June 21, 2013
Introduction: Weather
After photographing a few county courthouses around Houston and East Texas I realized that I needed to change the way I was approaching the subject. My first trips were often spur of the moment decisions with no consideration for the weather. Some of these first courthouses were photographed with a cloudy sky. Clouds render the sky white or gray. Many of these courthouses are built of white sandstone or marble and when viewed in the photo have no "pop". I then compared these photos with some courthouses taken with a clear blue sky. What a difference! From that point on I began to plan these trips around a blue sky day. Most of the time this worked very well because the sunlight gives the courthouse detail and character. This photo of Hardin County courthouse was taken in a cloudy sky. It's not far from home and I'll probably do this one over on a blue sky day.
Equipment
I already had a professional camera when I started this project, a Nikon D3s and various high end auto focus lenses such as the Nikon 24-120mm. I had one complaint with the setup. The courthouse building did not look as I saw it when I pressed the shutter. The straight lines on the building would bend toward the middle. I decided to get a "perspective control lens". This lens allows me to shift the axis of the focal plane up and the building comes out straight. This lens is a Nikon 28mm manually controlled lens; f stop and focus.
You can see the difference in the two photographs. The top was taken with a normal 28mm lens and you can notice the sides are bending toward the middle top. Using a perspective control lens and shifting the focal plane upward straightens the sides and it is how the eye sees the Henderson County courthouse in Palestine.
Corner View:
I always try and take a photograph from the corner of the building so the viewer has some idea of the depth of the building.
Courthouse Restoration Scaffolding:
One of the problems I ran into on occasion after planning the perfect day was arriving at the subject courthouse and finding it surrounded by scaffolding. I found Tarrant, Comal, and McLennan courthouses mired in scaffolding. Yesterday, June 20, 2013 two friends and I were making the loop around the Trans-Pecos - Texas Hill Country and we arrived in Rock Springs, county seat of Edwards County. The entire courthouse was surrounded with scaffolding. I'll just have to come back. These courthouses are part of the Texas Historical Courthouse Restoration Project of the Texas Historical Commission. I have sense traveled back to New Braunfels and photographed the Comal County courthouse. The other three are on the list.
Photographing Interiors:
I am fortunate to have a camera that I can push the ISO (film speed) up so that I don't have to use a flash when photographing interiors. The interiors of some of these courthouses are completely restored and really beautiful works of art.
Introduction: Weather
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| Hardin County Courthouse |
After photographing a few county courthouses around Houston and East Texas I realized that I needed to change the way I was approaching the subject. My first trips were often spur of the moment decisions with no consideration for the weather. Some of these first courthouses were photographed with a cloudy sky. Clouds render the sky white or gray. Many of these courthouses are built of white sandstone or marble and when viewed in the photo have no "pop". I then compared these photos with some courthouses taken with a clear blue sky. What a difference! From that point on I began to plan these trips around a blue sky day. Most of the time this worked very well because the sunlight gives the courthouse detail and character. This photo of Hardin County courthouse was taken in a cloudy sky. It's not far from home and I'll probably do this one over on a blue sky day.
Equipment
I already had a professional camera when I started this project, a Nikon D3s and various high end auto focus lenses such as the Nikon 24-120mm. I had one complaint with the setup. The courthouse building did not look as I saw it when I pressed the shutter. The straight lines on the building would bend toward the middle. I decided to get a "perspective control lens". This lens allows me to shift the axis of the focal plane up and the building comes out straight. This lens is a Nikon 28mm manually controlled lens; f stop and focus.
Corner View:
I always try and take a photograph from the corner of the building so the viewer has some idea of the depth of the building.
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| Blanco County Courthouse |
Courthouse Restoration Scaffolding:
One of the problems I ran into on occasion after planning the perfect day was arriving at the subject courthouse and finding it surrounded by scaffolding. I found Tarrant, Comal, and McLennan courthouses mired in scaffolding. Yesterday, June 20, 2013 two friends and I were making the loop around the Trans-Pecos - Texas Hill Country and we arrived in Rock Springs, county seat of Edwards County. The entire courthouse was surrounded with scaffolding. I'll just have to come back. These courthouses are part of the Texas Historical Courthouse Restoration Project of the Texas Historical Commission. I have sense traveled back to New Braunfels and photographed the Comal County courthouse. The other three are on the list.
I am fortunate to have a camera that I can push the ISO (film speed) up so that I don't have to use a flash when photographing interiors. The interiors of some of these courthouses are completely restored and really beautiful works of art.
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| Lee County Courthouse Courtroom from balcony |
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