Nature Archives - Page 19 of 37

June 16, 2016

Colors of Venice

With a title like that you’d think I was referring to the town in Italy. On the contrary this namesake town in central Florida has its own colors painted in the sky. Sometimes I’ll head down here if we’ve had rain showers since that’s usually followed by a sunset. This day was no exception and I’m glad I made the effort.

I’ve posted different versions of this pier, but the sky ensures each one is unique. Landscape photography in Florida usually has the sky play a major role. At times my photos are tied to the whims of the weather. I know that sounds strange but I think there’s more than a grain of truth to it.

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Even if I go out and the clouds are not cooperating I still end up walking the beach. I have little to lose and everything to gain chasing clouds for a good shot. That reminds me of storm chasers, I’m kind of like that although I’m more of a sunset chaser. Much less risk and stress involved.

June 5, 2016

The Last Pass

Yesterday I went to Sarasota to look for some scenery around dusk. The place in mind was closed so I drove on and pulled over here. From the time I got out of my car I probably had only four minutes before the sun went down but it just worked out anyway. I parked, noticed the skimmers plying their trade, grabbed my camera and sat down on the seawall to take some pictures. I kept watching out of the corner of my eye to see when they were coming and quickly tried to snap a shot as they were directly in front. I have a lot that didn’t work so well but this little bird just nailed his mark. Awesome-possum.

The other place I was planning on going to was closed because they were filming. They had actors, lights and cameras. That little detour costs me about ten precious minutes as the sun was falling. But in the end it all turned out good. I may be naive but I like to think that I ended up where I was supposed to be regardless of my plans.

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I don’t know what it is about these skimmer birds, but as soon as the sun went down they stopped skimming. In a way, they were just as rushed as I was, trying to get in every last pass as they scooped up little fish for dinner. As soon as the sun went down they were back to the nest or wherever it is that they go. So maybe the sun going down creates a kind of last minute panic to those who depend on it. Whatever the case, we each made our last catch.

June 2, 2016June 3, 2016

Dead Pool

My guess is that this standing body of water is covered in some type algae which has robbed it of oxygen. If I’m right about that then there really is no life here, just a still quiet dead pool.

I first noticed this while hiking through here and recently came back with my mountain bike and camera. Its inside a state park and there are several of these standing pools of water, but this one grabs your attention because there are no birds or life of any form and has this smooth velvet-like green carpet on the surface.

However in the hurricane season when we get torrential rains and a high tide at the same time these pools get reconnected to the bayou and probably come back to life for a short spell as the water becomes oxygenated again.

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Anyway, there is a path around it and plenty of angles to look at this spectacle. With the bayou, mangroves and wetlands so full of life this presents an unexpected sight. It reminds me of the Tolkien Dead Marshes. In one sense it appears quite beautiful but I fear that if I get too close I might never be seen again. I can’t help but let my imagination runs a little wild when I see sights like this. This is a real-life dead pool. Your oxymoron for the day.

May 25, 2016

Close to Home

Due to some other priorities I’ve been staying close to home lately. That’s been nice because I get to visit all my favorite photo locations within a short drive. But I just realized I haven’t been back to this park in about two years. It just got put at the top of the list. I like it here because of the ponds and the reflections, so I just need to wait for some nice clouds and head over in the next few days.

They were going to put a water park here, that was over a year ago but I’ve not seen any construction when I drive past. Hopefully the natural beauty is preserved. I need to remember is to bring mosquito repellant, this is close to a swamp and bayou so there are plenty of biting things. Normally I get so engrossed in what I’m doing that I just ignore them.

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Now that we’re getting into summer weather again we’ll start getting afternoon thunderstorms. Those can be loud and dramatic, but the best part is after they pass the clouds can be spectacular. You can see some of those clouds way off in the distance here, but this image doesn’t really feature them. Clyde Butcher, a famous photographer from Florida says that the clouds are our mountains. That’s a reference to how they can play an important role in Florida landscape in the same way mountains do in other parts of the country. To me that makes perfect sense, and the bonus is that our mountains change every day. How cool is that?

May 24, 2016

Old Stumps

This is a shot of an old stump along the Beach in British Columbia. I took this while walking along the Foreshore trail from Wreck Beach. The logs and stumps litter the beach, remnants of storms long passed. There are lumber mills not far from here so it’s not unusual to see stray logs that never made it to the mill. I stopped several times to take pictures of the smooth stones on the beach which is not exactly landscape photography, but images I like to collect nonetheless for use later as textures for other images.

I noticed another photographer stopping to take photos of the stumps and debris along the beach as well. I think because it’s deserted here and there are so many natural elements you could easily spend hours photographing all kinds of interesting things. That’s basically what I did.

