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Staying Late at Holmes Beach

I’m always amazed by the numbers of people staying late at Holmes Beach. I should be used to it, but each time it surprises me just a little. I live about twenty minutes away and I’ll come here to watch the sunset and take a few pictures. On the drive I figure the place will have emptied out. About the only time I’ve seen it empty is during a rare storm or heavy fog.

Daily Photo
Staying Late at Holmes Beach
Staying Late at Holmes Beach

Holmes Beach is right at the end of a main thoroughfare so it’s the most convenient to get to. Once in a while I come here during the day but mostly I’m here at sunset. If I walk up to the water I can see people lining the beach for at least a mile in each direction.

beach gallery

A few days ago we came here during the day to take a walk and relax. At the end of it we sat in an outdoor restaurant next to the lifeguard stand. As we watched the scene I had the idea of taking a shot with the people lining the shore. When I came back a few days later that’s what I did, however this was not exactly the same shot I had in my mind, but close enough for now. I’ll just have to come back to get that other shot I was thinking about. I have such a hard job sometimes.

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When I Was Young

When I was young I remember playing late into the evening during the summer. The days were long and it gave my friends and I an opportunity to stay out late, it was a good feeling. It’s strange because I never really thought about it until recently. I suppose this image reminds me of that just a little. I took this at dusk and the children were squeezing every last minute of fun out of the day, like I did when I was their age.

When I Was Young
I was young I played until late during summer

We lose that when we grow up, but at times we can glimpse portions of it. I get that magical sense sometimes when I go on vacation. I have no responsibilities and the evenings are for having fun. Maybe we all need to play a little more. Maybe play connects us with something important we’ve lost.

abstract images from the gallery

In the meantime I keep taking pictures of people and scenes at dusk and sometimes it reminds me of long lost memories. And then I think the only way to get those back is to go on vacation. And then I never get anything done. But pretty sure I’m happy in that world.

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Patiently Waiting

It seems almost anywhere I go along the water there are herons close by. They are attracted to fishermen as they wait for any scraps or bait. With this heron patiently waiting I setup and shot the image using a low angle. Even though I was holding a camera between him and the fishermen he stood his ground watching me with one eye and the fishermen with the other.

Patiently Waiting
A heron patiently waiting on the pier in Florida

Herons are patient, single minded and determined. I sat here for about thirty minutes and he was still there when I left. They are territorial so I suspect this was his pier and he wasn’t about to give it up to some guy with a camera or the fishermen.

He was watching the waters right below the pier. It’s the perfect vantage to spot fish and then swoop down for the catch.

other images with herons

Herons add atmosphere to an image, I think it’s something to do with how they carry themselves, its hard to put my finger on it. In any case, they never seem to mind having their picture taken, so for the time being I will continue to include them whenever I can.

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Beyond the Shoreline

The other night I showed up at the beach at dusk. Sometimes when I’m taking photos things just happen and its good to be ready. In this case a woman was posing for photos on an adjacent pier about a hundred meters away. Her friend was taking pictures of her with his phone. It was getting dark so I set my ISO way up and took this shot.

Beyond the Shoreline
Gazing beyond the shoreline is a metaphor for looking onto the unknown.

The waters edge is a like a boundary into another world. For me, looking out over the water is like looking into the unknown. Standing at the edge of what we know and gazing beyond is an idea I sometimes think about.

If I’m honest I can find the unknown in my everyday life. Often I’m presented with challenges to overcome. When that happens its like looking into a gulf of uncertainty. I may know how to navigate but I’ve never been THERE before; there are risks. So the unknown is part of life, if not why be born in the first place. When we choose to go beyond what we know we are crossing out beyond the shoreline.

Images with Waves

So for me this image is a metaphor for gazing into the unknown of my own life. I suppose that’s why I get a little apprehensive when I look at it.

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Restored at Lido Beach

This is one of my favorite places to come and walk the beach. It’s on the southern tip of Lido Beach in Sarasota. The reason I like it so much is that’s it’s secluded and at the very tip of the key. Right behind where I’m standing is the end of the key and fishermen typically stand there to catch fish coming in or out with the tide.

