Austin, TX - Good shooting places?

[arrgeebee]

Hi All,

I'm heading down to Austin at the end of the month and will be bringing some gear. Any suggestions on good places to shoot in the Round Rock / Austin areas?

Any suggestions will be appreciated!

[pmurph]

Oh wow, I love Austin because I grew up there. If you get a chance, go downtown at sundown to the Congress St. bridge and watch the bats. If you're good, you can probably get some good shots. There is always the capital. Zilker Park,Lake Austin, Travis, and Inks, and Barton Springs are all good places to start. I wish I could remember more, but it's been so long. There is a lot of good stuff downtown such as historical buildings and cool restaurants/stores. You will find plenty in the city. I wanna see pictures when you're back! Have a good trip.

[arrgeebee]

Thanks pmurph, I'll check those places out & post when I return.

[cfcRebel]

Hi All,

I'm heading down to Austin at the end of the month and will be bringing some gear. Any suggestions on good places to shoot in the Round Rock / Austin areas?


Any suggestions will be appreciated!The best spot to take night scenery of the downtown is at Joe's Crab on Riverside Drive (http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF-8&q=joe%27s+crab&near=Austin,+TX&fb=1&cid=30252502,-97742295,17517245355392385859&li=lmd&z=14&t=m). Head there around 7 ~ 8p.m. you shall be rewarded. :)

Bob Bullock Museum (http://maps.google.com/maps?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLD,GGLD:2004-16,GGLD:en&um=1&q=bullock+museum&near=Austin,+TX&fb=1&sa=X&oi=local_group&resnum=4&ct=image)is a good place, very "Texas" like.

If you like birds like i do, go to Central Park (http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/watershed/centralpark.htm) at Austin. Most of the time you can find some Yellow-crowned night herons, and some wood ducks too. Kids love to feed the ducks there. Sometimes the wood ducks will join in and grab some bite. Make sure you walk down to the edge of the ponds. They are hiding in there. ;)

If you like to photograph dragonflies, butterflies, and flowers, head to Zilker Botanical Garden (http://www.zilkergarden.org/). Plenty of photogenic species there, including the Spiny Texas Lizard. Nearby places include Barton Spring pool (http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/parks/bartonsprings.htm), Town Lake (http://www.texasoutside.com/townlake.htm), State Capitol Building (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_State_Capitol).

Hope that helps. I'll post again if i can think of more.

[arrgeebee]

Thanks cfcRebel... These will keep me busy.

[billash3]

Hippie Hollow with a long.....really long, lens.

[arrgeebee]

Hippie Hollow with a long.....really long, lens.

I ended up in that area. A local had told me about The Oasis at Lake Travis. It was a great place to capture the sunset. I haven't had time yet to process the images but will be doing so very soon.

[Killjoy]

If you want to try shooting from above, you can go to Mt. Bonnell. I have to warn you though. I am from California, and what these Texans consider a Mountain, I consider a small foothill. I think it was about 700 ft above sea level?

You can also try the Barton Creek Mall from the parking lot. There are always the shots of the tower at the university. The state capital building, and the state museum. There is a giant star in front of the museum. I laid on the ground directly under the star and took a few shots. Interesting perspective. Unfortunately I didn't have the 10-22 yet.

As for the bats from the Congress Street Bridge, you might be going too early in the season for them. I'm not sure when they start, but I saw them in July. It's an amazing sight. If it IS the right time, it's a must see.

If you go to Town Lake, there is a statue of Stevie Ray Vaughn there (if you are interested).

If you happen to get over to San Antonio (I think it was about a 90 min drive?) the Riverwalk is nice to see as well.

Go over to www.texasphotoforum.com and look around there. Have fun in Austin. If you find Abel (the forum moderator) tell him Killjoy sent you.