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Manatee County Sunset

Not far from this spot, earlier this day I was riding my bike and noticed someone holding up a thirty two inch bass they had just caught. I’m no fisherman but I was impressed enough to stop and take a picture with my iPhone along with a half dozen others. I came back in the evening to catch this sunset which is somewhat typically for Manatee County, Florida where I live. The waters are warm and even if you’re not at a beach you always have plenty to see and enjoy. In fact as I write this it’s getting close to sunset so I better wrap up and head out with my camera. Or, if I procrastinate enough just sit on the back patio and download it into my brain. I’m still waiting for the day when I can develop all the pictures I have in there too.

Not far from this spot, earlier this day I was riding my bike and noticed someone holding up a thirty two inch bass they had just caught. I'm no fisherman but I was impressed enough to stop and take a picture with my iPhone along with a half dozen others. I came back in the evening to catch this sunset which is somewhat typically for Manatee County, Florida where I live. The waters are warm and even if you're not at a beach you always have plenty to see and enjoy. In fact as I write this it's getting close to sunset so I better wrap up and head out with my camera. Or, if I procrastinate enough just sit on the back patio and download it into my brain. I'm still waiting for the day when I can develop all the pictures I have in there too.

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Patience

One of the many things I love about taking pictures at sunset in Florida is that it’s a great time to view wildlife. This bird, while he had his eye on me, was more concerned with his next meal. Just to the left of the pier were some fishermen and pelicans, wherever there’s one the others are close at hand. In any case, my buddy was ignoring the pelicans and patiently waiting for his prey and after what seemed like an eternity, swooped down and caught dinner. It requires a bit of patience but watching a Heron fish is a lesson in stealth, stillness and surprise. My rambling aside, this was another perfect evening at Coquina Beach in Manatee County, Florida.

One of the many things I love about taking pictures at sunset in Florida is that it's a great time to view wildlife. This bird, while he had his eye on me, was more concerned with his next meal. Just to the left of the pier were some fishermen and pelicans, wherever there's one the others are close at hand. In any case, my buddy was ignoring the pelicans and patiently waiting for his prey and after what seemed like an eternity, swooped down and caught dinner. It requires a bit of patience but watching a Heron fish is a lesson in stealth, stillness and surprise. My rambling aside, this was another perfect evening at Coquina Beach in Manatee County, Florida.
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Venice Pier

This is Venice Pier on Florida’s west coast. A couple of weeks ago I found myself here with camera in hand. This is a really cool pier and at the foot of it is Sharky’s restaurant which is a must see if you’re visiting the area. This is one of those places we take our guests when they come down to visit. The combination of restaurant and pier on the beach in Florida is always fun. In fact, I was just talking to some friends about how we need more piers so that everybody can walk out to take it all in or go fishing for the afternoon. Of course the reason I really want more piers is so I can take pictures of them at sunset. Maybe one of these days I’ll try fishing off a pier instead, or maybe not.

This is Venice Pier on Florida's west coast. A couple of weeks ago I found myself here with camera in hand. This is a really cool pier and at the foot of it is Sharky's restaurant which is a must see if you're visiting the area. This is one of those places we take our guests when they come down to visit. The combination of restaurant and pier on the beach in Florida is always fun. In fact, I was just talking to some friends about how we need more piers so that everybody can walk out to take it all in or go fishing for the afternoon. Of course the reason I really want more piers is so I can take pictures of them at sunset. Maybe one of these days I'll try fishing off a pier instead, or maybe not.

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Squint 2

This is another shot of a sunset in Sarasota Florida I got a couple of months back. For this and the other I was awestruck at the colors and it still ranks as the most beautiful sunset I’ve ever seen. I have this idea that if you squint, maybe things will look a little different. Well of course they will and I suppose it’s just a metaphor for changing my focus, seeing something in a different way. I think sometimes I squint with my mind, I try not to focus on the details of all going on around me. It’s not a matter of tuning things out so much as paying attention to other things that might be there. But then, the cat meows and I forget was thinking about.

This is another shot of a sunset in Sarasota Florida I got a couple of months back. For this and the other I was awestruck at the colors and it still ranks as the most beautiful sunset I've ever seen. I have this idea that if you squint, maybe things will look a little different. Well of course they will and I suppose it's just a metaphor for changing my focus, seeing something in a different way. I think sometimes I squint with my mind, I try not to focus on the details of all going on around me. It's not a matter of tuning things out so much as paying attention to other things that might be there. But then, the cat meows and I forget was thinking about.

