In Vancouver near the Westin Hotel there is this little semi-circular walkway over the water that offers a great view of the harbour. One day I watched an otter from this spot and overheard someone mention that he frequents the outdoor pool at the Westin. Animals are respected here in Vancouver like no other city, they seem to be residents accorded all the rights, and maybe even a little more. And as far as I’m concerned that’s the way it should be. This is the Coal Harbour section of Vancouver at night.
Fishing Tip
If I knew the slightest thing about fishing it would be twice what I know now. That being said, I think this is a good fishing spot. I only know that on account of the numbers of fishermen that show up here after the sun goes down. And by fishermen I mean humans, pelicans, herons, …you name it, they all show up for the party. This is the Longboat Key Bridge as taken from the dock in Bradenton Beach Florida at night. And if I was into fishing, this is were you’d find me tonight.
Bradenton Beach Pier
This is the clock tower and pier in Bradenton Beach Florida. I was trying to get a good picture of the moon as it sunk into the beach just before dawn, but that didn’t work out too well. Moons are hard. So I turned around and walked around this deserted beach village just before sunrise. The local bartender on Bridge Street was still sweeping up from the previous night and gave me a sideways glance as I walked the empty streets with my camera. I need to give up on moons and try this a little more often.
View of Granville
I took this last year while walking around Vancouver. I walk a lot when in Vancouver because there’s so much to see. There are a lot of other cities I need to see, Berlin is way up there. But Vancouver is just plain cool, laid back and the best example of the new age in North America. This is a view of Granville Island around dusk and as I recall it was a two mile walk back to my hotel from here, not that I minded one bit.
Riverhouse
The Riverhouse Reef and Grill is a local eatery in Palmetto Florida that sits right on the Manatee River. Every time I come here it’s crowded, but somehow we always get a table with a good view. It’s not uncommon to be sitting here and have our conversation broken by something passing us by along the river, be it dolphin, manatee or just a family on a sailboat. The restaurant is way out at the end of a pier and so they provide one of those golf cart shuttles if you don’t feel like walking the length. Regardless, I always walk back since I’m usually full and need to stretch my legs.
Shimmering Water
This is the Marina in the small town of Palmetto Florida where I live. The marina is along the Manatee River which as you can see is quite calm around dusk and dawn. Because the river opens into the Gulf of Mexico is common to see dolphins and manatee swimming by. If I didn’t know better I’d say this is a nice place to live. But I know better, it’s a great place to live. Not to say we don’t have the usual problems like everywhere else, but you have to take the good with the bad. In fact, I prefer to pay attention to the beauty around me. That way it seems stronger than the bad stuff. Just my way of looking at things.
Harvest Moon Glow
I took this last autumn when I was in Vancouver walking back to the hotel. One of these days I’ll learn how to get a good moon picture. I have a feeling it has to do with really good timing and expensive lenses which effectively narrows the odds you’ll see an awesome moon from me anytime soon. That being said, there’s always cool reflections or glow during a full moon, and that, is a little more down my alley.
Bait Shop in Sarasota
This is the tackle shop at Hart’s Landing in Sarasota Florida. As long as I live I’ll never get tired of taking photos from this area. It’s one of those rare urban places where you can get a good photo no matter which way you turn. Something about us humans, we love to fish. Something about places where people fish, they seem to make for good photography. I have no idea why this is, or even what I’m talking about, but it seems to me we must have a strong connection to the water. Why else would we like to look at it so much? Before I start going off into space, I just want to wish you all a great day and hope that you get a chance to go by the water sometime soon. If not, this’ll have to do for now. 😉
Foggy Riverwalk
This is a foggy morning at The Riverwalk in Bradenton Florida. Ninety-nine point nine nine percent of the time it’s sunny and warm here, but you know me, I have to get “the shot”, the epic event, the perfect photo. Yes, those feelings of grandeur and more flooded my mind when the weatherman forecasted fog. Fog? In Florida? Say it aint so. Yeah, well… In any case, it doesn’t take a lot to get me excited, just give me a little weather and watch me go, must be amusing to watch. These poor souls where simply walking or biking to work when some crazed photographer showed up with a tripod to capture the moment. I’m sure they’re still wonder about it. But I got the shot so I’m happy.
Underworld
I took this of the DuSable Bridge a few weeks ago in Chicago. The subterranean street levels are only a few feet down but worlds away in their appearance and feel. Undoubtably these have inspired writers, artist and uh, …photographers. For whatever reason there were few cars going in this direction which allowed me to stand in the middle of the street to compose the shot. I kept glancing over my shoulder as I have a tendency to get engrossed when shooting which can be a little hazardous when standing in the middle of a dark street. Probably not very smart either.