Hamilton Pool waterfall

Saturday was a pretty good day in my opinion.  It started with breakfast tacos from Taco Shack, then I got some time to shoot at Hamilton Pool with my friend Michael Tuuk, who in addition to being a great guy is also a great photographer, then I had lunch at Taco Cabana and wrapped up with a visit to my local camera store.  Basically, I got some of my favorite foods and spent time on my favorite hobby - a good day!  I have been in Austin for many years, and had always heard of Hamilton Pool, but had never been there.  I decided to give it a whirl and invited my fellow photographer friend Mike.  We arrived before they even opened the gate.  My plan was to get there by 9am so that we could get ahead of any stray tourists that might wander into our shots.  Once we got in we quickly headed down the trail to shoot the big waterfall which is the main attraction there.  It is beautiful and a great way to spend a morning.  I highly recommend it.  

Here is a little info about Hamilton Pool from the web:  Hamilton Pool Preserve is a natural pool that was created when the dome of an underground river collapsed due to massive erosion thousands of years ago. The pool is located about 23 miles (37 km) west of Austin, TX and supports recreational opportunities such as picnicking, hiking, swimming and nature study. One of the most outstanding features of the pool is its 45 foot (14 m) waterfall that spills from the dome above.

This is a 7 exposure HDR taken at f/18, with exposures ranging from+2 to -4.  I merged them into an HDR in Photomatix, and then made some adjustments in PSE, specifically Curves, Contrast, Hue/Saturation and Unsharp Mask.  Then I ran it through Topaz Adjust for a little "pop".  Hope you like it!  I definitely recommend this as a place to go take photos or just for a nice place to visit if you are in Austin.