Sweet Relief

I have been trying without success to get back into night photography using the new camera.
Something would ruin my plans every time over the past month, and I was almost impossible to live with due to the resulting crankiness.
Until tonight.

I figured Hemisfair Park would be a good place to get my night skills back--it's familiar, target-rich and pretty.

Learned a critical bit of operational knowledge--my Alpha won't focus unless I'm looking through the viewfinder (there's a tiny proximity sensor there), or I can turn "Eye-Start AF" off in the menus.
Or put my hand against the eyepiece.

The Alpha is almost as easy to use at night as my F717 was. I think the results are better.
Prints should be better, too. (Still haven't shot anything I would put in a gallery show, so nothing has been printed yet.)

Seriously, it feels like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders.
I only made 22 exposures tonight, with these four being my favorites.
Now I have the confidence I needed in my new system, and can relax and shoot with no worries next time.
Too bad the damned hurricane cancelled this weekend's trip to Corpus Christi and lost me a bunch of money.
Sea Monkeys @ Oasis Saturday Night! 60% of the Hitmen for your listening pleasure.

End Of The Human Race

Shoe Repair

Matthew McConaughey (seen here with Camila Alves--their baby is in a sling hidden behind mustache guy) posted a really good time in the 10K race.



After the race I took advantage of a rare opportunity to lay my camera down in the middle of Congress Street while it was still closed.

Human Race 2

Back in the late 1990s I was in Austin fairly often.
The outlying areas are very different but downtown is much the same.

Maggie Mae's is still there, but the interior modifications aren't real band friendly so I guess the wild years are over.

The original Roppolo's Pizza is still across the street so I took a slice home for nostalgia.

Maybe seven people in this photo are actually looking at Lance Armstrong, besides me.
His yellow shirt caught my eye in the ocean of red ones.

This runner looks a little shocked at having Lance walk right up to him after a 10K.

Nike Human Race: Austin Texas

(Please read this first)

One of 25 cities participating in Nike's Human Race, Austin was close enough that Sylvia entered, ran and finished with a pretty good time.
I went along and took pictures, of course.
Wish I had brought a ladder!

Kitty-ears and her friends were smart--they were the only people I could easily find in the crowd of over 15,000 runners/walkers.
We filed this away for the next race.

These folks had a good view.





Bringing up the rear was a typically Austin sight. This goof planned to hop the entire race.
I wonder how far he got.


Next: Celebrities, and reliving my past.