12 Bit's Video Journal

Grandma

2009-09-08T20:54:00.003-06:00

Shot with a Nikon D90. Taking video with the D90 is a challenge but it can produce some wonderful results. This is my very first attempt.

Shiner, The Brewery

2009-08-06T16:26:00.002-06:00

This is where they make the beer.

Downtown Houston

2009-08-04T10:09:00.003-06:00

Alley

2009-08-04T10:06:00.002-06:00

In the vicinity of the UT campus.

Brick Face

2009-08-04T10:04:00.002-06:00

Guadalupe Street, across from the UT campus.

Honey on 6th

2009-08-04T09:59:00.002-06:00

A Thursday night on 6th Street.

Cicada

2009-08-04T09:57:00.002-06:00

King of Beers

2009-08-04T09:55:00.003-06:00

On 6th Street.

Blue House

2009-08-04T09:53:00.001-06:00

Shot over a barbed wire fence from a gravel road.

Leslie

2009-08-04T09:50:00.001-06:00

Austin's famous Leslie, former mayoral candidate, on 6th Street.

Oak Leaves

2009-08-04T09:45:00.002-06:00

Palmetto State Park, near Luling.

Jump

2009-08-04T09:43:00.002-06:00

Some people need to skydive. Taken near San Marcos.

Tail Fin

2009-08-04T09:41:00.002-06:00

Another shot of the car in the previous image.

Tail Light

2009-08-04T09:40:00.002-06:00

Flashback in an alley in Yoakum.

Ford Fairlane 500

2009-08-04T09:37:00.001-06:00

Near Shiner, where the beer comes from.

Dumped Truck

2009-08-04T09:36:00.002-06:00

A dumped dump truck on the road between Smithville and Elgin.

Once Wild Turkey

2009-08-04T09:31:00.002-06:00

Cars are very hard on wildlife. Dead armadillos are a fixture of rural Texas roads, as are deer, and a few other animals like raccoons and javelinas, but this is the first turkey I've seen as road kill.

Cemetery Angel

2009-08-04T09:30:00.002-06:00

A country cemetery.

Something Fishy

2009-08-04T09:26:00.002-06:00

Found in the vicinity of Yoakum.

Guadalupe Cemetery

2009-08-04T09:23:00.001-06:00

A small cemetery in the neighborhood of Mission Valley, Texas.

On the Fence

2009-08-04T09:19:00.001-06:00

No, he didn't run for the fence, slip, and end up hanging. Someone tied him there. Whether they killed him or not is an open question. Texas can be a weird and scary place.

Army Recruiters

2009-08-04T09:12:00.003-06:00

This is an old image --about 10 years old if I remember correctly. Taken before the start of Halloween festivities on Austin's 6th street.

Rock A Bye Motel

2009-08-04T09:05:00.002-06:00

In Luling, the "Watermelon Capital" of Texas.

Jar Head

2009-08-04T09:01:00.001-06:00

I've neglected this page for my blog at Aminus. Don't really know where I want to go with it. But what the hey, might as well go ahead and add some photos.

Before the Slaughterhouse

2009-02-08T14:35:00.001-06:00

Frost Over Soho

2008-07-23T22:24:00.001-06:00

Frost Over Soho, originally uploaded by twelvebitphoto.

Flag Waver

2007-12-30T10:53:00.001-06:00

Taken east of San Antonio.

Nationalism

2007-10-01T08:03:00.001-06:00

When various elements come together like they do here I am inclined to wonder to what degree the juxtaposition is intentional?

Patriot Act

2007-08-12T16:12:00.001-06:00

In one sense I can't call this "unexpected," as it was obviously "posed," created, constructed. It might be "unexpected" if you haven't seen it before, or you're visiting this blog with certain presuppositions; or, then again, it might not.

Little Fishes

2007-08-12T16:06:00.001-06:00

This one got published at File Magazine. I found it on the way to Port O'Conner.

Sky Pilot

2007-08-12T16:02:00.000-06:00

Taken on Lamar, where else, but in Austin. I find the ambiguity of this street art interesting. I take it as intended to be ironic, but is there any good reason it has to be?

