inspired photography with just enough perspective
This is another picture of one of my favorite spots in Bradenton Florida, Robinson Preserve. The last sunset I shot from here I nearly got lost walking out at night, now I take my bike, like a man on a mission. Today is Saturday and the only mission I have is recover from the busy week. Have a wonderful weekend everybody.
I live along the Manatee River in Manatee County Florida and so I’ve got a lot of opportunities to capture a sunrise over the water. All things being equal I think taking pictures at sunrise is more enjoyable because there are fewer people out and of course the water is usually calm. The only challenge is waking up and getting out. Traveling west across time zones usually gives me an advantage, I can wake up at 4 and it seems like 7. But then if it’s cold outside, …well you get it. So the biggest problem of all is my own procrastination and laziness. But, every once in a while I get up and get out and this is the result. Pardon me while I pat myself on the back. 😉
I cannot even imagine the amount of effort that goes into construction these elevated walkways through the mangroves here in Florida, and they’re all over the place. But then I suppose it’s no different than the construction of hiking trails through the rockies. The more I think about it the more I get bogged down in the details of the engineering. I suppose it’s a guy thing, that’s why I watch Discovery Channel shows on how things are built, I just have to know. In real life I spend more time in front of a monitor than I do on a sidewalk, but I just might need to know how to construct the Bridge over the River Kwai, …you never know.
The colors we get at sunset this time of year in Manatee County, Florida are good and of course I’m trained to notice them. That’s a nice way of saying I’m obsessed with capturing them. Which is another way of saying I get a little crazy around sunset. Which is another way of saying that I get in a bad mood if we have a nice sunset and I don’t have my camera. Today, right before sunset, we headed out to a restaurant just as the sky decided to turn every color in the spectrum. Which is another way of saying I’m better off inside pretending the sunset doesn’t exist. I’m sure there is a name for my condition; obsessive compulsive sunset disorder?
By the time I took this picture of Navy Pier in Chicago last week, the cold snap known as Polar Vortex had passed, yet wherever I walked I could see evidence of it, and none more so than the frozen Lake Michigan. But by this time it had warmed up to around 32f/0C and so people were out enjoying the “balmy” weather. The Magnificent Mile on North Michigan Avenue was busy and crowds where here at Navy Pier as well. Three more months to go and the whole place will be covered in tulips and Chicagoans going crazy with spring fever, and who could blame them?
If ever there was a monopoly on chic, it’s Cactus Club Cafe in Vancouver. There are several around the city in only the coolest locations. I’ve eaten at about three of them including this one. The food is phenomenal and the cocktails are so cool they don’t need ice. When you eat there you end up watching everyone else as everyone else is watching everyone else. Many many years ago someone once told me I look like Bono of U2. I don’t really, I just have that same little cleft on my chin. So anyway, I really do owe it to his fans to show up at this restaurant with some oversized sun glasses. I just need to work a little on that Irish accent and before you know it I’ll be watching myself on TMZ.
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Every now and then we get a nice “show” of a sunset. I don’t always have my camera ready or am in the right place. So even if all I can do is stand out on my back porch and look up I consider myself lucky. Three days ago we had a spectacular sunset and all I could do is watch from my back yard. We opened up a bottle of wine to better enjoy the variations and shades of color the thirty minutes it lasted. Unlike this photo, that’s another one that will forever remain in my brain.
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The waves we get here on Florida’s gulf coast are gentle as compared to the east coast or even California. I rarely hear the thunder as they hit the shore, maybe after a storm, but very infrequent. I suppose that’s frustrating for surfers, but the east coast is only a couple hours across the state. I think the west coast is more for just kicking back and relaxing. Any one want to join me?
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With the Olympics fast approaching, I thought I’d share a rendering of a photo I shot of Vancouver’s Olympic fountain. This was one of my very first subjects as a photographer and I’m constantly drawn to it whenever I’m in town. Let the games begin.
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Start of another day. Robinson Preserve, Bradenton Florida.
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