Posted on

Beach Dunes

In Bradenton Beach Florida we have nice sunsets, and even when we don’t there’s always something to take a picture of. I thought a shot from about four feet inside these dunes would be nice and so started to set up my camera. Bad idea. Turns out the plants in these dunes produce a prickly burr that’s as sharp as any I’ve ever seen. So I figured as long as I didn’t move around I’d be okay. Wrong again. It seemed like the burrs started attacking me and attached themselves to my sandals, t-shirt, legs and shorts. So I finished the shot quickly and walked to my car in darkness where I began detaching the burrs one by one which took about 20 minutes. They were even attached to the bottom of my sandals. As far as natural defenses go, those dunes mean business. A couple of days later near the lifeguard stand I found a sign that indicated this is a “Blue Beach” which means a high degree if environmental awareness and protection is practiced here and, …the dunes are off-limits. I think I learned my lesson. Dunes 1, Me 0.

In Bradenton Beach Florida we have nice sunsets, and even when we don't there's always something to take a picture of. I thought a shot from about four feet inside these dunes would be nice and so started to set up my camera. Bad idea. Turns out the plants in these dunes produce a prickly burr that's as sharp as any I've ever seen. So I figured as long as I didn't move around I'd be okay. Wrong again. It seemed like the burrs started attacking me and attached themselves to my sandals, t-shirt, legs and shorts. So I finished the shot quickly and walked to my car in darkness where I began detaching the burrs one by one which took about 20 minutes. They were even attached to the bottom of my sandals. As far as natural defenses go, those dunes mean business. A couple of days later near the lifeguard stand I found a sign that indicated this is a

Follow link to obtain a link to this photo.

Posted on

Siesta Key Afternoon

I headed down the road to Siesta Key from my home in Palmetto hoping to catch a good sunset. The clouds are so dynamic that you never know what to expect and as it turned out there was no sunset, however the colors and clouds still put on a good show. It rains so often in summer that most people just ignore it. It rarely last more than fifteen minutes and then you just continue going about your business. Of course I’m making liberal use of the word “business” because that’s about the furthest thing from anyones mind. However the folks on this broken down pier were engaged in the business of fishing, the folks behind me were engaged in the business of sunset watching, and I was engaged in the business of taking it all in and snapping some photos. Have your people contact my people and we’ll do business.

I headed down the road to Siesta Key from my home in Palmetto hoping to catch a good sunset. The clouds are so dynamic that you never know what to expect and as it turned out there was no sunset, however the colors and clouds still put on a good show. It rains so often in summer that most people just ignore it. It rarely last more than fifteen minutes and then you just continue going about your business. Of course I'm making liberal use of the word

Follow link to obtain a limited edition print of this photo.

Posted on

Antigua Sunset

As we left Antigua and Barbuda in October these Frigate birds were making the rounds and checking us out. However my mind was still back at Prickly Pear Island where we spent the day and the real world didn’t exist. It’s about a mile offshore with a few umbrellas and a little rum shack, the perfect place to forget everything. All good things come to and end but I find myself wandering back from time to time. Okay, back to work, don’t blame me if you’re losing your will to concentrate.

As we left Antigua and Barbuda in October these Frigate birds were making the rounds and checking us out. However my mind was still back at Prickly Pear Island where we spent the day and the real world didn't exist. It's about a mile offshore with a few umbrellas and a little rum shack, the perfect place to forget everything. All good things come to and end but I find myself wandering back from time to time. Okay, back to work, don't blame me if you're losing your will to concentrate.

Follow link to obtain a print of this photo.

Posted on

Sarasota Sunrise

I came here to Island Park in Sarasota one morning to capture the sunrise. It’s a great location for capturing the sunset but I figured I’d try the opposite. As a photographer I try to look in the opposite direction to catch a different perspective. That’s not as easy as it sounds, I think we’re hardwired to look ahead. In fact that’s the byline for my website, “photography with just enough perspective”. But of course, like everything else, that’s a lot easier said than done. And looking in the other direction doesn’t always mean I’ll always see something interesting, but if I make a habit of it, once in a while it works. Life metaphors aside, right after taking this the only thing I was looking for was a cup of coffee from Duncan Donuts.

