Fun Friday Fotos: Swimming Lessons
Fun Friday Photos!
In just a few days my son, Roman, will be 16 months old. It’s an exciting time for my wife and me because he’s trying to talk a lot more and he runs everywhere that he goes. So we decided that now would be a good time for him to have swim lessons.
Roman having fun during his swim lesson
We placed him in a 4 week swim course given by Aqua-Tots and we’re pretty happy with our choice. Although Roman can’t yet swim by himself, he is certainly more comfortable in the water and learned important things like depth perception in the water and how to climb out of a pool.
Roman loves the water!
My wife photographed him (with me assisting him) during his last swim lesson at an indoor pool in North Austin. He graduated with honors and next year will move on to the intermediate swim class. We’re so proud of him and love sharing photos of him.
Enjoy!
Roman like to drink the water too!
Too much fun! 🙂
Mercury Hall Wedding
Located near St. Edwards University in south central Austin, there’s a little wedding spot that not everyone knows about: Mercury Hall. Mercury Hall is special for a lot of reasons: It’s a 100-plus-year-old church, it’s located in the heart of Austin and it’s been featured in a Hollywood movie.
inside of mercury hall
Located in the Galindo neighborhood off of South 1st Street Mercury Hall is an elegant, old church structure on 4 acres of beautiful trees and well maintained vegetation. The church chapel is decorated with beautiful stained glass windows, hardwood flooring and simple white accent colors – which give the entire church a classic Americana look.
According to the Mercury Hall Website, the wooden church building was built in 1904 in Mercury, Texas (located northwest of Austin), where it was long used as a place to worship and for event gatherings. It began operating as a wedding and event center in Austin, Texas in 1997.
“Mercury Hall hails from 120 miles Northwest of Austin, where surveyors claim the geographic center of Texas is located. Built in 1904 by the inhabitants of the frontier town of Mercury for use as a church, the chapel survived two major fires that reduced Mercury from an eager young town to the quiet country settlement (pop. 166) it remains today. Sunday services, weddings and prayer meetings were held in the building for more than eighty years until the decision was made in 1996 to construct a modern building for the congregation.” – Mercuryhall.com
Mercury Hall is also somewhat famous for being featured in a Hollywood movie: “Waking Life”, released in 2001 – directed and created by Richard Linklater, a Texas director and producer.
Last year, I was privileged to be the official photographer for a wedding at Mercury Hall which featured well known Texas musicians and artists alike. I greatly enjoyed being there to capture all the wonderful moments during the wedding and reception and I look forward to my next photography event at Mercury Hall.
Mercury Hall is capable of facilitating both small and large weddings and events – up to 250 people. It regularly hosts luncheons, meetings, musical/artistic performances and more. Parking is available both onsite and on the street (Cardinal Lane).
Want to visit or learn more?
Address: 615 Cardinal, Austin 78704-6934
Email: info@mercuryhall.com
Web: www.mercuryhall.com
Hours: Hours by appointment
Phone: 512.236.1226
Austin’s Zilker Botanical Garden: A Great Place For Photos!
In the past few years I’ve photographed lots of brides and engaged couples at Zilker Botanical Garden in Austin, Texas. Obviously I can’t share all the photos from these shoots, but I wanted to show off some of the variety of photographs that are possible when shooting at Zilker.
Bride Poses Above Koi Ponds In Japanese Garden
The park has to be one of the most popular places for photography of any kind in Austin. Not only is it a huge repository for plant life centered in Travis County (which is why people are drawn to it) but it’s also one of Austin’s little jewels that’s been around for many years. I’m pretty sure that the creators of Zilker never intended it to be one of the foremost popular venues for photography around Austin, but that’s what it’s become.
ZBG features many different plant species and specific garden areas that are dedicated to a particular theme or cultural plant cultivation, if you will. For example, one of the popular areas of Zilker is the Japanese Garden, which features Koi-filled fish ponds, stone trails leading around bamboo gardens and a structure made of stone and bamboo that only could fit into a Japanese garden . The entire area is shaded by trees and feels like being in another world.
Couple Shows Off Their Engagement Ring
Zilker also features a beautiful rose garden where weddings frequently occur. Colorful roses line the concrete paths that wind down the hill from the main entrance of the park. The Rose Garden area is very open, located at the edge of the tree line bordering the Japanese Garden. It also features a red and white gazebo next to fish ponds and a historic brick structure in the shape of a keyhole that has been apparently transplanted from historic downtown Austin.
Couple Poses Near Waterfall at Zilker Botanical Garden
Other areas featured at ZBG are the Prehistoric Gardens further down the hill from the main office, which feature “old world” plants, pools and even a beautiful, natural-looking water fall. Toward the front of the park is an area that contains historic Central Texas pioneer homes and work areas made of wood.
