Morning along The Riverwalk
The Riverwalk in downtown San Antonio is a beautiful part of a beautiful city. I recently spent some time there and got up early to capture it at sunrise. It was quiet, still, and empty - perfect for photography. Here's the shots I captured that morning!
I got up early and wandered around downtown San Antonio - and had it all to myself!
I'm a fan of shooting touristy areas at sunrise. Everyone is still asleep, and I can photograph normally busy spots in the blissful quiet of the morning. It's my favorite time to shoot. I feel like I can not only get better shots (without the crowds, of course), but I can get shots that otherwise would be nearly impossible. How can you REALLY see a place when it's full of tourists?
Back in January, I spent a couple of days in San Antonio and was focused (no pun intended) on capturing quite a few spots there. I shot all the old Spanish Missions, including my favorite, Mission Espada (the first Mission in Texas), I captured the Pearl Brewery area, which has been getting redeveloped (photos coming soon), and of course I just had to get to the Riverwalk.
No visit to San Antonio is complete without a stop at the Riverwalk.
So one morning I got up super early and after shooting at The Pearl Brewery, I made the short drive to the Riverwalk. After parking the car, I descended the flight of stairs down one level, and voila! I was on the Riverwalk - and it was blissfully empty. Even though it's smack dab in the middle of downtown San Antonio, this entire area feels like you are miles away from anything - especially at sunrise, when it is incredibly quiet and everything is still.
A good example of just how still it is at this time of day is the water itself. It's like glass. During the daytime when boats are cruising back and forth, it's choppy and splashing around. At sunrise, its the complete opposite. That's another reason I shoot early, because I want to be able to capture reflections, and that won't happen when the water is moving a lot.
There are quite a few bridges crossing the Riverwalk here and there, and I have my favorite spots along the Riverwalk. I wandered and shot, wandered and shot, and only came across a couple of people the whole time, and mostly they were just out jogging. I guess some tourists do get up early, but thankfully not many of them!
While the sunrise didn't wow me in any way, it was great to be able to photograph the Riverwalk and feel like I was the only one there. In comparison, I had been here the previous night, capturing these shots, and it was very busy. So a little peace and quiet is just what I needed!
An evening in downtown San Antonio
I recently spent a couple of days in San Antonio, Texas and captured quite a few nice photos while I was there. Today's post is a group of 4 that I am rather fond of, all from downtown. It covers El Mercado and some spots along The Riverwalk - click on it and enjoy!
I spent a couple of days in San Antonio recently, and came back with some photos that I really like!
Two waiters pose for me while photographing this restaurant at El Mercado, the historic Mexican market in downtown San Antonio.
San Antonio is just about an hour and a half south of Austin, but even so, I don't get there that much with my camera. That's a shame really, since I find the city to be rather beautiful, especially downtown along the Riverwalk area. So recently I made the effort to capture some of the vibrancy of its downtown. I had 2 evenings there, which in photographer-speak means 2 sunsets. ;-)
Probably the most popular part of San Antonio is the Riverwalk. It's a series of walkways about one level below the street that follow the path of the San Antonio River. It is filled with hotels, shops, restaurants and bars, and is generally very touristy. But it's also very beautiful, and that's why I went there. I have shot it several times before, but being in possession of this Sony A7II makes me want to re-shoot just about everything! What a camera!
A riverboat passes in front of some restaurants along the San Antonio Riverwalk.
Today's pics are from one evening there, when I wandered around looking for scenes that caught my eye (which were many). I started before sunset over at El Mercado, the historic Mexican market downtown (top photo) and then made my way onto the Riverwalk and shot all through blue hour. It's great fun to capture the vibrancy of an evening there, with all the tourists and locals hanging out and enjoying the scenery. It has some great atmosphere.