New Direction

2007-08-12T15:45:00.000-06:00

I've been posting to a daily blog at Animus and have virtually stopped posting here, for it seems a sort of redundancy. In the meantime, I've had a couple of images published at File Magazine --"the magazine of unexpected photography." I love the aesthetic at File Mag and it seems a more logical direction in which to point my postings here, if I'm going to maintain this blog. So, my postings here will be erratic, since the "unexpected" is unpredictable; but I hope they will also be more interesting.

Trans Texas Corridor

2007-06-22T09:58:00.001-06:00

Trans Texas Corridor, originally uploaded by twelvebitphoto.

The US Supreme Court effectively eliminated private property rights with it's Kelo decision, a decision that essentially allows anyone wealthy and hooked up politically to take land from anyone who isn't --under the cover of urban renewal, or hypothetically increased tax revenues. This is little more than legalized theft by the powerful. Individual states, of course, can choose to uphold the US Constitution and past rule of law. New Jersey, it seems, may have done just that in placing limits on these legalized thefts.

In Texas, once a bastion of property rights --a relative bastion at least-- the State is seeking to do the Supreme Court one better with what is probably the biggest single eminent domain theft in US history. If there is a more flagrant abuse of eminent domain in the service of private interests and cronies, I've never heard of it. The "Republican" government seeks to condemn private property in a mile wide swath across the entire State, and then turn this property over to the control of private interests --private interests, that is, who are more moneyed and hooked up than the current private owners. This in-your-face legalized theft, and ultimate boondoggle, is called the "Trans Texas Corridor."

As this sign indicates, one of hundreds along Highway 95, east of Austin, this notion isn't particularly popular with land owners who will see family property --in one of the most beautiful areas of the State-- disappear forever into the pockets of corrupt politicians and their corporate cronies.

The Turtle Who Crossed the Road

2007-05-19T23:08:00.001-06:00

The Turtle Who Crossed the Road, originally uploaded by twelvebitphoto.

I saw this turtle in the middle of a country highway. I turned around, stopped my car, and carried him across. You see a lot of dead armadillos, racoons, possums, skunks, and deer along Texas roadways, but not many dead turtles, so maybe he would have been OK on his own. Maybe I scared him more than the speeding traffic. He certainly kept his head tightly inside his shell.

Confederate Cemetary?

2007-05-19T22:40:00.000-06:00

Driving through Flatonia, Texas, I noticed that the town cemetary was freshly populated with Confederate flags. I stopped to take photos wondering if the flags represented a contemporary political statement or tribute to actual Confederate soldiers. Although I can't completely discount the possibility that some number of these flags are politically motivated, most of them appeared to be decorating graves of men who were alive during the Civil War --such as the one below of W.D. Gale, who died in 1896.

Although many of the grave stones made explicit reference to military service in WWI and WWII, I didn't see such references to the Civil War. As Texas did not play a central role in the Civil War, I found it surprising to find so many potential grave sites of Confederate soldiers in a small-town Texas cemetary. And how amazing is it that W.D. Gale, who died over 100 years ago, is still remembered by someone who cares enough to mark his grave and honor his memory? The following two photos are representative of the grave sites decorated with Confederate flags.

Confederate Soldier?

2007-05-19T22:38:00.001-06:00

Confederate Soldier?, originally uploaded by twelvebitphoto.

Cemetary, Flatonia, Texas.

Confederate Cemetary?

2007-05-19T22:32:00.001-06:00

Confederate Cemetary?, originally uploaded by twelvebitphoto.

Cemetary, Flatonia, Texas

Gone But Not Forgotten

2007-05-19T22:27:00.001-06:00

Gone But Not Forgotten, originally uploaded by twelvebitphoto.

A road side grave site in Flatonia, Texas, decorated for Easter. Compare this one to my previous photo of the same site posted in February, and titled "graveflowers."

Round Here

2007-05-19T22:11:00.001-06:00

Round Here, originally uploaded by twelvebitphoto.

This is a wall that obviously needs a door. Taken in an alley in Taylor, Texas. Just before I took this photo a guy in a truck stopped and asked, rather aggressively, just why I was taking pictures. He didn't ask what I was taking pictures of, but "why" I was taking them.

This is one of those questions that can't be answered for anyone who has to ask, but, foolishly, I tried. In retrospect, it would have been smarter to make up a story, like, "I'm scouting movie locations," or, "a real estate developer hired me to find a spot for a new mall." Somebody who stops his truck to ask a question like this isn't looking for enlightenment, he's just looking for some way to feel good about himself.

