Photographic Inspiration

An email came in yesterday from a reader asking where I found my photographic inspiration, especially now in the middle of a statewide drought. Under conditions like this it's easy to become creatively lethargic since all the "low hanging fruit" of your creativity has been picked clean.

My inspiration comes from many sources including other blogs, books and magazines. Even though several portions of central Texas are under severe drought there are still some great photographic opportunities to be had. Texas is a big place and the upper lakes region of the Colorado river (Inks Lake, Lake LBJ) seem to be doing much better than other areas west of Austin. There are several really great spots for sunrise and sunset shots around Marble Falls / Kingsland as well Enchanted Rock, which is beautiful at almost any time of the year.

Last weekend I went to Goliad to shoot the two Missions and got back with some really nice exposures like the image below. Later this week I'm headed back to the western edge of the Hill Country (Garner State Park, Lost Maples State Natural Area, Hill Country State Natural Area and the Guadalupe River State Park) to scout alternate locations for my fall workshop.

Mission Espiritu Santo in Goliad, Texas
Copyright 2009 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shot taken with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II set on aperture priority (Av) using an TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II lens tripod-mounted. The exposure was taken at 24mm, f/16 for 1/50th of a second using a Singh-Ray 2-stop, graduated neutral density filter at ISO 100 on Lexar Professional digital film. Post capture processing was done in Lightroom 2 and Photoshop CS4 using Nik Software's Silver Efex Pro filter. Click on the image above for a larger version.

Check out some of Wyman Meinzer's books on Amazon. He's the best known Texas photographer and has travelled the state for years in all sorts of conditions. His images continue to inspire me daily. Pick up a copy of Texas Highways or Texas Parks & Wildlife magazines while you're at it. There's always two or three great spots featured in each issue.

If you really get stuck, try the local arboretums or even a nursery on a cloudy day. You can always get some great shots of flowers and plants in places like this. Even in the most bone-dry, barren areas, there are always photographic opportunities if you have an open and relaxed outlook. If you get really (Really) stuck, just send me an email. I'm more than happy to share any of my favorite spots in this great state of Texas!

Posted in Photography Tagged: Canon, Canon 5D Mark II, Inspiration, Landscape Photography, Mission Espiritu Santo, Photography