I'm a bit of a sucker for any place that offers up lights and water, since I love reflections and the patterns that light often makes in water. The other cool thing is that they have little river boats to take passengers on tours of the area, or just to shuttle them from one end of the Riverwalk to another. As you can see in two of these photos, I did some long exposures that allowed me to capture the light trails of these passing boats as they piloted by me that evening.
It was a very productive photo trip, and I have many more photos to process and share. I also photographed the San Antonio Mission Trail (4 historic Spanish missions scattered south of town), some cool neon signs, quite a bit more here along the Riverwalk and other parts of downtown, and much more. I'll be back with those photos as soon as I can!
Multiple riverboats cruise past during this long exposure HDR.
This beautiful waterfall is behind the Hyatt Regency hotel on the Riverwalk. I find it very beautiful and I pretty much shoot it every time I am there!
The San Antonio Riverwalk
Have you ever visited San Antonio, TX? It's very beautiful, especially the Riverwalk area, and especially at sunrise when there are no tourists in the way. Have a look...I think you will enjoy these. Oh, and I toss out a 5 year old sunset photo too, since I had forgotten about it. No time like the present!
Have you been to the San Antonio Riverwalk? It's beautiful!
I grew up in San Antonio, TX - or at least I partly did. I'm an Army Brat, which means my family moved around a lot while I was growing up. Maybe that's where I got my love of travel. Hmmm.
Anyways, I moved to SA in the middle of the 5th Grade, and finished out High School there. It was a good place to grow up, though I was ready to move on when High School was over. As my Mom puts it, I have "itchy feet". I just like to move. Of course, I guess I didn't get far, since I just went to Austin - but I have been making up for it ever since! Anyways...
Sunrise at Casa Rio along the Riverwalk
As a kid growing up in San Antonio, I didn't really love it. It was a fine place to grow up, but I wasn't inspired by the town, so to speak. However, as a photographer, I have developed a greater appreciation for San Antonio. When I lived there, I never thought in photographic terms, but the city is quite beautiful. The Riverwalk, which is a network of walkways lining the San Antonio River throughout downtown, is a prime example. It sits one level below the street, so you are shielded from the noise of traffic, and can amble along and enjoy all the shops, bars and restaurants. It's purely pedestrian, which is great.
In particular, I recommend you get up early on a Sunday morning and get out to shoot it. Even if you aren't a photographer, get up early and walk around down there. It's very peaceful at dawn - quite a contrast to the rest of the day! As you can imagine, it gets incredibly crowded during the rest of the day and night.
On a recent Sunday morning, I did just that and went out to shoot it. I basically had it to myself, which was fabulous. There's nothing quite like wandering a normally crowded tourist destination and being able to take photos without a bunch of tourists in the way. It's awesome. I try and do that no matter where I travel. There's nothing like the silence of a city in the wee hours of morning.
This is an iPhone shot from that morning. Not bad, right? See all the tourists? Me neither! :-)
So today's photos are from a few spots along the Riverwalk that I found pretty enough to capture and share with you (and believe me, I have plenty more to share). The waterfall and fountains in the photos down below are at the Hyatt Regency, but you have to walk through the hotel (away from the Riverwalk) to get to them. It's worth it.
When you are done, you can pop up to street level, cross the street, and see the Alamo while you are at it. I'm just trying to make it easy for you! And yes, the Alamo is worth a visit, even if it's at sunrise and it isn't open yet. In fact, that's the best time for photography. You can just stand there in Alamo Plaza and imagine the history that took place. I feel like I can do that when it's just me. When it's crowded, not so much.
And below is a photo I took almost 5 years ago from Casa Rio (the subject of the first 2 pics up above). I just ran across it in my library, and had never processed it. I figured I would toss it out there with this post, seeing as how the RAW files have just collected dust for 5 years. It's good to get photos out of their dark storage compartments and let them see the light of day! Better late than never, right? :-)
A photo of sunset from Casa Rio, along the San Antonio Riverwalk - taken in November 2009.
