Local Book: The Dark Side of Austin

Austin holds an abundance of great artists: brewers, photographers, authors, chefs, designers, and other crafty people. I love it.

My buddy Matt Ewan, a cohort of the Austin flickr group, recently published his own work of art, The Dark Side of Austin: Haunted Sites of Austin and Texas. I got to flip through a copy at the last flickr meeting, and it looks beautiful.

The book tickles me in the right places by revealing secrets that float just under the surface of reality. The book discusses the strange happenings and gruesome deeds from Austin's past, and then reveals the sinister nature of the places in striking black and white photos.

Matt made all the photos himself using a camera that he personally modified to take infrared photos. Because the photos are infrared, the resulting images literally reveal scenes not visible to the naked eye. Matt's distinctive framing plus the otherworldly infrared look gives me the curious impression that I've never been to many of these familiar Austin landmarks.

If you're into haunting photos, stories of hauntings, or simply enjoy re-discovering Austin, I think you'll like the book. If you visit the book's page, you can take a peek with an online preview.

Oh, and if you are into local beer or craft beer, don't forget to take a peek at my photo book: Crafting Beer with (512) Brewing Company. But only after you look at Matt's book -- the photos give me the chills.