff to shoot around town and out in the hill country. If you're interested in that I'd be happy to put together a list for you.

But as far as Dallas, I don't have too many ideas for you unless you're willing to head out to one of the lakes.



Jun 18, 2013 at 09:33 PM
KKapple
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Dallas Texas, a rental car and one week off ....


Like kdowning said, Hill country is the best looking part of Texas along with parts of east Texas.

I live in Dallas and the landscapes kinda suck here.

But if your into do night shots of abandoned places, I know of a lot of cool spots. But it requires a lot of driving out west and north of Dallas.

The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge near Lawton Oklahoma is a cool place and only about three hours away.



Jun 18, 2013 at 09:41 PM
astro-ep
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Dallas Texas, a rental car and one week off ....


Greg Campbell wrote:
Naw! She won't mind!
Some of the more spectacular shots are taken from a perfectly safe distance.
http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=supercell%20mothership&s=int

Trying to find entertainment ("Look, dear, it's only another 50 miles to the world's largest ball of string!") while you wait for the weather to get going will likely be her greatest concern.



Wow! Very cool...





Jun 18, 2013 at 10:05 PM
Leeuwtje
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Dallas Texas, a rental car and one week off ....


kdowning wrote:
I live in Austin and there is a TON of stuff to shoot around town and out in the hill country. If you're interested in that I'd be happy to put together a list for you.

But as far as Dallas, I don't have too many ideas for you unless you're willing to head out to one of the lakes.


Ok so I should Drive to Austin and maybe also Big Bend? if you have some suggestions kdowning, I would be very happy!

Thanks



Jun 19, 2013 at 12:12 AM
Leeuwtje
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Dallas Texas, a rental car and one week off ....


KKapple wrote:
Like kdowning said, Hill country is the best looking part of Texas along with parts of east Texas.

I live in Dallas and the landscapes kinda suck here.

But if your into do night shots of abandoned places, I know of a lot of cool spots. But it requires a lot of driving out west and north of Dallas.

The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge near Lawton Oklahoma is a cool place and only about three hours away.


Some abandoned places sounds good! Maybe I can do some light painting at night. If you have some suggestions you are willing to share I would be happy :-)



Jun 19, 2013 at 12:15 AM
JimFox
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Dallas Texas, a rental car and one week off ....


My suggestion is to fly somewhere besides Dallas... Why is it you are flying to Dallas?

Jim



Jun 19, 2013 at 01:07 AM
kdowning
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Dallas Texas, a rental car and one week off ....


Leeuwtje wrote:
Ok so I should Drive to Austin and maybe also Big Bend? if you have some suggestions kdowning, I would be very happy!

Thanks


Let's put it this way, I've lived in Austin 10 years and I don't know anyone who has ever come to visit and not enjoyed it. I'd highly recommend it.

Another poster had actually PM'd me and asked for this list, so I had it mostly ready anyways.

Here goes:

1. The UT campus has a lot of unique points of interest. It's not really landscape worthy I guess, but with a number of statues, fountains, the UT tower and the classic buildings it can make for a fun afternoon.

2. The Pennybacker bridge (commonly referred to as the 360 bridge) has a great overlook to capture sunrise or sunset over lake austin. I've also seen some amazing time lapsed images that include cars crossing the bridge or even a passing lightning storm.

3. The Zilker park botanical gardens offer some great views on which to shoot ladybird johnson lake and the city skyline (a few years ago they started charging for a photographers pass, but I believe it is only for photo shoots involving human subjects such as models or for a wedding, but you might want to check). The umlauf sculpture gardens are also right across the street and also have some very unique statues. And the zilker park and auditorium shores hike and bike trails will give you even more unique angles to view the skyline and the bridges over the lake.

4. The state capital is always a fun shoot as well, inside and out.

5. If you're feeling a little crazy 6th street never lacks action and presents some unique photo ops. It's a surprisingly safe area as long as you're alert.

For more traditional landscapes, you should consider heading west out towards the hill country. I highly recommend it, especially if you have a car and time to burn.

6. For something close to Austin, be sure to check out lake Travis. There are a number of overlooks on 620 (St. Lukes church is a good one and Mansfield damn), and parks (Windy Point and Tom Hughes Park) and public boat launches you can visit.

7. A little bit further out Hamilton pool is always a fun shoot; although it's a bit of a drag that the park doesn't open until well after sunrise. And if you're not there first thing you will be competing with kids swimming, especially in the summer. So be early or get creative.

