[Keith Alan]

Our new tradition is to send out Christmas cards that hold a 4x6" print that captures San Antonio in it's holiday finery.
I'm after a shot that screams SA, so two years ago it was the Alamo with it's 55' Christmas tree and last year I did the Tower of the Americas with some Riverwalk xmas lights in the foreground.
Now I'm faced with finding something new that's iconic, and it's clear that the hunt will only get more difficult each year.

These are my recent rejects from two nights of dragging my tripod around the downtown Riverwalk.
(Even though they aren't suitable for my goal doesn't mean I don't enjoy them--the card project is a great excuse to spend time doing what I love, which is night photography).















This one is the current favorite, although I plan to re-shoot it closer to sunset for a lighter sky that doesn't depend as much on Photoshop, or else do an HDR to get the exposure under control:

[pendulum15]

Nice pictures...
San Antonio looks really cool
If you are going for some uhh... different... looks maybe you should try a lensbaby with the creative aperture kit
Also HDR's really work for night shots, especially with a full moon and cloudy sky...

[shuttertalk]

Nice, Keith! I really like the ones of the trees along the river.

[matthew]

Now I'm faced with finding something new that's iconic...

Nicely put. My favourite is #4, with the tress in green.

Nice, Keith! I really like the ones of the trees along the river.

Can you be more specific?

[Wedding Shooter]

1 and 3 really stand out to me. Great work Keith.

[EnglishBob]

I think #4 is my favorite, great work here.

[Toad]

6 and 8 for me Keith...

[Keith Alan]

Thanks for all of the input and encouragement!

Since none of the people who will be receiving our Christmas card know about ShutterTalk I can show our final choice without spoiling the surprise for them.

The winner was shot 2 days ago (Sunday) around sunset--specifically in the 10 minute window when the sky got dark enough to look like "night" but before losing the rich blue color I wanted.
Being on-location at the correct time is often critical with photos that really matter.
A thin strip of clouds was visible as I drove downtown but they never made it into the frame during the period when my exposure was naturally balanced by conditions versus PhotoShop. The clouds were a big tease, but I can live without them.



This is a web version that isn't as tall and thin as our 4x6" card print--it's cropped so more detail can be seen, but the original was framed so that it fit inside the much smaller "window" of the cards without losing anything important.
Fountains coming out of the ground in San Antonio's new Main Plaza Project was a deciding factor since I love moving water at night.
My subject is San Fernando Cathedral with the added Christmas tree and a few people.
I wanted to go religious as well as historic this year, and there was no better choice.