Texas Landscape Safari – Spring 2011

We still have a few spots open for our Texas Landscape Safari workshop scheduled for April 25th – 28th, 2011 in the beautiful Texas Hill Country. Now that the winter rains have returned and refilled the aquifers, the rivers and streams should be running beautifully by April and provide some wonderful shots for our attendees. Each attendee will also receive an autographed copy of my latest book, Landscapes of the Texas Plains & Canyons with detailed information on how each shot was taken.

Here’s a quick look at what we’ve scheduled for this workshop. You can click on this image to be taken directly to our Google Map for the workshop.

We plan to shoot at the following state parks and key locations during the three day workshop. Many of these state parks will require a hike to the best shooting locations so a good pair of hiking shoes or boots and a photo-pack to carry your gear is highly recommended.

• Colorado Bend State Park near Lampasas (3 mile hike).
• Wildflowers near Llano (No hike).
• Packsaddle Mountain near Kingsland (No hike).
• Inks Lake State Park near Llano (1 mile hike).
• Enchanted Rock State Natural Area near Fredericksburg (3 mile hike).
• Pedernales Falls State Park in Johnson City (2 mile hike).
• Guadalupe River State Park near San Antonio (1 mile hike).

To register or for more information, please contact me via email using my Contact Me page.

Hill Country Landscapes

Just a gentle reminder to everyone that my first book Hill Country Landscapes is back in stock and available for immediate shipment. You can preview the book below to see some of the wonderful landscapes you can find in the Texas Hill Country.

http://www.blurb.com/books/1108400

 

My next book should be completed in the fall and be available before Christmas, so stayed tuned!

Texas Landscape Safari – Spring 2010

We still have a few spots open for our Texas Landscape Safari workshop scheduled for April 24th – 27th, 2010 in the beautiful Texas Hill Country. Now that the winter rains have returned and refilled the aquifers, the rivers and streams should be running beautifully by April and provide some wonderful shots for our attendees. Each attendee will also receive an autographed copy of my Hill Country Landscapes book with detailed information on how each shot was taken.

Here’s a quick look at what we’ve scheduled for this workshop. You can click on this image to be taken directly to our Google Map for the workshop.

We’ll be shooting at the following locations and the conditions look favorable for getting some great landscape shots in the Hill Country this spring.

• Colorado Bend State Park – Bend, Texas
• Inks Lake State Park – Burnet, Texas
• Scenic Overlook – Kingsland, Texas
• Enchanted Rock State Natural Area – Fredericksburg, Texas
• Pedernales Falls State Park – Johnson City, Texas
• McKinney Falls State Park – Austin, Texas

To register or for more information, please contact me via email using my Contact Me page.

Driving around Inks Lake

Inks Lake was created in the 1920’s as a means of flood control along the Lower Colorado River. It’s the second of six such lakes that make up the “Highland Lakes Chain” here in central Texas, created by the Buchanan dam to the north and Inks dam to the south. It was built by the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) during the Great Depression and provided employment for 1,500 workers during its construction. The state acquired the land in the 1940’s as part of a public works project sponsored by Lyndon B. Johnson when he was just a US Congressman.

The geology of the area is truly unique with pink, granite-like outcrops called “Valley Spring Gneiss” pushing their way up through the surrounding limestone. These outcrops support a unique ecology of wildflowers, grasses, mosses and even ferns. Inks Lake State Park is a place that you could explore and photograph for years and never run out of interesting sights to see. In the springtime when the wildflowers bloom, the area comes alive with color and that’s why Inks Lake is always one of the stops on the Texas Landscape Safari.

Inks Lake – Burnet, Texas
Copyright © 2009 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shot taken with a Canon EOS 50D set on aperture priority (Av) using an EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens tripod-mounted. The exposure was taken at 24mm, f/11 for 1/50th of a second at ISO 100 using a Singh-Ray 2-stop (soft) graduated neutral density filter. All post capture processing was done in Adobe’s Lightroom 3 Beta. Click on the image above for a larger version.