8. Fredericksburg is an amazing little german town about 50-60 minutes outside Austin. You will also see a number of opportunities to shoot some fun country scenes out that way, and when the wildflowers are in bloom you will see them all over the place down 290. There are also a number of wineries within 10 miles of the town.

9. If you do head west, you can also plan to stop at Perdenales falls state park on the way. I've never been lucky enough to get much from my trips there (low water or wrong time of day), but i've seen some fun shots from others.

10. And if you make it out to Fredericksburg, Enchanted Rock state park (one of my favorite places in central Texas) is just another 15-20 minutes down RM 965.

Big bend is also a phenomenal trip. There's so many different types of shots in just that one park. The drive is a long one though, I've never made it in less than 8 hours and that's from southwest Austin. If you plan to go that far, I would highly recommend stopping in San Antonio for a night. The riverwalk and the Alamo alone are worth the trip, especially if you're a history buff.

Also, McDonald Observatory (just north of Fort Davis) is worth a stop if the weather is clear and you're driving down I-10 to big bend. Pretty unique place.

Hope this all helps and you enjoy your time in the Lone Star State. There's no place like it.

Keith



Jun 19, 2013 at 01:32 AM
Leeuwtje
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Dallas Texas, a rental car and one week off ....


JimFox wrote:
My suggestion is to fly somewhere besides Dallas... Why is it you are flying to Dallas?

Jim


Jim,

I have visited most of the other 'interesting' states, and wanted to know how Texas and Louisiana look like
The are a little off radar and not so obvious. And I have notices that for me personal, it also gives a lot of satisfaction to photograph different landscapes than the known iconic places to be.

And Dallas happened to be the most affordable price



Jun 19, 2013 at 01:59 AM
Leeuwtje
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Dallas Texas, a rental car and one week off ....


Wow kdowning, thanks!
I'm sure I will have a lot of fun visiting some of your suggested places!
Thanks again.



Jun 19, 2013 at 02:01 AM
JimFox
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Dallas Texas, a rental car and one week off ....


Leeuwtje wrote:
Jim,

I have visited most of the other 'interesting' states, and wanted to know how Texas and Louisiana look like
The are a little off radar and not so obvious. And I have notices that for me personal, it also gives a lot of satisfaction to photograph different landscapes than the known iconic places to be.

And Dallas happened to be the most affordable price


Ha ha... certainly a good enough reason.

Jim



Jun 19, 2013 at 02:31 AM
LandPirate
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Dallas Texas, a rental car and one week off ....


Not far east of Dallas you will find the Piney Woods of East Texas. The city of Tyler (Rose Capital of Texas) and other small towns offer a variety of things to see and photo opps. Look at the Texas Parks & Wildlife website and plan your day trips to area parks and lakes. Just outside of Palestine, TX is the Texas State Railroad Historical Park. They still operate an old steam engine there.

To the southwest of Ft. Worth is Glen Rose. You will find the Dinosaur Valley State Park. Here you can see dinosaur tracks that are fossilized into the bedrock of a stream.

Farther west is Possom Kingdom Lake. It's a very scenic lake with relatively tall cliffs around it's perimeter. There's numerous lakes to the west and you will also begin entering southern panhandle and canyon country.

The thing that you to know about the area is that it's relatively flat. You will not see dramatic landscapes like the mountain states. However, if you scale down your search you'll see equally dramatic scenes, but on a smaller scale.

Also, there are a number of actual working ranches throughout Texas that offer tours. You can still find real working cowboys doing what they've always done.

With a little research, you should be able to locate the sites of many of the Indian battles that occurred throughout that region of the state when Texas was being settled.

Good luck.



Jun 24, 2013 at 09:21 PM
AmbientMike
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Dallas Texas, a rental car and one week off ....


Caddo Lake. Sabine NWR used to have a cement path through the swamp. No fence just a sign "do not feed the gators"

Excelsior Hotel, House of the seasons in Jefferson

Atchafalaya basin might be interesting. Old plantations in LA , Miss, TX

A lot of nice stuff in Arkansas too.

Talimema skyline drive in Oklahoma



Jun 24, 2013 at 10:33 PM
AmbientMike
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Dallas Texas, a rental car and one week off ....


Ft. Worth has Amon Carter, Kimball, and modern art museums all on the same street. Dallas has the Nasher sculpture center and a good art museum.

If you want to go West, look at Big Bend. McDonald observatory will let you look through their telescopes at times.

East you might go toVicksburg. Big civil war Battlefield. Take natchez trace to Natchez Mississippi then go south in to Louisiana and see big plantations. plantations in Natchez too.

feel free to PM me



Jun 24, 2013 at 11:03 PM
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