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Bradenton Beach Under the Light of a Nearly Full Moon

This is Bradenton Beach under the light of a nearly full moon. I was taking pictures with a friend and everything was illuminated by the glow from the moon. Coming to the beach at night is an experience that is completely different from daytime. For me it’s a meditative experience. The overwhelming sensation is the sound of the waves.

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Bradenton Beach Under the Light of a Nearly Full Moon
Bradenton Beach Under the Light of a Nearly Full Moon

If possible I try to take pictures of people in night scenes like this. That’s not always possible but with a moon glow and a high enough ISO it sometimes works. In this case there are people with a lantern at the end of the pier. Generally taking pictures of people during long exposures is not possible because when they move they appear invisible. To appear invisible is an oxymoron, but I digress.

Also when shooting at night around urban areas I’ll get those light streaks in the sky from aircraft. Normally I don’t notice them at the time but afterwards the streak is obvious. I suppose you could calculate speed based on the distance of the streak and the length of the exposure. Nevertheless these also occur with moving boats on the water.

night photos from the gallery

Taking photos by the beach at night is a lot of fun. If I didn’t have to get up the next morning I’d probably stay out all night. However I’ll usually leave in a relaxed state of mind with the sound of the waves faintly echoing in my head. After that I have no problem falling asleep.

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Heron Sleeping by the Causeway

A theme this week seems to be birds. For what ever reason I’ve been processing bird images to share. Yesterday I posted an eagle, today a heron sleeping by the causeway and tomorrow will be an egret. When I take so many photos near the water it’s hard not to capture birds.

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Heron Sleeping by the Causeway
Heron sleeping by the causeway in Bradenton Florida

If framed properly birds can enhance a scene. When a bird is sitting still during a sunset it adds an extra element to the story. We unconsciously sympathize with other creatures, human or otherwise. So a heron sleeping on one leg at the waters edge adds a little interest to the scene as well as a sense of depth. Of course with minimalistic landscape scenes like this, whatever that story means is a little different for each person.

I took this one evening on the way to the beach. Its at a causeway in Bradenton Florida that leads to Anna Maria Island. On the weekend it’s busy but during the week it’s a bit quieter. Weekday sunsets are my favorite time to drop by here. I’m not the only one, I’ll see people pull up with lawn chairs just to watch the sunset. It’s a ritual for many around here.

birds in the gallery

Whenever I see these birds I try to stay back. I use a telephoto lens and shoot from a distance. For me it’s important not to disturb the scene and approach as a silent observer. I capture the scene and then steal away with my purloined images like a thief in the night. Of course, your story may differ.

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Juvenile Eagle in the Moonlight

This week my intention was to capture the full moon, but for one reason or another I was striking out. So yesterday morning I stopped at the Palmetto Estuary near my home. I parked and walked out to the viewing platform. Much to my surprise I saw was this juvenile eagle in the moonlight about fifty feet away. As a photographer I know these opportunities don’t come along everyday.

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Juvenile Eagle in the Moonlight
Juvenile Eagle in the Moonlight

I don’t know much about birds but this year I’ve been watching a YouTube channel on the progress of an eaglet known as E9. I’ve come to learn a little about the behavior of eagles as they grow from a hatchling. I believe this to be a juvenile because the head is not completely white. Feel free to leave a comment and correct me if you know otherwise.

When I was growing up eagles were an endangered species. Since then the populations have recovered and sightings are more common. Because of their history I am still amazed at the site of these apex raptors. Having watched so much of their behavior this year I’ve also learned about their significant intelligence. It’s a real eye opener for anyone who might think otherwise.

manatee county gallery

Eagles like this are accustomed to our presence. This guy (or gal) never moved the whole time I was shooting. I guess that’s not surprising since they hunt, nest and breed in our towns and urban landscapes. Hopefully we can remain mindful of that by providing them the spaces they need to thrive and co-exist along side us. We will all be better for it.