Texas Landscape Safari – Hill Country Drive

Here is another of the incredible sights you can expect to photograph if you decide to join me on this fall’s Texas Landscape Safari. The area just northwest of Austin, Texas covers some of the beautiful and picturesque scenery in the state. From this lookout at the Inks Lake State Park you can follow the Colorado river all the way north from Inks Lake to the Buchanan Dam. In October, the air should be crisp and clear providing a wonderful opportunity to capture some beautiful landscape images. Come and join me for a Hill Country drive during the Texas Landscape Safari this fall.

Hill Country Drive – Burnet, Texas
Copyright © 2009 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shot taken with a Canon EOS 50D set on aperture priority (Av) using an EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM tripod-mounted. The exposure was taken at 50mm, f/11 for 1/50th of a second at ISO 100 on Lexar Professional digital film and post capture processed in Lightroom 2. Click on the image above for a larger version.

Landscape Photography – Afternoon Swim

Not all of last week’s trip was hiking and hard work however. I did find a nice afternoon to relax at the Inks Lake State Park’s “Devil’s Waterhole” as it’s called. Quite a nice view before the kids jump from the rocks into the 20 feet deep water.

Afternoon Swim – Inks Lake State Park, Texas
Copyright © 2009 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shot taken with a Canon EOS 40D set on aperture priority (Av) using an EF 28mm f/1.8 USM hand-held. The exposure was taken at 28mm, f/11 for 1/250th of a second at ISO 100 on Sandisk digital film. Post capture processing was done in Lightroom 2 using Nik Software’s Color Efex Pro plug-in filters. Click on the image above for a larger version.

Landscape Photography – Go the Extra Mile!

This past week has been one of the most personally rewarding time periods for me in the past two years.

Those of you that have followed my blog for some time probably know that in March 2007 I came down with an inexplicable and still undiagnosed neurological disorder that left me in almost constant pain with muscle spasms and cramps in my lower back and legs. I spent the better part of 2007 in and out of the hospital, seeing specialists and being tested for everything from AIDS to Cancer to MS. I’ve had multiple MRIs, CT scans, X-rays, ultrasounds, myelograms and neurological tests (most of which where extremely painful – think Taser and you’ll be close). My condition is still undiagnosed although I have medication to help control the muscle spasms and pain. Its taken me the better part of two years to recover my strength and more importantly, my self confidence.

Before all this I was a seven handicap golfer that played 2 – 3 times per week. Giving up golf allowed me the opportunity to rekindle my love for photography, a career I had given up in the late 70’s. I began this blog a little over a year ago to help me focus my craft, limber up some creative muscles that had lain dormant for far too long and most importantly to help me regain a measure of confidence that when God closes one door, he always opens another, if we have the courage to walk through it.

Earlier this week I was able to photograph some of the most beautiful areas of central Texas ever seen. I visited locations that a year ago would have been impossible for me to get to in my condition. I went well beyond what I ever thought possible carrying my camera, lenses and tripod. I hiked miles under the scorching Texas sun, climbed up and down shear rock faces to get the perfect angle and spent hours waiting for just the right light. I know I didn’t walk this path alone and many times felt the Lord’s strong arms helping me when my strength just wasn’t enough.

I hope that the images I share with you all in the coming weeks will refresh you, inspire you and help you along your journey to becoming the great photographers that I know you all are! And I thank each and every one of you for allowing me to share my journey with you.

Rough Terrain – Inks Lake State Park, Texas
Copyright © 2009 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shot taken with a Canon EOS 40D set on aperture priority (Av) using an EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM hand-held. The exposure was taken at 28mm, f/8 for 1/400th of a second at ISO 100 on Sandisk digital film. Post capture processing was done in Lightroom 2 using Nik Software’s Color Efex Pro plug-in filters. Click on the image above for a larger version.