GHPA Walking Tour of the Houston Heights Slideshow

OK, I have to admit I wasn’t really “feeling it” when I took this set.  My mom had surgery that weekend and was staying over in the hospital. She was out on pain meds but still not doing well but there was little point in me being there that day. Overnight though she had some complications and I spent the next several days at the hospital trying to get things sorted out and get her better and home. 

So that’s the state of mind I was in on February 14, when I took a walking tour of the Houston Heights presented by the Greater Houston Preservation Alliance (GHPA). They do a lot to educate the public and protect Houston’s vanishing historical heritage. The very dynamism that makes Houston great often railroads the old in favor of the new. I had been warned that there might not be as much opportunity for photos on the tour because it’s a pretty fast paced walk and there’s a lot of information to absorb and I didn’t want to hold the group back too much. I also lost my written notes on the structures I did photograph. The walk definitely gave me an orientation for future walks on my own.

What I learned (re-learned). Wide angle lenses at close quarters are both a blessing and a pain. When photographing structures with a wide angle lens it is really really important to concentrate on the proper focal plain or leaning buildings and odd convergences will plague you. It was likely I wasn’t concentrating very much when out on this day. There is also probably some techniques I don’t know about yet in Lightroom, but I really don’t want to have to spend so much time post processing. I also didn’t like these images in color (except for one) and I don’t feel like I got the white balance quite right. Late winter, the somewhat harsh early afternoon sun, and the dormant plants and trees made me like all these better in monochrome. I think when I go out on my next walk in the Heights, I’ll try out the 24-70mm lens instead of the 16-35mm lens.

Check out the Greater Houston Preservation Alliance for all the great work they do and for information about other tours they present throughout the year. You can also learn more about a unique Houston neighborhood by reading the Houston Heights Wiki.