Neighborhood Hydrant

2007-05-19T11:14:00.001-06:00

Neighborhood Hydrant, originally uploaded by twelvebitphoto.

I'm not sure I can explain exactly why, but I have begun a process of taking a variety of fire hydrant photos. When I have enough of them, maybe I'll construct a photo essay. I selected this hydrant more for how it blends with the background rather than anything unusual about the hydrant itself. Taken in my neighborhood.

Front Door Jesus

2007-05-19T11:05:00.001-06:00

Front Door Jesus, originally uploaded by twelvebitphoto.

An Easter decoration still on display well past Easter. This painted cutout of Jesus is draped in a real cloth robe.

Small Medium Large

2007-05-19T11:01:00.001-06:00

Small Medium Large, originally uploaded by twelvebitphoto.

Junkyard Dogma

2007-05-14T21:51:00.001-06:00

A junkyard can be a history lesson, of sorts, for those who take the time to see, and those who take the time to know; or, it can be a bookshelf of the imagination, each vehicle suggesting an album of snapshots or a diary of recollections that evoke a personal voyage across an ocean of memory. You can't look through a lot, or a pile, of broken, rusting, and decaying remnants of once used, and, perhaps, once loved, automobiles, without wondering how they got where they are now, and what happened to their owners.

More pointedly, a junkyard is a sometimes comforting reminder of our own mortality. Generations of automobiles have fallen into rot, rust, and decay, and are now exhibited before us, and we live on with the prospect that many more such generations will expire before we must face our own ends. But these ghosts of abandoned machines speak of past lives as well as past fads, and it is in this collision between history and nostalgia that we often find our disquiet.

Still, there can be great beauty in decay, in rust, in rot, and even in destruction. A junkyard presents us with a collection from which we may pick and choose our own aesthetic of disintegration.

The following five photos were taken at a junkyard east of Austin, Texas, on Highway 71.

Rusted Eagle

2007-05-14T21:50:00.001-06:00

Rusted Eagle, originally uploaded by twelvebitphoto.

Chevrolet

2007-05-14T21:49:00.003-06:00

Chevrolet, originally uploaded by twelvebitphoto.

Broken Windshields

2007-05-14T21:49:00.001-06:00

Broken Windshields, originally uploaded by twelvebitphoto.

Bullet Holes?

2007-05-14T21:48:00.003-06:00

Bullet Holes?, originally uploaded by twelvebitphoto.

Two Tone

2007-05-14T21:48:00.001-06:00

Two Tone, originally uploaded by twelvebitphoto.

San Antonio from Hotel Room

2007-05-08T11:37:00.001-06:00

San Antonio from Hotel Room, originally uploaded by twelvebitphoto.

Illusions

2007-04-25T21:54:00.001-06:00

Illusions, originally uploaded by twelvebitphoto.

Shop, Austin, Texas, shot with an old low resolution digital camera.

Snow Lounge

2007-04-25T21:18:00.001-06:00

Snow Lounge, originally uploaded by twelvebitphoto.

Archive photo. First digital camera. From the snowfall in South Texas on Christmas eve, a couple years ago.

Grass Nap in B&W

2007-04-25T20:58:00.001-06:00

Grass Nap in B&W, originally uploaded by twelvebitphoto.

Archive photo. First digital camera. Dead Bluejay found on my front lawn.

Ditch Lilies

2007-04-25T20:48:00.001-06:00

Ditch Lilies, originally uploaded by twelvebitphoto.

Lilies in a drainage ditch on US 77, south of LaGrange, Texas.

The Delights of Spring

2007-04-25T20:45:00.001-06:00

The Delights of Spring, originally uploaded by twelvebitphoto.

Archive photo. First digital camera. Spring's new batch of bugs.

Book Store Window

2007-04-25T20:31:00.001-06:00

Book Store Window, originally uploaded by twelvebitphoto.

Archive photo. First digital camera. Side window of the old Half Price Book's store near the UT campus on Guadalupe Street, Austin, Texas.

Dead Bird Dirt Road

2007-04-25T20:28:00.001-06:00

Dead Bird Dirt Road, originally uploaded by twelvebitphoto.

