Hidden Gems

One of my favorite things to do is find hidden local gems for photography.  I constantly hear from other local photographer, that there is nothing to photograph locally.

I do not agree.  I think there is some neat stuff.  You just have to find it.

I use Google Maps and Google Earth to explore views of areas and see what might be worth exploring.  I also take weekend drives to see what I might find.

I had been looking at maps and thought that there might be some bluffs with access on a river south of here.  Some work with both maps and a little searching showed a couple of images of a bluff and the maps showed what looked like easy public access.  That last part is a big deal here in Texas where almost all land is privately owned and trespassing is a big no no.

After confirming I could get to the river, I convinced a buddy to go.  We made it to the area in one hour.  Found our way down to the bluff and were quite impressed.  It was totally unexpected and very awesome.  We spent a couple of hours exploring it even though we missed the best light.  I liked it so much I went back a week later.  Left home at 4:45, did the drive, walk in and was taking images by 6:00, photographed for an hour for the best light and was home and on my bike by 8:30.  Not a bad way to spend a morning!

Best of all, I had a new place to add to my list of local locations.  At one hour it was close enough to day trip on a Saturday morning.  It had easy access.  It was a neat feature.  It was also something few other people seemed to photograph.  I can already see making trips here a few times a year.  I wonder what this might be like in fall or winter?  I see more trips here in my future!