Restored at Ledo Beach
Walking along the waves is a good way to get restored at Lido Beach

There are hotels up further to the right, but this spot is a park so if you come here during the sunset hour you can get lost in the scenery, breeze and warm water at your feet without the crowds you get in front of the hotels.

beach gallery

I work in an office all day and when I come here and walk in the water its restorative. It’s a natural consequence of being outside in a place like this. I have a dog that sleeps at my desk during the day. When I take him out for a mid-day walk he likes to lay down on the pavement and soak up the sun. He will not move until he feels better. I suppose that simple act restores something missing from being inside. The same is true for me when I come here to Lido, I am restored.

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Quality of Light

The rains we had recently created some very nice sunsets. I came here on a whim to see if I could get some shots and lucked out on account of the clouds and light. Just as much as the sunset I like to capture the quality of light. When that blazing ball recess below the horizon everything we see is from reflected light. And the lower it sinks the more atmosphere it travels through casting a soft and warm glow. If the conditions are right, that glow is unlike anything else and is the closest thing to a feeling magic I’ve ever experienced.

Quality of Light
Quality of light is displayed during a sunset at Longboat Key, Florida

I have recollections as a child playing outside in the long summer evenings. I remember the glow of light and the special feeling I got from it. But I would have forgotten were it not for my pursuit of photography. As a landscape photographer I recognize and appreciate the quality of light. At times like this it can be other worldly.

Anyway, I get carried away and take dozens and dozens of photos. Sometimes many of them are great, but then the problem is I have a million great photos of the exact same thing. Its like money in the bank I suppose, store them away for a rainy day.

sunsets in the gallery

But then around here, rainy days mean more good sunsets to follow.

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Time to Chill

I never get tired of taking pictures of people fishing. I’m not sure why that is other than it’s a common pastime where I live. Maybe if I lived in a landlocked region it would be farmers. Nevertheless, my favorite time to catch someone fishing is when the light is softer in the sky. I think that time also generates a sort of tension with the people fishing because if they only have a few minutes left. But I am clueless when it comes to fishing so take that with a grain of salt.

Time to Chill
Fishing in Florida is the perfect time to chill

I took this while standing next to the fishing pier at Fort DeSoto Park in St Petersburg Florida. I have several shots from here, each a different composition. Just like the fishermen, I know the light is about to end so I’m working feverishly looking for different compositions. I try get as many different shots from my outings because there is a lot of effort in just getting here.

Florida gallery

Maybe I was just projecting my own sense of urgency on the fishermen. Come to think about it, fishermen never seem rushed. If ever there were a group of people with time on their side its fishermen. Maybe that’s the draw of it, it takes you outside the daily grind and allows you time to slowdown and think. Again, I don’t really know but that’s what I imagine.

Maybe these are just all questions that don’t need to be answered and are just the product of too much coffee. I think its time to chill.

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Summer Evening

I noticed someone sitting on a rock at dusk in the warm summer air. I took this last week when I went to Fort DeSoto Park in St Petersburg. I can never get enough of this place, no matter how many times I come back I always find something to take pictures of. That’s partly because I live in an urban area and I seek out places with open spaces; this is one along the water.

Summer Evening
Summer evening in St Petersburg Florida

This time of year we get clouds every evening on account of the afternoon storms. It seems the more severe the thunderstorm the better the clouds afterwards. Even if I don’t have anything to take pictures of I could just focus on the clouds and the colors at dusk.

Images of solitude

When I took this I was standing next to the fishing pier about 50 yards away. It was dark enough that I couldn’t see the person sitting on the rock. That’s a testament to the Sony sensor in the A7RII camera that I use. I can take pictures of something I can’t actually see with my eyes and then bring it to light with post processing. That’s incredible and opens up all kinds of opportunities for photography. I’ve mentioned this before but I keep being amazed at the camera nonetheless.

All that aside, the weekend is coming and I’m looking forward to more thunderstorms, the bigger the better.

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Waves and Sunsets

This is a typical scene from the South Jetty in Venice Florida. People showing up to watch the sun go down is a Florida pastime. It’s a natural thing to do especially if you come visit from somewhere else. Most people in Florida are from somewhere else, even if they live here. Florida is one of those places where people are migrating to.

Waves and Sunsets
Waves and sunsets are common on Florida’s west coast

As for myself, I was born and raised in California. It used to be that everyone relocated to California from somewhere else. I was born there and relocated in the other direction. But California is a beautiful state to visit, I love going back and as a photographer I see so much more than I did growing up.

sunset photos

Other than the sound of the waves and the sunsets there is not much resemblance between California and Florida, they both have their own unique beauty. But waves and sunsets are a good thing to have in common.