So enjoy this little tour of a small slice of the San Antonio Riverwalk. It's well worth a visit, and an early rise one morning, to check it all out. And while all of these shots are from one small section of it, the Riverwalk actually continues for quite a long ways. I'll be back another time with more shots for ya. Have fun out there!
This is the Alamo, in case you didn't remember it. Haha, see what I'm doing there? And this is sunrise. No tourists!
Arneson River Theatre
If you have ever been to San Antonio, TX, then you have surely been to the San Antonio Riverwalk. It’s a network of walkways along the banks of the San Antonio River. It is door-to-door shops and restaurants and a very popular spot for tourists and residents! As with all touristy spots that I want to shoot, I get up early on a Sunday and usually find things all to myself. I spent a morning down there last year, and took lots of pictures during my random walk through the area.
This photo at the top is the Arneson River Theatre, which is the site of a lot of musical and theatrical performances throughout the year. All the performances occur on the stage on the right side of the photo, while the audience sits on steps out of frame to the left.
During their annual "Light Up" which occurs around Christmas, there is a parade of floats going by and it's great fun to watch. This is one of those places that just makes San Antonio what it is. In fact, here's an old shot of one of those floats on another part of the Riverwalk:
The San Antonio Riverwalk
The San Antonio River Walk (also known as Paseo del Río) is a network of walkways along the banks of the San Antonio River, one story beneath the city itself. Lined by bars, shops and restaurants, the River Walk is an important part of the city's urban fabric and a tourist attraction in its own right (from the web). Plus it’s fun to visit! I caught this image early one morning while most of the tourists were still asleep. I find that morning works well in places like this as tourists always stay up late at night, making it nearly impossible to get a clear shot, whereas in the morning they are sleeping away and I can happily click without distraction.
Casa Rio
Casa Rio is a wonderful Mexican restaurant situated along the Riverwalk in San Antonio, TX. I have been there many times and always enjoy the food and the view. I caught this image one morning while walking around down there. I love the colorful umbrellas and their reflections in the water.
My own private waterfall
Well technically this isn't mine, but it sure felt like it on Saturday morning this past weekend. I was in San Antonio, hanging with my Mom and Sister and just generally cruising around and taking a lot of pictures. I got up really early to get downtown on Saturday morning, knowing that all the tourists would still be asleep and therefore not be wandering into my photos. My Mom had mentioned that at the Hyatt near the Alamo there were some gorgeous fountains if I was interested. Heck yeah, Mom. After reeling off a lot of shots at the Alamo (and having that place all to myself too), I wandered over here and found this beauty. It felt like it was all mine since I didn't see another soul while taking this shot and some others. It's just a few steps from Alamo Plaza so be sure and check it out if you are in San Antonio sometime!
Colorful sunset, calm water
I just couldn't believe the color in the sky on this day - it was fabulous. We were on the San Antonio Riverwalk, getting ready for our riverside dining experience and waiting for the awesome river parade that was to start after dark. We got there a little early and while we were getting seated, it all just came together in the sky. You know how it is - the light changes a little, and the clouds move just a bit, and bam! You have a gorgeous sunset. The funny thing is that it lasted about 10 minutes, and then it was a memory.
A parade of lights
The Riverwalk in San Antonio, TX is their best known tourist attraction (except for maybe The Alamo - remember that? - ok bad joke) and each year on the day after Thanksgiving, they light it up for the Christmas season. It is difficult to get a good spot, because the crowds are crazy, unless you reserve dinner at a riverside spot in advance (thanks Mom!). Anyways, the highlight of the event, apart from the actual lighting of all the Christmas lights in the trees, is that they have a parade of Christmas floats going by on the river. It is a nice way to usher in the Holiday season. The sunset had been spectacular, the weather was cool but not cold, and there were some nice low-level clouds floating by. All that, plus a good dinner with a view - a great night!
In this shot you can see I kept the shutter open for a bit, allowing a passing float to blur out with some nice light trails. Night shots are fun, especially when you have some interesting light to work with!