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?
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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Start of another day. Robinson Preserve, Bradenton Florida.
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Robinson Preserve is in Bradenton Florida and serves as a sanctuary for all manner of migratory birds and waterfowl, not to mention eagles, osprey and all manner of critters. I like taking photos at dusk however the park closes at 6:00pm this time of year and they insist you get out. That gives me about 20 minutes after sunset to get my butt out of the park, which at over 600 acres is easier said than done when on foot. So I strap on my camera, lenses and tripod, ride my bike to a spot, shoot a scene (like this), quickly ride back, throw everything in the back of the minivan and drive out just as the electric gates are closing. I’m a little crazy, I know. Also, the critters know very well when it’s closing time because as I ride back to my car I hear them all coming out and scampering about their evening routines. I get the sense that as soon as the last human leaves it’s one big critter party until the first light of day. Just one more thing I’ll never really know for sure.
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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.
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The Manatee River is not very long as rivers go, about 36 miles and serves mainly as a water shed. It runs into the Gulf of Mexico and so near where I live in Manatee County it’s not uncommon to see dolphins or manatees swimming by. At this point the river is about a mile wide and as far as I know it’s not that deep. A few of my neighbors that own boats are very cautious to avoid the bottom as they head out to the Gulf of Mexico. One neighbor used breadcrumbs in his GPS unit and engages autopilot as the boat drives itself out. Pretty soon I suppose we’ll be doing that with the Google cars, which leaves us more time to concentrate on texting while the car drives itself.
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