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River Rise

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 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.

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Mangrove Walk

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.

II 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.

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Sunset Disorder

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?

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?

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Navy Pier

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?

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

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Clouds on Water

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.

Every now and then we get a nice

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Polar Vortex

I found myself in Chicago last week just as the “Polar Vortex” was on it’s way out. Mind you it was still well below freezing but to the folks that made it through the worst it seemed downright balmy. On Saturday I managed to walk around and captured this of the lakefront. There was so much ice everywhere it was a little bit stressful as I tried not to slip into the lake while standing on the ice covered concrete wall. I promise never to complain about the chilly whether in Florida where I live, …promise.

I found myself in Chicago last week just as the

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Banff National Park

This is a rock face that rises about a mile out of Lake Minnewanka in Banff National Park. I was in awe at the size and mass as this towered over me. Years ago I used to rock climb and so when I see something like this I instinctively start planning an imaginary route. My camera has a full frame sensor and the resolution of this is such that I can zoom in on my screen to work out the details of the route. It’s always good to have one or two alternates in case the climb turns up something I didn’t expect. In any case, (still) in my mind I’m now on the summit munching a chocolate bar and enjoying the view before I head back down.

This is a rock face that rises about a mile out of Lake Minnewanka in Banff National Park. I was in awe at the size and mass as this towered over me. Years ago I used to rock climb and so when I see something like this I instinctively start planning an imaginary route. My camera has a full frame sensor and the resolution of this is such that I can zoom in on my screen to work out the details of the route. It's always good to have one or two alternates in case the climb turns up something I didn't expect. In any case, (still) in my mind I'm now on the summit munching a chocolate bar and enjoying the view before I head back down.

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

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Robinson Preserve Dusk

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.

This is a view of Robinson Preserve at dusk. 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.

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

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Manatee River Sunrise

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.

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.

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