inspired photography with just enough perspective
Photos of Manatee County
A portion of the walkway at Coquina Beach. This row of change stations and containers caught my eye the other day. On the weekend everyone comes here because it is simply one of the most beautiful beaches. And since this is Florida, it pretty much stays that way all year round.
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Earlier today I read that this beach was rated number five in the “Top Ten Island Beaches for Perfect Sand” by Conde Nast Traveler. I thought to myself, hey, that’s MY beach. Fortunately we had nice clouds so I headed down this evening for a shoot. I’ve taken a lot of pictures of this beach, it’s by far my favorite. No matter how many times I come here the results are always the same, I go home relaxed and feeling much better.
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This was taken at Dakin Dairy farm here in Manatee County. I imagine this big shed is so the cows can find shade during the long hot Florida summer. As a rule I don’t drink a lot of milk, however they have a milk bar where you can get fresh bottled milk. It was the freshest milk I’ve had in a long while. If I had to guess I’d say they were happy cows. And living out here in the country, why not?
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The waterways around here are typically sheltered from the ocean by keys. Most people think Florida’s keys are at the southern tip, such as Key West, but we have them up and down the west coast along the Gulf of Mexico. All manner of sail and power boats travel up and down, stopping in little towns along the way, there are restaurants and shops catering to these unique sailors. And because the water is calm you will always find boats docked here which can make for some nice pictures if you manage get up around sunrise.
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The Rod and Reel is a favorite spot of the locals on Anna Maria Island in central Florida. I took this before they renovated due to fire. No worries, it’s just as laid back as it ever, the atmosphere hasn’t changed a bit which is a very good thing. This is where you come when you just want to get away from it all and pretend you’re on a tropical island somewhere.
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This is one of the many bridges in Manatee County here in central Florida. The river is about a half mile wide at this point so the bridge is good size. But growth in our area has this and a nearby bridge filled to capacity during rush hour. So now they are looking at building yet another, or possibly making this one bigger. I took this as early one morning when the only rush was of the water under the bridge.
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Every year in Cortez we have a fish festival and so we went to get some fresh fish and hear good music. Cortez is one of the last remaining fishing villages in on the east coast. It’s full of character and, um, pelicans. Pelicans hang around for the scraps left by the hauls as they come in. This one is so used to people that he wouldn’t move even when this boy sat down next to him. I think since the boy didn’t offer him scraps he was just doing his best to ignore him.
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This iconic setting is at Robinson Preserve in Bradenton Florida. It’s by far my favorite preserve near home and I come here as often as I can. Pelicans, Eagles and everything in between thrive here and you’ll see them just about every time you come. Once in a while I’ll rent a kayak and paddle through the miles of mangroves, inlets and saltwater marshes that create a natural habitat. This spot is a favorite as you can walk across and observe the mangroves, sea life and all manner of wildlife from just a few feet away.
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After being closed for about six months for repairs, the Bridge Street pier in Bradenton Beach Florida was recently reopened. And so I turned up before dawn to check it out as any other time this would be full of fishermen and activity, not that that’s bad, but this time I just wanted a shot of the pier by itself. Every now and then I show up here and always go home satisfied having found something new and interesting. In this case it was the pier itself.
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We have a lot of bridges here in Manatee County; here are two I cross over often. These are drawbridges, manned around the clock for sailboats and the local commercial fishing boats. I took this as the sun was about to rise and managed to capture a quiet moment before the morning rush hour when each bridge full of cars going to a fro.
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