inspired photography with just enough perspective
The northern beach of Fort DeSoto in St. Petersburg. The heron kept one eye on me while he fished for dinner, and I kept one eye on him as I lined up my shot. Maybe there’s a message in that or, not so much. Just a simple image of the beach to get us all in the mood for the weekend. Have a great one everybody.
This evening I headed up to Emerson Point to catch the colors and watch the sun go down. It was a little breezy and this kite surfer was having fun. It seems that a lot of people are out having fun here in Florida. I guess you can count me in on that since I tried Paddleboarding on Saturday. Kind of like paddling a canoe, only you’re standing up. Takes a little getting used but the worst that can happen is you fall into the warm water. Its the middle of summer and it’s hard to take things too seriously, just relax and go with the flow. Hope you all had a good weekend.
This is a view of Bradenton Beach from Sunset Park before they restored it. As you can see here the water is about twenty or thirty feet from where I’m standing. A massive project to redeposit sand from a couple hundred yards offshore just finished and now the beach extends another fifty feet into the Gulf of Mexico. It’s a huge nuisance when they have all that heavy equipment on the beach, kind of like when they repair major roads. But once it’s done things are so pretty you soon forget the stress of construction. Anyway, I think I’ll head down here in the next week to get an “after” shot of the result. I know, any excuse to go to the beach.
The other day I walked through Robinson Park just after a rain shower and just before sunset. I think because of the rain the park was deserted which lent a quiet solitude to the place. This was the last shot I took before turning back towards my car. As I walked back I noticed things I didn’t see the other way. And of course with the orange-pinkish clouds I just took my time and enjoyed the moment. Just then a cyclist rode by and when he saw me with my camera, commented “just another day in paradise”. Indeed it is sir, indeed it is.
This is another shot from Emerson Point near my home through the grasses which grow all over. Now that it’s summer we get thunderstorms most afternoons and combined with the heat everything grows like wild. The bermuda grass around my house grows at least six inches in a week. Little frogs, lizards and snakes like to hide under the grass since to them it’s a place of refuge from the heat of the day. But anyway, this isn’t bermuda grass and I’m not very good at writing about grass, I just like the way it looks, especially when there is a sunset beyond.
This is another shot from Naples beach last week. There were so many children playing in the warm shallow waters it was really fun to watch. I think these moments are very subtle and stay with us our entire lives. I have some memories like this somewhere back, at least this pail helped me remember building a sandcastle. Such are the days when I had no concerns in the world and my life was carefree. Now, maybe a little of that from time to time might do me some good.
This sunset from behind the trees produced and interesting effect I hadn’t anticipated. It was more luck, I didn’t plan it this way. In any case, I hope everyone gets a chance to pause and view a sunset from time to time, it’s food for the soul. A sunrise will do also but that takes a little more effort. I once heard someone say that the reason we like staring at a fire is that flames are similar to the nature of our soul. I think that’s also why we like watching the sun set and rise. Reminds us of something.
This is a sunrise over a very long and inviting beach I took a couple of weeks ago on the east coast of Florida. When I first arrived the turtle patrols were out looking for new nests and checking existing ones by GPS coordinates. I got there before sunrise on a Sunday so these folks are indeed dedicated to the well being of the turtle hatchlings. It was good to compare the beaches here to those on the west coast near my home, of course I’m partial but these beaches were inviting and unique in their own way.
A couple of weeks ago we stopped in Half Moon Bay and walked the beach at sunset. The beaches, waves and landscape of the Pacific are so much more dramatic than the west coast of Florida where I live. Even though I grew up in California, now when I return it all seems so new and interesting. Perhaps the same is true the other way around, each is unique. In any case, in the states we have a long weekend ahead so maybe I’ll head to the beach again, there’s always something fun there. Have a wonderful weekend everyone.
White Egrets are common where I live in central Florida. They can be about four feet tall and every inch of grace. Sure they prefer the water but they also forage on land. Yesterday morning as I was about to pull into the driveway I noticed a White Egret standing there looking for something in the bushes, probably a lizard. I didn’t want to scare him off so I waited in the street for about five minutes until he finished. As he sauntered onto the grass he looked back at me as I pulled into the driveway and got out of the car. He kept a little distance without flying off and I just kind of marveled and such a beautiful bird. I think this is not so uncommon in Florida, although I wasn’t raised here so for me it’s a treat. And that’s my Great White Egret story for the day.