I came here to Island Park in Sarasota one morning to capture the sunrise. It's a great location for capturing the sunset but I figured I'd try the opposite. As a photographer I try to look in the opposite direction to catch a different perspective. That's not as easy as it sounds, I think we're hardwired to look ahead. In fact that's the byline for my website,

Follow link to obtain a print of this photo.

Posted on

Moraine Lake

Moraine Lake is near Lake Louise in Banff National Park, Alberta Canada. I haven’t been to enough lakes in Canada, but of those I have this one is the most beautiful. When I lived in Canada many years ago a painting of this scene was on the back of the twenty dollar bill. I always thought that was Lake Louise which you can argue is equally beautiful and a somewhat similar landscape. It’s hard to impress you with how impossibly high these mountains rise above the lake, this picture does little justice to the real thing. My inadequate words aside, I’ll just leave it to your imagination, because that’s probably the only way to fathom the scale and majesty of this scene until you go there yourself.

Moraine Lake is near Lake Louise in Banff National Park, Alberta Canada. I haven't been to enough lakes in Canada, but of those I have this one is the most beautiful. When I lived in Canada many years ago a painting of this scene was on the back of the twenty dollar bill. I always thought that was Lake Louise which you can argue is equally beautiful and a somewhat similar landscape. It's hard to impress you with how impossibly high these mountains rise above the lake, this picture does little justice to the real thing. My inadequate words aside, I'll just leave it to your imagination, because that's probably the only way to fathom the scale and majesty of this scene until you go there yourself.

Follow link to obtain a limited edition print of this photo.

Posted on

West Coast Cities

This is the underside of the Burrard Street Bridge I noticed while walking around one of the neighborhoods of Vancouver. Some of these little streets can be tricky to navigate unless you are familiar with the area. I think these neighborhoods have something vaguely reminiscent of San Francisco. It’s a west coast feel, an attitude that puts a premium on the environment and living healthy. I think there are other cities in the same category, Seattle and Portland come to mind. Vancouver places emphasis on it’s bike lanes and even if you don’t live here you can rent a bike and join the thousands that use it as a primary mode of transportation. Now that I live in a different part of the continent, the west coast attitude is more apparent whenever I come back. Perhaps you know what I mean.

This is the underside of the Burrard Street Bridge I noticed while walking around one of the neighborhoods of Vancouver. Some of these little streets can be tricky to navigate unless you are familiar with the area. I think these neighborhoods have something vaguely reminiscent of San Francisco. It's a west coast feel, an attitude that puts a premium on the environment and living healthy. I think there are other cities in the same category, Seattle and Portland come to mind. Vancouver places emphasis on it's bike lanes and even if you don't live here you can rent a bike and join the thousands that use it as a primary mode of transportation. Now that I live in a different part of the continent, the west coast attitude is more apparent whenever I come back. Perhaps you know what I mean.

Follow link to obtain a limited edition print.

Posted on

Autumn Colors

I used to think Summer and Winter were my favorite but now I’m leaning towards Spring and Fall. I think the reason is that each bring tangible change that I can see all around. Don’t get me wrong, I love summer and all the fun things it brings but, in my humble opinion nothing compares to the Cherry Blossoms in Spring or the leaves in Fall. And all this from a guy that lives in Florida, go figure.

I used to think Summer and Winter were my favorite but now I'm leaning towards Spring and Fall. I think the reason is that each bring tangible change that I can see all around. Don't get me wrong, I love summer and all the fun things it brings but, in my humble opinion nothing compares to the Cherry Blossoms in Spring or the leaves in Fall. And all this from a guy that lives in Florida, where we don't really have seasons. Go figure.

Follow link to obtain a beautiful print of this photo.

