96 - Bridge Orb

76 - St. Anne's

My boss took a vacation week for spring break. However, on Friday he called me and asked for a favor. He bought some furniture from somebody off Craigslist and he needed help moving it. (No, he wasn't taking advantage of his position - he's also a long-time friend, so it was completely appropriate to ask and I was glad to help.) On my drive back from helping him, I saw a very nice Catholic church, St. Anne's. So, not having my photo for the day I stopped and took some shots. It's a lovely church and I imagine it looks a lot better in good light (it was overcast) and with the foliage in season. Another place I'll need to re-visit come spring.

60 - Principles Versus Pragmatism

This morning I had to take a different route into work and I saw this kidney-shaped building on the drive in.  It looked pretty cool so I stopped to get some pictures as I'm wont to do.  It took me a few photos to get the proper exposure and since I was on my way to work I didn't have time to take any more.  However, moments after the keeper shot, a security guard came walking up to tell me I had to stop taking photos of the building.

I should mention here that photographer rights are a really big topic right now in photographer's circles.  A lot of businesses, institutions, individuals, and even governments have been trying to clamp down on people taking photos, including situations where the photographer has every legal right to be doing so.  I've been fortunate that I haven't ran into this much, but today I did.  I sympathize with the non-photographer side of it.  A lot of photographers are jerks about what they're doing, disrupting people, trampling on grass, disregarding reasonable expectations of privacy, and taking photos when they should be rendering aid to people in need.  On the other hand, in many situations the photographer is completely within legal rights and accepted ethical standards.  That was my situation:  I'm in a public place.  I'm not on the property associated with the building, I'm in a Waffle House parking lot next door.  The building's owner has no reasonable expectation of privacy for the exterior of the building as it sits in a public place.  I'm not even aiming my camera at people and I'm in no way disrupting people or business at the building.  My photography falls under the category of "fine art" from a legal standpoint; it's not for commercial purposes.  Bottom line:  I have every legal right to take the photos, and I'm not even being inconsiderate about it.

When the security guard approaches me I know what's going to happen, and I handle it my usual way:  I'm very, very friendly and open.  I explain that I just thought the building looked cool and I wasn't spying on anybody or anything, and even show him the above photo to reassure him that I mean no harm.  He sheepishly responds that he's been instructed by his manager to tell me that unless I'm hired by their marketing group I'm not allowed to do it and that I need to stop.  I can tell he doesn't really want to be doing this, but he's compelled to by his over-reaching manager.

Okay, now I have a choice.  Do I stand up for my rights, or do I comply? On one hand, as a matter of principle it does bug me that these people think they have some kind of sovereign right to govern the direction that people point their cameras on property that doesn't even belong to them.  On the other hand, I have my photo and I need to get to work.  I really don't have the time or the pragmatic need to take a stand.

In the spur of the moment I said, "Sure, no problem.  I'll stop."  I knew he wasn't going to attempt to confiscate my pictures.  I would have certainly drawn the line at that.  ("Hey boss, I'm going to be a little late getting into the office this morning...")  The security guard got out of an uncomfortable situation.  The building management ran that pesky photographer off.  And I got my picture.

My stand on this issue, if there's ever going to be one, wasn't today.

43 - Gigaplex

Took the boys to see The Lego Movie today.  If you had told me that a movie based off a toy franchise could actually be that good, I would not have believed you.  But this movie was really good. I'm not kidding, and I can be pretty picky.  A very pleasant surprise.

Today's photo is from the theater.  The Palladium is an experience.  Calling it a movie theater doesn't quite cut it, as it also has:  several restaurants, a bar, a bowling alley, pool tables, an arcade, a gelato shop, a Starbucks, and probably a couple other things I can't remember right now.  It has all the latest movie technology too, including multiple 3D screens and motion control seats that move, shake, and vibrate with the movie (totally gimmicky, but fun to do once).  But hands-down my favorite thing about the Palladium is that it has reserved seating!  Buy your ticket online, choose your seat, then stroll in while the trailers are running and you still get a great seat.  That alone makes it our preferred movie venue.

