I decided to dabble in mostly architectural photography today.  I’ve learned there are certainly some unique challenges to architecture photography.  You end up with some very defined lines and if you aren’t perfectly straight on or if you’re using a wide angled lens (I was), you get some bending and skewing.  I tried my best to correct this in Lightroom and Photoshop.  Hot Springs has some very cool, old buildings.  During this trip, I only used my 16-35 mm lens for wide shots.  I hope to go back soon with my 70-200 mm for some detail shots as there are some incredibly ornate areas along the roof lines and doorways.

NOTE: I’d REALLY like to gain access to the insides of some of these places.  Please let me know if you have any contacts!

Hot Springs is famous for its natural hot springs and the bath houses that were built up years go to facilitate them.  Legend had it that the thermal waters had healing components.  People from all around the country would come to soak in the hot spring water.

What a cool dome on top of the Quapaw Baths!

Yeah, I could kick back with a glass of sweet tea here:

Check out the amazing porch and windows of the Fordyce Bath House.  As you can imagine, upkeep on these buildings is tough!

A bit closer view to see the unique sign:

As you can tell, each bath house has a completely different style of architecture.  Superior Baths has a bit of a “stately” feel to it if you ask me.

Back in the city’s bustling days, there were some incredible hotels and businesses that were built.  The following building must have been quite amazing.  I over-did this photo a bit on purpose with some HDR technique to pull out some of the details.

Another old building.  I don’t know the history behind this one.  If anyone knows, fill me in!

You can’t talk downtown Hot Springs without the Arlington Hotel.  This gem is still doing business and is a staple to the city.  this is the view from Arlington Park.

This shot may not be too exciting, but I found it odd that I had never before noticed the fire escape ladders.  Seemed quite cool to me!

So, I’ve talked about the hot springs in Hot Springs.  Well, here they are!  It was a cool morning so there was plenty of steam.

Another view.  Notice the green trails where the water usually paths.

One last view of the springs as I wrap up this blog post:

Hot Springs has quite a history, including bath houses, gambling, gangsters (Al Capone), and corrupt government.