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I’ll be heading up to Alaska in about a month. I hope to get some time walking along a beach up there as well. I know the landscape is beautiful, I’ve seen it on TV. Naturally I’m curious to see it in person because as we all know pictures can never do justice to majestic landscapes. Just the thought of walking in a setting that I’ve never seen before should provide all kinds of opportunities for photography. Even if they are just a bunch of old stumps.

May 20, 2016May 20, 2016

Every Little Thing

I took this during sunrise at Emerson Preserve. As the sun rises the light is truly rare for a few minutes and everything seems to take on a magical quality. Sometimes I like to focus on ordinary plants, placing them directly in front of the sun. At moments like this even the ordinary seems extraordinary.

I think that at times we all tend to underestimate our own value. I do it from time to time. Sometimes I feel just like this plant in the field. I’m not sure about the metaphor but you get my meaning. Yet, when I came along on this morning I was struck by this little plant and how the sun illuminated it for a few minutes. I think the plant neither knows or cares that I was impressed and took its picture. It just does its thing, whether someone notices it or not is of little consequence.

So maybe that’s one way to look at it. Despite those moments of self doubt we all get, just keep on keeping on and know that we’re awesome, whether anyone notices or not. Other people noticing is not the point, being awesome is.

Other sunrise images from the gallery

I find my own meaning when I’m up at dawn with my camera. Its about being in the moment and aware of what’s around me. That sounds simple, but for me, it’s the key to just being happy and awesome without having to be noticed.

May 19, 2016

City Island

This is from a place known as City Island here in Sarasota. It’s not a city, but if you turn the other way it has a great view of the city. This is where the Mote Marine Laboratory is located. It’s a world class not-for-profit marine research facility, they also have an aquarium and ocean mammal rescue and rehabilitation facility. It’s a great place to visit if you’re in the area.

However I was here early one morning to get photos of the city at sunrise and then decided to turn my camera in the other direction. This is one of two herons that were there that morning as I walked about the park. They didn’t seem to mind that I was there, probably because it was prime fishing time and couldn’t be bothered with the human and his tripod, can’t say that I blame them.

More images of Sarasota County from the Gallery

I’ve taken pictures of this tree before, it’s distinctive and just begs to be photographed. The problem is there are a lot of distractions if you point the other way towards the city; buildings, boats and bushes. So on this day I took a different approach and aimed away from the city towards City Island. Come to think of it that should be a riddle: How do you turn your back on the city and face the city at the same time? Stand on City Island in Sarasota.

May 13, 2016

In Plain View

This is a state park I never knew we had that’s five minutes from home. I had it in my mind to follow this old road and there it was, a park I never knew existed; Terra Ceia Preserve State Park. In fact I’ve driven by here hundreds of times. This entrance is adjacent to a main highway that I take all the time. I just assumed it was private land.

I stopped at a kayak launch and talked to this gentleman who, it turns out, leads tours through the park. Silly me; I forgot to get his name. But I’ll be back regardless, maybe I’ll run into him again, it would be fun to do a tour.

The area is mostly mangroves and bayou and is habitat for all manner of birds including eagles and osprey. But of course for me it’s a new place to explore with my camera. Add to that, the county is opening up another preserve in the opposite direction about five miles away. I am excited to explore that as well.

More images from near home in Manatee County

I suppose most people, me included, don’t notice these parks all that much. But I sure am glad they’re there, in plain view the whole time.

May 10, 2016

What Once Was

This is a shot of palm trunks on Egmont Key. At the far end of this deserted island is a forest of dead leafless Palm trunks on the beach. It’s an unusual sight, I’m not sure what happened, but there they are, poking out of the sand, remnants of a past event.

Perhaps it was a hurricane, about ten years ago we had several. I know of another place along a different beach with a bunch of dead tree trunks from past hurricanes, it’s a little erie and beautiful at the same time.

Then and Now

This is a section of Robinson Preserve in Bradenton Florida. I love this section of boardwalk because of the way it curves into the mangroves; …talk about a leading line. It seems every time I try to get this shot something goes wrong, but this time I’m pretty happy with the result. The odds were in my favor for a change.

This is not far from where the Spanish conquistador Hernando DeSoto landed and began an expedition of the new world. There is a lot of history around that but the thing that grabs my imagination is the physical demands of the expedition. Here we have a boardwalk winding through the mangroves, back then there was nothing. Add to that the Florida heat. Then add the wool and leather clothing they wore back then and you start to get my drift.

More images from Robinson Preserve

We live in a different time, now we have boardwalks and piers, but still I like to think about what it was like. To tell you the truth, if I was walking on this and suddenly it disappeared and I found myself in the middle of the mangroves knee deep in muck, I might begin to panic. But that never happens and instead I took this picture and went home to air conditioning and lemonade.