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Quick Trip to Italy

I managed to get to Italy on the weekend, ...and Morocco and France and Japan. Okay, so I live in Florida and I went to Epcot center. In the evening we watched the fireworks show from the far end of Epcot, and when everyone left we took our sweet time to walk out and capture shots of a few pavilions without the normal crowds. This is one of the Italian pavilion. I didn't have a tripod so I had to hold the camera steady against a post for quite a few seconds in order to complete the long exposure. Makes me want to visit the real thing soon, ...with a tripod.

I managed to get to Italy on the weekend, …and Morocco and France and Japan. Okay, so I went to Epcot center which is a couple of hours from home. In the evening we watched the fireworks show from the far end of Epcot and when everyone left we took our sweet time to walk out and capture shots of a few pavilions without the normal crowds. This is one of the Italian pavilion. I didn’t have a tripod so I had to hold the camera steady against a post for quite a few seconds in order to complete the long exposure. Makes me want to visit the real thing soon, …with a tripod.

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Sitting on the Dock of the Bay….

If the title of this post reminds you of that great Otis Redding song you might be, ...um, experienced. Okay, I was trying not to say old. I'm experienced, enough said. When I saw this guy paying his guitar at the end of the dock that song started playing in my head. In any case, I took this last week with my Sony camera. I normally shoot with a Nikon but it's being repaired so I picked up a Sony and went to the river to practice. As that song continued to play in my head I started to get the hang of it and got a few I liked, this being the first. Tip of the day: Whether you're old or young, go listen to a little Otis Redding, you'll be glad you did.

If the title of this post reminds you of that great Otis Redding song you might be, …um, experienced. Okay, I was trying not to say old. I’m experienced, enough said. When I saw this guy paying his guitar at the end of the dock that song started playing in my head. In any case, I took this last week with my Sony camera. I normally shoot with a Nikon but it’s being repaired so I picked up a Sony and went to the river to practice. As that song continued to play in my head I started to get the hang of it and got a few I liked, this being the first.

Tip of the day: Whether you’re old or young, go listen to a little Otis Redding, you’ll be glad you did.

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Crossing the Bridge

I've mentioned this before but bridges are a favorite subject of mine, especially at night. I took a bunch of shots on this bridge a couple of weeks ago. Here is one of some people walking across the Cambie Street Bridge in Vancouver. Unlike a lot of US cities, Vancouver is relatively safe and as a result people are always out walking at night. Coming from the states I find that very refreshing.

I’ve mentioned this before but bridges are a favorite subject of mine, especially at night. I took a bunch of shots on this bridge a couple of weeks ago. Here is one of some people walking across the Cambie Street Bridge in Vancouver. Unlike a lot of US cities, Vancouver is relatively safe and as a result people are always out walking at night. Coming from the states I find that very refreshing.

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Fogged In

When I manage to get up early to shoot photos around the water, I notice that’s when Pelicans are out and about. They seem to be flying somewhere just after dawn, as though in a morning commute. However when I took this it was just after dawn and extremely foggy. My guess is the pelicans were fogged in, in the same way aircraft get fogged in and the airport closes. They just seemed to be sitting here waiting for the heavy blanket to lift so they could be on their way. At least someone was smart and decided to sleep in.

When I manage to get up early to shoot photos around the water, I notice that's when Pelicans are out and about. They seem to be flying somewhere just after dawn, as though in a morning commute. However when I took this it was just after dawn and extremely foggy. My guess is the pelicans were fogged in, in the same way aircraft get fogged in and the airport closes. They just seemed to be sitting here waiting for the heavy blanket to lift so they could be on their way. At least someone was smart and decided to sleep in.

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Clearwater Beach

Florida has more than it’s share of pirates, they’re everywhere. I took this last weekend at Clearwater Beach where it appears the pirates where just off shore. We also have a lot of bikers in Florida. More often than not they’re just fun loving retired dudes with big beards and bigger paunches, like my neighbor a few doors down. My theory is that the pirates of old reincarnated as bikers in Florida, and when they’re not riding their bikes they’re pretending to be pirates. That’s my theory and I’m sticking to it.

Florida has more than it's share of pirates, they're everywhere. I took this last weekend at Clearwater Beach where it appears the pirates where just off shore. We also have a lot of bikers in Florida. More often than not they're just fun loving retired dudes with big beards and bigger paunches, like my neighbor a few doors down. My theory is that the pirates of old reincarnated as bikers in Florida, and when they're not riding their bikes they're pretending to be pirates. That's my theory and I'm sticking to it.

