Inspiration on the trail

Two of my favorite activities are taking photos and walking along the Lady Bird Lake hike-and-bike trail.

When I got my iPhone 4 about a year ago, I realized that I was carrying with me on the trail not just a cellphone, but a great point-and-shoot camera too. Soon I discovered Hipstamatic, a photography app that increases contrast and color saturation and makes taking snapshots a little more fun and unpredictable.

Thanks to my new gadget, I was able to combine my love of photography with my love for hiking around the lake. It was a natural fit, and it allowed me to be creative while exercising.

I found myself photographing just for fun again. Whenever something caught my eye, whether it was street art, plants, architecture, signs or wildlife, I would stop and quickly Ucompose a photo, snap it and keep on walking. Months later I had hundreds of little snapshots.

This collection of photos is my own personal vision of one of my favorite places in Austin.

— Jay Janner, American-Statesman photographer