Ultimately there are many, many different areas of the Garden that offer photography opportunities for brides or couples. After visiting and photographing friends and family there for years I’ve grown to love and appreciate Zilker for the beautiful part of Austin that it has always been and hopefully will always be!
Engagement Session At Wooden Bridge Inside Zilker Botanical
Things you’ll need to bring if you photograph a bride or couple at Zilker:
– Payment for photographing someone at ZBG
– Water
– Bug/Mosquito repellant
– Sun block
-Comfortable walking shoes (ZBG has lots of trails)
– Patience. If the park is busy, you may have to wait for that perfect shot! 🙂
Hints/Tips: Arrive early and check park closure times (which change with daylight savings time). Park staff require visitors to leave 30 minutes prior to gate closure.
A Kiss Is Captured Next To A Koi Pond At Zilker Botanical Garden
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Martin Whitton is a passionate wedding photojournalist who lives and works in Austin, Texas. Email your questions to him at martin@mwwphoto.com.
American Graveyard – Austin, Texas
The Austin Chronicle says that Austin’s Band, American Graveyard is,
“From bluegrass to blues, country to punkgrass, jazz to what-the-f#@k? – American Graveyard is brewing a stew of American music served hot off the stove and backed up with a glass of moonshine.”
I like the music and the guys are super great people. Last time I saw them they opened up for Black Joe Lewis & The Honey Bears so they only could’ve gotten better. Like any a lot of other music, it’s best experienced live. In the meantime here’s there latest video. Go check these guys out at their next show! Great stuff…
Daniel Schorr
Yesterday (July 23, 2010) legendary journalist Daniel Schorr died at age 93.
As someone who was born in the 1970s, I missed the majority of Schorr’s career as a journalist. I wasn’t around to see him report on the McCarthy 1950s or the raging 1960s. I wasn’t even alive to see him cover the Watergate Scandal that rocked the Nixon White House in the 1970s. My first memory of Schorr was when I watched the movie “The Game”, starring Michael Douglas. Schorr’s unforgettable, raspy voice is heard on the television speaking to Douglas’ character through a television in the movie. Later in life, while listening to NPR Radio, I regularly listened to Schorr’s news pieces given during my commute to and from work.
I came to really appreciate Schorr’s brutal honesty and integrity in the stories that he covered. This can be seen in his 60 years of journalism from when he was called before congress to answer about sources to when he was at the original CNN news desk. It was clear that he had a passion for news and that fairness and transparency were paramount in what he reported on.
He will be sorely missed by those who enjoyed listening to and reading his reports. It is also apparent that he will be missed by those who know the news business, considering his long tenure in reporting and the high regard that he had earned for such a distinguished career in news. The world has lost a great champion this year.
San Rafael Sustainable Coffee Initiative
I wanted to take a moment to share information about our friends in Costa Rica who are promoting and supporting a sustainable coffee farming initiative. My wife and I met Ken Lander while staying in Monte Verde, Costa Rica earlier this year. He’s started a great organization (San Rafael Sustainable Coffee Initiative – SRSCI) which produces world-class coffee in a sustainable environment which supports local farmers and their families in Costa Rica. It seems like a win-win situation to me and my wife, which is why I’m sharing.
Fresh-roasted Coffee Beans At Ken's Coffee Coop
At the moment the SRSCI is asking for new members to join and help with making micro-loans to the farmers (as little as $35) in order to grow their operation and produce more sustainable coffee, which in turn helps their local economy. I love the idea and I must say that the coffee is some of the best I’ve ever had. If you join as a new member you also get fresh coffee mailed straight to your doorstep from their Costa Rican farms, which means great coffee, at a great price which helps local farmers and eliminates the corporate (for profit) middle man.
The power of the San Rafael Sustainable Coffee Initiative is that the coffee drinker has the opportunity for the first time to be involved in the production of his or her own cup. Obviously, purchasing coffee from the SRSCI is a wonderful way to support the SRSCI (and we welcome your continued orders for coffee!), but this year, the coffee lover has the opportunity to invest in the SRSCI directly. We are asking you to consider both ordering coffee and giving the SRSCI a one-time micro-loan to help capitalize this year’s 23 hectares and liberate farmers from the need to find capital through the current cooperative and old value chain that follows.
Your micro-loan will return 100% to you in the form of a $70.00 credit on your future order from next year’s crop. If 600 hands raise and join this effort, the SRSCI will generate $21,000.00 in capital just from the micro-loans alone. However, this is a relationship between you and the farmer, so the farmers of the SRSCI commit to contribute from the proceeds of the sale of coffee from this drive a matching $21,000.00 in capital from the profits of the sale of the coffee.
Inside The Coffee Coop Where Coffee is FREE!