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Fog

The last few days here in central Florida have been foggy which means the light is soft, something I love. Everything is mysterious and the mood is completely transformed. This was taken at St Petes Beach which is just south of Clearwater. Earlier, at around 6:30 in the morning I was in another location near my home taking photos of a pier. As I walked back to my car a very well dress couple approached me, apparently they had a ministry and were out spreading the word. I politely smiled and suggested I didn’t need the pamphlet but thanked them anyway. They continued on in the early morning light and I glanced back as they disappeared into the fog. I was dumbstruck by this powerful metaphor of searching for lost souls in the fog, it played on my mind for a while after. Why where they there so early on such foggy morning? That, at least to me, was a bit of a mystery, and as ephemeral as the fog.

The last few days here in central Florida have been foggy which means the light is soft, something I love. Everything is mysterious and the mood is completely transformed. This was taken at St Petes beach which is just south of Clearwater. Earlier, at around 6:30 in the morning, I was in another location near my home taking photos of a pier. As I walked back to my car a very well dress couple approached me, apparently they had a ministry and were out spreading the word. I politely smiled and suggested I didn't need the pamphlet but thanked them anyway. They continued on in the early morning light and I glanced back as they disappeared into the fog. I was dumbstruck by this powerful metaphor of searching for lost souls in the fog, it played on my mind for a while after. Why where they there so early on such foggy morning? That, at least to me, was a bit of a mystery, and as ephemeral as the fog.

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Palmetto Pier at Night

This is the Palmetto Fishing Pier. It’s actually an old bridge that crosses the Manatee River but now only goes halfway. Not only is it a good place to fish, it’s a fun place to visit as it goes out about a half mile or more from the north shore. In the evening you have the lights of two towns on either side as it’s filled with joggers and walkers. This is another one of my favorite places to walk my two little four leggeds as they sniff every little thing the whole length of the pier.

This is the Palmetto Fishing Pier. It's actually an old bridge that crosses the Manatee River but now only goes halfway. Not only is it a good place to fish, it's a fun place to visit as it goes out about a half mile or more from the north shore. In the evening you have the lights of two towns on either side as it's filled with joggers and walkers out for some exercise. This is another one of my favorite places to walk my two little four leggeds as they sniff every little thing the whole length of the pier.

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Winter Tree

I’ve had this picture for a while, it’s one of those that I never get around to posting but really like. I was surprised to find that some people think this is a scary picture. That thought never even occurred to me, but then I suppose that’s the whole point of art, it evokes emotions in the eyes of the beholder. In any case, this is my tribute to winter and even though it’s a few days before the official start, most people in the northern hemisphere have experienced winter for some time. And that just might be a scary thought indeed.

I've had this picture for a while, it's one of those that I never get around to posting but really like. I was surprised to find that some people think this is a scary picture. That thought never even occurred to me, but then I suppose that's the whole point of art, it evokes emotions in the eyes of the beholder. In any case, this is my tribute to winter and even though it's a few days before the official start, most people in the northern hemisphere have experienced winter for some time. And that might just be a scary thought indeed.

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

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Gulf of Mexico

So this might not look familiar but it’s under the Sunshine Skyway bridge between Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Sometimes I find myself in the craziest places in search of a shot, especially when not traveling. When I do travel I cross this bridge in a car on my way to the airport at a pretty good rate of speed. The bridge is so level and smooth I forget I’m traveling over a vast body of water with dolphins, sharks and swift currents below. Before this was built the old one collapsed and a bus and cars just drove right off the bridge into the water. Yeah I know, scary. But today I doubt anything like that will happen again, this bridge is constantly under maintenance, no chances are being taken. And thanks to all that maintenance its a very smooth ride and I forget I’m driving over the Gulf of Mexico. Thankfully though, the state of Florida does not.

So this might not look familiar but it's under the Sunshine Skyway bridge between Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Sometimes I find myself in the craziest places in search of a shot, especially when not traveling. When I do travel I cross this bridge in a car on my way to the airport at a pretty good rate of speed. The bridge is so level and smooth I forget I'm traveling over a vast body of water with dolphins, sharks and swift currents below. Before this was built the old one collapsed and a bus and cars just drove right off the bridge into the water. Yeah I know, scary. But today I doubt anything like that will happen again, this bridge is constantly under maintenance, no chances are being taken. And thanks to all that maintenance its a very smooth ride and I forget I'm driving over the Gulf of Mexico. Thankfully though, the state of Florida does not.

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