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Idyllic Childhood Memories

For me this brings back idyllic childhood memories at the beach. I’m grown up but I still relate to what these children are doing. I think we all do.

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Idyllic Childhood Memories
Idyllic childhood memories being made at Holmes Beach on Anna Maria Island

I am fortunate to live near a beach like this. I can just hop in the car and be here in a few minutes. When I see that the conditions are good in the evening I’ll drive over. By conditions of course I’m referring to photographic conditions. For me that means nice clouds.

I took this at the height of spring break so there were tens of thousands at the beach. Even after living here for over a dozen years it still surprises me. At sunset everyone was lined up by the waters edge taking photos. Maybe a million pictures were taken within a five mile radius of me. It was kind of funny because I suddenly became aware that everyone was doing the exact same thing. And I thought I was the only one.

Lately I’ve been working with prime lenses. This was shot with a Sony 55mm prime at F1.8. That just means I have a narrow depth of field with which to create a sense of distance. The blurring is on purpose, the out of focus areas give the image a dreamy quality, not as much realism.

beach gallery

There were so many people that I chose to focus away from the crowds. You would never know hundreds of people were all around me as I took this. By simplifying a scene I’m better able tell a story. The story in this case is that the children are playing and in a world all their own, oblivious to everything around them. And for them this will surely become an idyllic childhood memory.

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Dolphins Pass by Emerson Point

Here is a group of people watching as a pod of dolphins pass by Emerson Point. I was too busy composing my shot and only when I got home did I realize they were watching dolphins. If you click on the photo and zoom in you can see them just offshore. These highly intelligent animals are common in Florida so sightings are not unusual.

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Dolphins Pass by Emerson Point
Dolphins pass by Emerson Point in Palmetto

Whenever we have visitors come to Florida we hope they get to see dolphins. It seems that if you’re looking for them they don’t show, but they’re always around when you’re not.

I barley made it here in time to take the photo. I couldn’t make up my mind whether I should go out. I procrastinated and then decided to go at the last possible moment. To make matters worse I was rushing to get to the shore and then got stuck behind a couple of slow cars. When I got here I only had about five minutes to get a few shots. As I looked for compositions I saw this group and stood behind them as they gazed westward. In the end I captured a few images that I was pleased with.

All of the apparent nonsense, from slow drivers to my own indecision were for nothing. Often when I’m rushing, things don’t work out the way I think they should. The trick with landscape photography is to go with the flow. It’s easier said than done but things work out anyway. That’s what I’ve noticed over the years and it reinforces my idea that photography is reflective of a state of mind.

More from Emerson Point

Only later did I think about how it all transpired. The whole experience was for me a lesson; one that I’ll try to remember the next time things get a little more rushed than they probably should.

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Impression of the Glow

This is an impression of the glow of the clouds. It represents a combination of old and new styles. I gravitate towards pictorialism, meaning that I take liberties to convey a feeling or idea. This is an example of that. I’m more interested in an impression than the actual event.

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Impression of the Glow
Impression of the glow from Palmetto Florida

I’ve taken a lot of Florida photos over the years and I have collection that I printed and framed several years back. I used to take those to art shows and sell them but then I got too busy and took a break. However I just did another show and what surprised me was that that folks still enjoy those scenes.

I suppose that shouldn’t be a surprise. Since then my own preferences and style have changed and I’ve moved on to different themes. Yet what I came to realize is that images that are old to me are still fresh to others.

cloudscape images

So my idea is to begin printing the newer images as well. I’d be curious to see if they have the same appeal as some of my earlier works. But in the end, I’m not sure how much that really matters. I think that as long as I continue to evolve as a photographer, what people think should not be my main concern.

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Study in Reductionism

More than anything this image is a study in reductionism. The challenge is include increasingly large objects in an image while maintaining a balance. My idea was to include objects that vary in size from very small to very large. The foreground sand is small but appears large. The low waves are larger yet appear smaller than the foreground. The ocean is much larger and of course the sun is unimaginably large, yet they recede even more. Each element plays a complementary role.