34 - Skyway

The building I work in is connected to another building in the complex via a skyway that crosses over a street.  Sometime I like to just stop and watch traffic, especially at night.  I'd love to just bring a chair and work here with my laptop when I needed to crank on something that required quiet.  Maybe I'll try that one day and see if security runs me off...

32 - Whew!

It's been a pretty stressful day.  It'll be this way for awhile.  Too much to do, too little time to get it done.  Every day is a gift, but sometimes you're just glad when that gift is consumed.

23 - Cantina

19 - CityCentre

Traffic was terrible this evening.  Even worse than usual.  My plan was to go home, eat dinner, put the kids to bed, then go out again and get my photo for the day.  Traffic was so bad though and the location I'd chosen for the photo was on the way, so I decided to wait for the traffic to ease up while snapping my pics.  I called the wife and headed for CityCentre.

CityCentre is a very tony shopping plaza.  It's really big, really expensive, and really trendy.  I like to look at places like this and window shop, but I almost never buy anything.  Most everything is a bit too ostentatious for my tastes.  But I knew there would be some pretty photos to be had here.  I found this water feature with elevated fire pits and infinity edge that was really lovely, especially with the tree lights reflecting off of it.

18 - Big Four

Had to go downtown today for a business meeting with a partner.  It was one of the "Big Four" consulting firms.  They have very swanky digs in a skyscraper with a terrific view.  Now, my company's office is nice and it has a pretty respectable view of its own, but this office was nice.  Hell, even the elevator had fancy and very expensive rosewood trim.  For a brief moment I had a touch of envy and nostalgia for working at a big, established company.  But of course there's a tremendous downside too, that I know from hard-earned experience just really grinds me.  I'm a little company guy.  Strike that.  I'm a young company guy.

17 - Blue Light Special

Here's a tip from Captain Obvious:  If you want to photograph a hotel bar, but you don't want anybody walking through your shot, arrive early in the morning.  Unless there's a special on mimosas, it'll be empty.

12 - Jagged Terrace

The Koch office in Houston has an interesting architectural feature where the building splits into two interlocking pieces that form terraced decks for every other floor.  I hadn't noticed the building until they bulldozed a square block adjacent to it and revealed it to Richmond Avenue where I sometime drive.

11 - Where the Magic Happens

This is my office.  There are many like it (actually, a couple dozen just like it) but this one is mine.  It's not much, but it does have a nice view and it beats a cubicle.  I'll give it that.  I was lucky in that for about 6 years or so I was able to work out of my home. That wonderful situation enabled me to spend a lot more time with my sons in the first years of their lives than most fathers, which was beneficial to both them and me.  I was lucky I got to do it and that I realized how lucky I was when I was doing it.  Maybe one day I'll get to do it again.

10 - Williams Tower

 

Williams Tower is an art deco revival skyscraper in the Galleria area of Houston.  I pass by it every day on my commute.   I love the look of it - it's classic art deco in terms of its symmetry and the terraced ziggurat at the top, but the mirrored glass is very modern.  In the mornings, the glass doesn't reflect much and it looks black, which is very attractive.  It's 64 stories and at night there's a search light on top that sweeps across the sky, searching like the Eye of Sauron.  Looks awesome in the fog.

6 - Waterwall

Today's picture is from the Gerald D. Hines Waterwall Park in Houston.  It's a giant fountain with a 6-floor wall of water flowing down into a narrow half-circle perimeter pool.  Water flows down the outside of the structure as well.  The whole thing sits at the base of Williams Tower, which is a terrific art deco-esque skyscraper and a very worthy photo opportunity itself.  I'd been wanting to check it out for awhile and scout it as a photo location.  It'll definitely be worth a return visit because there are many more shots to be had here, including some with the kids.