# Austin,Texas



## ray5 (Oct 23, 2014)

Hi,
I am headed there for a few days. Could you suggest some good icons to photograph and places to photograph them from? I'll be in downtown and without a rental car so mostly walking distances. I would like to find good spots to shoot the skyline, particularly after dark. Never been there, heard very good things about the city. Thanks,
Ray


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## takesome1 (Oct 23, 2014)

The Texas Capitol.
The Tower.


But the best view would be in the rear view mirror as you head down to San Antonio.
Just my opinion.


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## AcutancePhotography (Oct 23, 2014)

"Could you suggest some good icons to shoot and places to shoot them from?"

Charles Joseph Whitman found the 28th-floor observation deck of the Main Building of the University of Texas a good place to shoot from. 

;D


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## tculotta (Oct 23, 2014)

AcutancePhotography said:


> "Could you suggest some good icons to shoot and places to shoot them from?"
> 
> Charles Joseph Whitman found the 28th-floor observation deck of the Main Building of the University of Texas a good place to shoot from.
> 
> ;D



I don't think that even with the little smiley emoticon this is remotely humorous. Poor taste.


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## kynadog (Oct 23, 2014)

No question--I would head for Town Lake (now called Lady Bird Lake). You can get some great shots of the skyline from some of the bridges that cross the lake. 

There is a statue of Stevie Ray Vaughn on the south shoreline of the lake that makes a nice photo with the Austin skyline in the background.

If you are there on a football weekend and UT wins, they light up the UT Tower in orange lights and it makes a nice photo from many vantage points.

You can see two examples here:

http://randallmetting.com/2012/08/17/20-excellent-experiences-for-every-true-austinite-and-our-visitors/

Both of these are easy to get to from downtown.


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## Vivid Color (Oct 23, 2014)

AcutancePhotography said:


> "Could you suggest some good icons to shoot and places to shoot them from?"
> 
> Charles Joseph Whitman found the 28th-floor observation deck of the Main Building of the University of Texas a good place to shoot from.
> 
> ;D



Not funny at all. So not funny, that I have to ask why you would think this is appropriate? 

I have good friends of mine who were on the campus the day of the shooting. One of them was on the first floor of the tower and saw people being shot outside and helped drag the victims who were still alive to safety. His wife was in the English building, one of the buildings that Whitman was firing upon. They didn't have SWAT teams in those days so my friend was asked by law-enforcement to help guard the elevator when the law-enforcement officers went up to the observation deck to deal with the situation. The elevator must've had some sort of key mechanism, because he was given a key, and told by the law-enforcement officer not to open the elevator door unless he heard that man's voice. My friend helped save lives that day at risk to his own. And fortunately, his wife was not injured. Many other people were not so lucky. 

I myself attended UT Austin in the late 70s and 80s. And the tower, especially when it is lit up orange after a game, is a beautiful building to photograph. But it is a building of beauty and tragedy. 

You shouldn't need personal stories of tragedies to know that you don't make fun of them. But maybe you do.


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## mlbaker74 (Oct 23, 2014)

Franklin's Barbecue. Excellent barbecue and a very interesting crowd. Get there early, the line starts around 7am on the weekends.

I know you said you did not have a rental car, but Pedernales Falls State Park is worth a visit especially if you enjoy hiking. Lots of greats landscapes.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/pedernales-falls


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## notoriouslightning (Oct 23, 2014)

Austin local here since 1984, few of my favorite spots.
Lamar pedestrian bridge for skyline after dark (first image)
Facing lamar (second image)
Loop 360 bridge sunrise (pennybacker bridge 3rd)
All of these images are mine, taken over the last few years.


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## distant.star (Oct 23, 2014)

.
I haven't been there since the seventies, but if you like lit/history, there is the O.Henry House.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Sidney_Porter_House


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## V8Beast (Oct 23, 2014)

When are you going there? The F1 race is next weekend, so downtown is going to be a zoo all next week. The Red Bull team is going to put on some kind of demonstration in downtown on Wednesday, so that should be quite the spectacle.


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## ray5 (Oct 23, 2014)

Reaching there this Saturday for 3 days. Lovely pictures. Thanks for the suggestions


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## Dantana (Oct 23, 2014)

As others have said, the capitol building is great at night.

I am not sure if it's too late in the year for this, but watching the bats emerge from the Congress Street bridge at dusk is quite a sight. We just missed it trying to find parking when I was there this year.

http://austin.about.com/od/austinattractions/p/Bats_in_Austin.htm


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## Vivid Color (Oct 24, 2014)

Dear Ray5,

I'm sure that you will have a wonderful trip to Austin. The people are warm and friendly and you've been given lots of great advice on photo locations. I can't really add anything to that as I've not lived there since the early 80's but I will suggest that you check out the sights and sounds and food on 6th street. In particular, The Old Pecan Street Cafe
314 W 6th St, Austin TX 78701, oldpecanstcafe.com, (512) 478-2491, is legendary and it was there that I learned to love pecan pie. 

Best regards,

Vivid


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## ray5 (Oct 30, 2014)

Vivid Color said:


> Dear Ray5,
> 
> I'm sure that you will have a wonderful trip to Austin. The people are warm and friendly and you've been given lots of great advice on photo locations. I can't really add anything to that as I've not lived there since the early 80's but I will suggest that you check out the sights and sounds and food on 6th street. In particular, The Old Pecan Street Cafe
> 314 W 6th St, Austin TX 78701, oldpecanstcafe.com, (512) 478-2491, is legendary and it was there that I learned to love pecan pie.
> ...



The pecan pie was awesome! The other fun part were the food vans! They were a revelation! Every dinner and one lunch was here. Good food and cheap. Thanks


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## ray5 (Oct 30, 2014)

Got some very nice shots. The skyline is very different now with rapid construction going on and cranes everywhere.
Spent two hours waiting for the bats but it is late in the season so saw just a few of them. Will post some shortly. Thanks for all the suggestions!


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## wsmith96 (Nov 13, 2014)

AcutancePhotography said:


> "Could you suggest some good icons to shoot and places to shoot them from?"
> 
> Charles Joseph Whitman found the 28th-floor observation deck of the Main Building of the University of Texas a good place to shoot from.
> 
> ;D



ouch


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## Vivid Color (Nov 13, 2014)

ray5 said:


> Vivid Color said:
> 
> 
> > Dear Ray5,
> ...



Ray5, I'm so glad to hear that you were able to try the pecan pie and enjoyed it! And the food vans are new from my day. I'll have to check them out next time I visit.


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