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Study in Reductionism
Study in reductionism on Anna Maria island

This is a simple image that I almost didn’t post. I was at the beach as the sun went down and I placed the camera just above the sand. I am laughing at myself because I think this is no different than if I had been playing in the water as a child. Only now I’m grown up and my toy is a camera.

My initial idea was to capture the foam of the wash along with the setting sun. But as the idea took hold I took about two hundred of these as I experimented with different angles. Trying to pick my favorite was a chore but I managed to narrow it down.

beach gallery

Producing this image was indeed fun. Part of the fun was getting low with the camera while the waves lapped at my feet. The other was going through the process of sorting the images, studying the differences and choosing one.

In the end I learned something, and at the very least I hope you enjoyed my description of it.

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Lookout Tower

This is from Robinson Preserve in Bradenton. The reflection of the lookout tower caught my attention as I rode a bike along a trail. Normally the water is not this still during the day but there was no breeze on this warm winter day in February.

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Lookout Tower
Lookout Tower in Bradenton’s Robinson Preserve

These towers appear in most Florida nature preserves and state parks. I realize now it’s because the land is flat and a tower is the only way to see over the ground cover. I’d never seen these where I grew up in California because they have mountains and all you have to do is climb a hill.

As well, there are fire lookout towers across the state amongst the farms and ranches. The geography breeds an abundance of lightning which in turn creates brush fires each year. When I first arrived in Florida they made an impression on me and now I know why there are so many; flat land.

Landscape gallery

There are three towers that I know of nearby my home, this being one. I’ve taken pictures atop all three. They are for me the next best thing to having a drone for photography. One of these days I may get a drone so I don’t need a tower. Until that day I’ll look for nearby towers or bridges when I want to see the Florida landscape.

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Reflections on the Water

Every now and then if there is no wind and the tide isn’t moving, water in the river becomes smooth. When it happens it creates the conditions for night photography with reflections on the water.

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Reflections on the Water
Reflections on the Water

This is an area where I walk my dog near the Manatee River. However I rarely see it like this. So while walking Mr. Wiggles I noticed and decided to come back. Later that night I packed my camera and drove back to this spot in a residential neighborhood. It was a little strange because I probably looked suspicious there late at night. After a few minutes I decided it was enough and decided to leave before someone called the police. Not that I was doing anything wrong, I’m just saying I had that feeling.

I will tell you that getting good photos is damn inconvenient. There is effort involved and it’s not always rainbows and unicorns. So I try to get as many compositions as possible when I’m out. If I’ve already expended the effort I may as well make the most of it. At least I’ll then have more images to choose from. Often my favorite is not the one I planned on; more often than not actually.

night photos

Despite the bother of it all I wouldn’t trade it for anything. For the little bit of energy I expend I get a lot in return. In my world, images are art and the more I’m doing that the better life is. But nothing in life is free, even if it doesn’t cost money it takes effort. However I get way more out of it than I put in, and that makes it worth all the effort and complaining of my alter ego.

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Minimalism Dreamscape

This is an example of a minimalism dreamscape. It’s a scene I recently witnessed one morning while the fog was clearing from the Gulf of Mexico. Because it was morning there was an even light across the water and sky. A few moments earlier the fog obscured the horizon line between the sea and the sky. It almost felt like flying.

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Minimalism Dreamscape

Minimalism is about space that we impregnate with our thoughts and dreams. By placing our thoughts into the space we find ourselves inside the scene. The point is to leave room for interpretation. We each fill in with something unique, we see the scene in our own way.

Sometimes during the day my mind wanders and random thoughts pass through. It’s as though my subconscious is bubbling to the surface for a brief moment. Minimalism provides a canvas for that to occur whether we realize it or not.

other dreamscapes

This image is a dreamscape because it is not real. There are hint’s what I did this in the image. But more importantly it represents a feeling or idea that I have. Sometimes pictures are better than words for conveying ephemeral ideas like that.

The point of this composition is to leave room amongst the sea and sky for your thoughts.