Posted on

Rundle Lounge

No trip to Banff in Alberta Canada is complete without a visit to the Banff Springs Hotel. This is the Rundle Lounge where I imagine many VIPs have sat and discussed, well whatever VIPs discuss. My musings aside, the grandeur of the place is enhanced by the Canadian Rockies just outside. I took this early in the morning before it was crowded, but later that day a Royal Canadian Mountie in a red uniform and wide brim hat was in the lounge talking to some children. The children were wide eyed and I too was a little impressed. What a nice gesture to have these legendary officers come here and mingle with the guest and pass on a little legendary Canadian hospitality.

No trip to Banff in Alberta Canada is complete without a visit to the Banff Springs Hotel. I was there this summer and so availed myself with camera in hand. It's patterned after a Scottish castle and the interior exudes old world charm and architecture. This is the Rundle Lounge where I imagine many VIPs have sat and discussed, well whatever they discussed. My musings aside, the elegance and grandeur of the place is enhanced by the majestic Canadian Rockies just outside. I took this early in the morning before it was crowded, but later that day a Royal Canadian Mountie in a red uniform and wide brim hat was in the lounge talking to some children. The children were wide eyed and I too was a little impressed. What a nice gesture to have these legendary officers come here and mingle with the guest and pass on a little legendary Canadian hospitality.

Follow link to obtain a limited edition print of this photo.

Posted on

Elevator Sunset

In addition to photography I’ve worked in IT for quite a while. That takes me into a lot of big buildings and, a lot of elevators. This is a wild guess but I’d imagine I’ve taken about one hundred thousand elevator rides in my career. What’s a guy to do when the vending machines are four floors down, but I digress. Not one of those rides prepared me for the elevator on a cruise ship called The Jewel of the Seas, which as you can see, rises above the ocean. In fact there are two banks of elevators midship, one that faces out and one that faces in. I found myself waiting for an elevator facing out just so that I could see the ocean as I ascended. On the final day of my trip I snapped this at around sunset. Then, put my camera away and headed for the buffet.

In addition to photography I've worked in IT for quite a while. That takes me into a lot of big buildings and, a lot of elevators. This is a wild guess but I'd imagine I've taken about one hundred thousand elevator rides in my career. What's a guy to do when the vending machines are four floors down, but I digress. Not one of those rides prepared me for the elevator on a cruise ship called The Jewel of the Seas, which as you can see, rises above the ocean. In fact there are two banks of elevators midship, one that faces out and one that faces in. I found myself waiting for an elevator facing out just so that I could see the ocean as I ascended. On the final day of my trip I snapped this at around sunset as I headed up to the buffet, never-mind it was only one flight up and the stairs where quicker.

Follow link to obtain a limited edition print of this photo.

Posted on

Florida West Coast

This is a section of Bradenton Beach in Florida opposite the Tortuga Inn and Resort which is a favorite of visitors from the north, especially for weddings and family gatherings. Bradenton Beach doesn’t have any mega-size resorts, they’re all rather small in comparison to those in Miami or Ft Lauderdale. The west coast of Florida has a different feel, low key, laid back, go with the flow. In a sense, I think Florida’s west coast is an east coast version of California. I’ll admit it’s a weak comparison and there are a world of differences, but the beaches here rival anywhere in the United States and the sand is powdery white and smooth. That, the warm water and calm waves all add up to a nice experience. Add to all that a sunset and Bob’s your uncle.

This is a section of Bradenton Beach in Florida opposite the Tortuga Inn and Resort which is a favorite of visitors from the north, especially for weddings and family gatherings. Bradenton Beach doesn't have any mega-size resorts, they're all rather small in comparison to those in Miami or Ft Lauderdale. The west coast of Florida has a different feel, low key, laid back, go with the flow. In a sense, I think Florida's west coast is an east coast version of California. I'll admit it's a weak comparison and there are a world of differences, but the beaches here rival anywhere in the United States and the sand is powdery white and smooth. That, the warm water and calm waves all add up to a nice experience. Add to all that a sunset and Bob's your uncle.

Follow link to obtain a limited edition print of this photo.