Bridal Photography Session at Zilker Botanical Garden

Recently I photographed another beautiful bride at Zilker Botanical Garden in Austin, Texas. Zilker has to be one of the most popular places for photography of any kind in Austin. Not only is it a huge repository for plant life centered in Travis County (which is why people are drawn to it) but it's also one of Austin's little jewels that's been around for many years. I'm pretty sure that the creators of Zilker never intended it to be one of the foremost popular venues for photography around Austin, but that's what it's become.

ZBG features many different plant species and specific garden areas that are dedicated to a particular theme or cultural plant cultivation, if you will. For example, one of the popular areas of Zilker is the Japanese Garden, which features Koi-filled fish ponds, stone trails leading around bamboo gardens and a structure made of stone and bamboo that only could fit into a Japanese garden . The entire area is shaded by trees and feels like being in another world.

Zilker also features a beautiful rose garden where weddings frequently occur. Colorful roses line the concrete paths that wind down the hill from the main entrance of the park. The Rose Garden area is very open, located at the edge of the tree line bordering the Japanese Garden. It also features a red and white gazebo next to fish ponds and a historic brick structure in the shape of a keyhole that has been apparently transplanted from historic downtown Austin.

Other areas featured at ZBG are the Prehistoric Gardens further down the hill from the main office, which feature "old world" plants, pools and even a beautiful, natural-looking water fall. Toward the front of the park is an area that contains historic Central Texas pioneer homes and work areas made of wood.

Ultimately there are many, many different areas of the Garden that offer photography opportunities for brides or couples. After visiting and photographing friends and family there for years I've grown to love and appreciate Zilker for the beautiful part of Austin that it has always been and hopefully will always be!

Things you'll need to bring if you photograph a bride or couple at Zilker:

- Payment for photographing someone at ZBG

- Water

- Bug/Mosquito repellant

- Sun block

-Comfortable walking shoes (ZBG has lots of trails)

- Patience. If the park is busy, you may have to wait for that perfect shot! :)

Hints/Tips: Arrive early and check park closure times (which change with daylight savings time). Park staff require visitors to leave 30 minutes prior to gate closure.

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Martin Whitton is a passionate wedding photojournalist who lives and works in Austin, Texas. Email your questions to him at martin@mwwphoto.com.

Engagement Photos at Mount Bonnell

In May I ventured out with a recently engaged couple (Christi & Nick) to the highest natural point near Austin: Mount Bonnell. If you've never heard of Mount Bonnell then you're missing out one of the historic wonders of Austin, right up there with legendary places like Zilker Botanical Garden and Barton Springs.

Mt. Bonnell is located west of Austin, in the Hill Country, west of Mopac (1) near Camp Mabry (Austin's own small military installation). Mount Bonnell is known for its scenic views overlooking the Colorado River. From Mount Bonnell one can look west and see all the way to the famous 360 Bridge, which crosses the Colorado River upstream and then as the river flows downstream all the way into downtown Austin.
Like many other Austin landmarks, people have been coming to Mt Bonnell for a long time to enjoy the outdoors for picnics and leisure time. In fact, once you reach the summit after climbing the stairs on the east side of the facing you'll find a large stone marker that commemorates the Austin landmark's history (the corner of which is curiously missing). At this point you can go left or right. To the left is a short trail which follows the apex of the hill. To the right opens a wider, flatter trail along the same apex, offering lots of viewing spots of the spectacular hill country/river view.

The area is lined with Juniper (Cedar) Trees and scrub brush. Below the tree line on just about all sides are large lots lined with expensive, luxury homes along the Colorado River and along both sides of Mount Bonnell. Enjoy the "free" view of things; Many other home owners in the area pay millions of dollars for theirs!

Things you'll need to bring if you photograph a bride or couple at Mount Bonnell:

- Water
- Bug/Mosquito repellant
- Sun block
-Comfortable walking shoes (there are lots of stairs to climb to get to the top)
- Patience. If the park is busy, you may have to wait for that perfect shot! :)

Hints/Tips: Mt. Bonnell is somewhat busy on weekends and some week days during the summer. Pick a time when people are less likely to interfere with your photographs, like a weekday morning.
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Martin Whitton is a passionate wedding photojournalist who lives and works in Austin, Texas. Email your questions to him at martin@mwwphoto.com.

Zen and Meditation

I recently started meditating again. And a funny thing popped into my head when I was meditating this morning: that I should blog about the topic.

I’m a big fan of meditation, or at least eastern Zen Buddhist meditation. Of course there are lots of different styles and philosophies of meditation. But the eastern philosophy seems to be the most meaningful and fulfilling for me. 

I became interested in meditation around 8 years ago. I started reading lots of philosophy books which eventually lead to some considerable self reflection on who I was and the meaning of my life. Now, I should say that I’m not going to get all religious and gooey here or try to convert anyone to anything. I’ll simply try to share my experience.

If we fast forward through time from when I started thinking about who I was up to around 2004 when I found a Zen meditation book called Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind by Shunryu Suzuki (the link above is a FREE pdf! Hooray!). I wanted to learn what meditation really was and how to do it, yet I couldn’t find a single person who could tell me or guide me on this journey. Later I discovered that meditation can really be whatever you want it to be. But my meditation needed to be something Zen.

Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind is a surprisingly simple, unassuming little book (I believe the pdf is around 70 pages). Yet the text is full of fantastic little insights and instruction on exactly what to do – something I was hungry for and needed. There aren’t necessarily any wise sayings in the book. It’s definitely not the I Ching or Confucius. It’s simply a how-to-meditate book written by a Buddhist Monk who was trained by other monks.

The story goes that the Zen Master and Teacher Shunryu Suzuki came to the west coast of the United States around 50 year ago. At some point he began teaching the Zen Philosophy to willing students in the San Francisco area. Eventually some of his students got together and decided to record his teachings, compiling them into a small book of discussions on Zen Meditiation.

What I like about the book is how you are encouraged to savor every word in the book, instead of scanning through quickly for content like one reads a 800 paperback spy novel. Each word has meaning and is a well thought out idea or concept. For example, there is discussion in the beginning chapters of the book about breathing and concentration, two important elements of Zen Meditation. What is discussed is simple, almost overly simple, yet it is the basis for your meditation and although it is simple, it is also important. In general, I think we westerners tend to over complicate tasks frequently and this is a nice departure from our daily complicated lives.

Another thing I like is that you can read the book over again and get new information that you might have missed before, or see something on a different level. Honestly, I have been reading the book for years (mostly the 1^st few chapters over and over) and I’ve yet to finish it, which I find funny since it is such a short book.

At any rate, it is a valuable book and I highly recommend it to anyone considering meditation – even meditation in another philosophy or culture.