Weatherford, Texas Courthouse

Weatherford, Texas Courthouse, originally uploaded by treylawyer.

Tonight I had to go pick up a few things from the grocery store, so on my way back home I decided to stop and take a few shots of the old courthouse in Weatherford. I have been wanting to go out and take some night shots, but there never seems to be time. I ended up with a couple of good photographs, considering I am still experimenting with night photography.

This is a 4 second exposure and I was lucky enough to catch a few cars driving by that gives the neat continuous light effect. You can see all the meta data at http://www.flickr.com/photos/starbirdphoto/3888879610/meta/

This is another addition to my "Around Weatherford" project. I will probably shot the courthouse more in the future because I need some day shots as well as some close ups of the historical markers.

The image below was taken from the west side of the courthouse. It turned out pretty good at this angle and I did a little different post processing for this image. The exposure for this image was 6 seconds. You can view the meta data for this image at http://www.flickr.com/photos/starbirdphoto/3888881918/meta/

I made one more attempt and took a few shots on the North West side of the courthouse. It was not exactly what I was hoping for, but I posted the pictures because I found it interesting how the photographs turned out due to one bright light in front of the courthouse. There is not post processing on the next two photographs, these are exactly how the were exposed.

Meta data: http://www.flickr.com/photos/starbirdphoto/3888882596/meta/

Meta Data: http://www.flickr.com/photos/starbirdphoto/3888088309/meta/

Old Motel Entrance - Day 2 Part 2

Around Weatherford, Texas Old Motel Entrance, originally uploaded by treylawyer.

Part 2 of my Saturday "Around Weatheford" project landed me at the entrance of the old Coronodo Motel on the East Side of town. I planned to get there at this time of day so I could catch a great sunset and sure enough, it turned out perfect. The old motel does not exists anymore but for some reason the signs and cactus were never taken down. The Cactus is very popular and is used a lot by local photographers. A number of times I have driven by and caught a glimpse of a bride to be in her wedding dress posing in front of this old cactus.

Taking pictures of these historical sites around town gets me thinking about how we have changed so much over the years. We use to have such simple lives with less technology and more family interaction. Now everything is driven by technology and don't get me wrong, I love technology, but at some point enough is enough. Just think about your checklist before you leave home. Everyday I must not leave home without the following items or my day will be shot.

1. Keys with remote control alarm and automatic locking system.
2. Cell Phone (Windows Mobile) - Has everything I need and since I have everything in the phone I no longer memorize numbers and appointments, so I am screwed if I lose this device.
3. Ear Piece for phone. It is just easier to have the hands-free device.
4. Camera - I never leave home without a camera. I love photography, it is my part time job so you never know when you are going to need it.
   
5. MP3 Player - Don't have an iPhone yet and not sure how the mp3 player works on the windows mobile phone.
   
6. GPS - Never know when you need to plug in a address and pick up something for your wife like sample shoes for the volleyball team.
7. A bag to carry all of my electronic devices.
   

And I wonder why I can't find my keys half the time!

In the old days when you went to a motel you probably had to pay more for the tv in the room. Now almost all rooms have a TV that has the built in video game system so your kids won't get bored talking with their family and for the adults there is an option to rent movies that are not appropriate for anyone. Don''t forget that all rooms have to have a WiFi connection or at the least a wired connection to the internet.

We have come a long ways with technology and for the most part I think it has helped us, but it would be nice to go to a place one day that offers just a Color T.V. like the Old Coronado Motel did years ago.

Studebaker's - Day 2 Part 1

Studebaker Farm - Weatherford, Texas, originally uploaded by treylawyer.

Saturday was my second day of shooting around Weatherford. The first stop was the old Studebaker Farm. If you have ever traveled west bound on the Fort Worth Highway in Weatherford, Texas then you have probably seen this historical dealership. It really looks like another junk yard and if the Studebaker sign were gone, then it would probably be labeled as one. However, the sign makes the site unique. I plan to research this site more because there is bound to be a lot of history here. This would be a great restoration project for someone who has the time and money. Not sure if they are selling, but it would be worth checking.

Th old wrecker's are great. I would love to restore one of these myself one day.

Around Weatherford - Old Texas Junk Yard

DSC_2159, originally uploaded by treylawyer.

Auto Savage Yards or as most people call them, "Junk Yards" are very popular in the south. I am not sure how long Texas Auto Savage has been in business, but they do have a great collection of junk cars, trucks, and buses. I love how the phone number does not include the area code. This is a sign that "Texas Auto Savage" has been here a while.

I drive past this junk yard on a regular basis and have never thought about stopping and taking a picture until last week. As I was driving past this antique junk yard my wife said "you should take a picture of the junk yard and some of the other tradition sites around town." So here we are, the first addition to my next photography project.

I just want to thank my wife for being my inspiration. She helps guide me into the right direction and gives me great ideas for my photography. My love will always be sports and event photography, but I have plenty of room on my card for special projects like this one.