Archive photo. First digital camera. The roads in Texas, paved or not, are littered with dead animals.

Sunflower

2007-04-25T20:12:00.001-06:00

Sunflower, originally uploaded by twelvebitphoto.

From the archives. First digital camera. Photo tweaked with Photomatix Pro.

God Less America

2007-04-25T20:09:00.001-06:00

God Less America, originally uploaded by twelvebitphoto.

Sign, Port Lavaca, Texas

Frost Building, Austin, Texas

2007-04-01T22:59:00.002-06:00

Frost Building, Austin, Texas, originally uploaded by twelvebitphoto.

Owl design? At the moment, I can't find the newspaper article that said the top of this building was designed to look like an owl; all I can find are "stories" and "rumors" and assertions. Wikipedia cites an Alex Jones conspiracy theory on which it casts doubt, but really, who can deny the owl resemblance? In any case, someone spent money, time, and effort to obtain this look, and one must ask: why?

Blue Bonnets

2007-04-01T16:42:00.003-06:00

Blue Bonnets, originally uploaded by twelvebitphoto.

Texas Spring flowers.

Lamar Street Pedestrian Bridge

2007-04-01T16:42:00.001-06:00

Lamar Street Pedestrian Bridge, originally uploaded by twelvebitphoto.

Austin, Texas

Mad Cows

2007-04-01T16:41:00.003-06:00

Mad Cows, originally uploaded by twelvebitphoto.

These cows were not happy to have their photos taken.

Nettie Kerr, RIP

2007-04-01T16:41:00.001-06:00

Nettie Kerr, RIP, originally uploaded by twelvebitphoto.

Gravestone, circa 1888, of Nettie Kerr, surrounded by Blue Bonnets

Greeen Hydrant

2007-04-01T16:28:00.001-06:00

Greeen Hydrant, originally uploaded by twelvebitphoto.

On a corner, Victoria, Texas.

Spring Creek

2007-04-01T16:27:00.001-06:00

Spring Creek, originally uploaded by twelvebitphoto.

Abandoned kennel, Victoria, Texas

Electric Towers

2007-04-01T16:22:00.001-06:00

Electric Towers, originally uploaded by twelvebitphoto.

High voltage insulators in various stages of testing and repair.

Flags on Mainstreet

2007-04-01T16:19:00.001-06:00

Flags on Mainstreet, originally uploaded by twelvebitphoto.

Rockport, Texas

River Bank

2007-04-01T16:16:00.001-06:00

River Bank, originally uploaded by twelvebitphoto.

Dead Dillo

2007-04-01T16:12:00.001-06:00

Dead Dillo, originally uploaded by twelvebitphoto.

The Armadillo is the Texas State animal, and dead Armadillos tragically litter rural highways throughout the state. This strange looking creature has poor vision and is one of the few animals that can contract leprosy.

2007-03-04T12:19:00.000-06:00

New digital camera and new software. My first try with Photomatix. Unfortunately, I had already made the raw nef file unusable for Photomatix editing in CaptureNX and had to create multiple exposures in Photoshop by manipulating curves --limiting my control over the image. Photomatix will read a Nikon nef file adjusted in CaptureNX as long as only base RAW changes have been made. I discovered this too late.

graveflowers_flkr

2007-02-23T12:51:00.001-06:00

graveflowers_flkr, originally uploaded by twelvebitphoto.

Grave flowers, cemetary, Flatonia, Texas.

Zane and Sisters, Victoria, Texas

2007-01-11T22:04:00.000-06:00

Trashbin, Austin, Texas

2007-01-11T22:03:00.000-06:00

Faces, Corporate Restroom

2007-01-11T21:59:00.000-06:00

TV Van, Austin, Texas

2007-01-11T21:51:00.000-06:00

Antique Shop, Congress Avenue, Austin, Texas

2007-01-11T21:50:00.000-06:00

Cemetary, Victoria, Texas

2007-01-11T21:45:00.000-06:00

Lone Star Grave Stone

2007-01-11T21:44:00.000-06:00

Pointing the Finger, Texas Cemetary

2007-01-11T21:42:00.000-06:00

Starfish, on the beach at South Padre Island

2007-01-11T21:40:00.000-06:00

6th Street, Austin, Texas, on Halloween

2006-12-16T13:44:00.000-06:00