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Moment in Time

One of my favorite subjects is an empty bench facing the sunset. I suppose there is some longing inside of me to just sit and be the person on that bench. But that’s the whole point of these photos, to transport myself from where I am now to this setting. I think that’s why I love photography, it allows me to save these little snippets of time so that I can go back and visit them from time to time. Whenever I do the experiences of that moment come back. For instance, when I took this there was another lady with a camera, probably a tourist, who was so impressed with the scene that she was taking dozens and dozens of pictures of the water and sunset. When I see someone do that I always wonder if they’ll ever go back and actually look at the photos they took. But I suppose that on some level she thought that if she could just get the perfect photo she could go back and look at it from time to time and return to this moment in time. Lady, wherever you are, I’m doing the same thing right now.

One of my favorite subjects is an empty bench facing the sunset. I suppose there is some longing inside of me to just sit and be the person on that bench. But that's the whole point of these photos, to transport myself from where I am now to this setting. I think that's why I love photography, it allows me to save these little snippets of time so that I can go back and visit them from time to time. Whenever I do the experiences of that moment come back. For instance, when I took this there was another lady with a camera, probably a tourist, who was so impressed with the scene that she was taking dozens and dozens of pictures of the water and sunset. When I see someone do that I always wonder if they'll ever go back and actually look at the photos they took. But I suppose that on some level she thought that if she could just get the perfect photo she could go back and look at it from time to time and return to this moment in time. Lady, wherever you are, I'm doing the same thing right now.

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This Side of Heaven

When I spied this shot I thought maybe I’d died and gone to heaven. Well, maybe not me but the folks watching the sunset in their beach chairs. Not many people that move down here to Manatee County in Florida return to their northern homes unless they’re what we call “snowbirds”; fly down in winter and back up in summer. I used to live in a northern climate and now I think I’d have a hard time going back. It’s true there’s beauty everywhere, but something about the gentle rolling of the waves and the warm breeze is hard to resist. Lets face it, Florida is a retirement state and for good reason. So, while Florida has industries and agriculture, I think it’s biggest draw is tourism. In my opinion it’s too hard to focus the mind when the climate and scenery are this inviting. It’s my theory that people in northern climates are more industrious because they are forced to stay indoors through the long cold months. I don’t know where I’m going with all this, probably nowhere. In any case, when I wake up from this daydream I hope I’m close to this beach. In the meantime, I’m not retired so I better get back to work.

When I spied this shot I thought maybe I'd died and gone to heaven. Well, maybe not me but the folks watching the sunset in their beach chairs. Not many people that move down here to Manatee County in Florida return to their northern homes unless they're what we call
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Predicting Sunsets

I do this mental calculation in my head to figure out if it’ll be a good sunset. It’s based on the height of the clouds, the vision I have of what the sunset should look like and the amount of time I have to procrastinate. At about 15% accuracy I’d have to say it’s a pretty good algorithm, …not. In any case, this is one of those rare occasions when I lucked out. Not only did I luck out, but from this position in Stanley Park there were no fewer than eight photographers already setup, some with assistants and models in tow. It felt like I had to stake my ground as though I was in the press corps waiting for the president. That made me wonder if there is some website or iPhone app that tells photographers a good sunset is on the way, how else would all these shutterbugs be there at the same time and place? The only other possibility is that there are a lot of other people that think like me. And that, my friends, is a little unsettling.

I do this mental calculation in my head to figure out if it'll be a good sunset. It's based on the height of the clouds, the vision I have of what the sunset should look like and the amount of time I have to procrastinate. At about 15% accuracy I'd have to say it's a pretty good algorithm, ...not. In any case, this is one of those rare occasions when I lucked out. Not only did I luck out, but from this position in Stanley Park there were no fewer than eight photographers already setup, some with assistants and models in tow. It felt like I had to stake my ground as though I was in the press corps waiting for the president. That made me wonder if there is some website or iPhone app that tells photographers a good sunset is on the way, how else would all these shutterbugs be there at the same time and place? The only other possibility is that there are a lot of other people that think like me. And that, my friends, is a little unsettling.

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Coquina

This is such a popular spot for family picnics that it can be hard to get parking on weekends. However, I took this in the middle of the week when few locals were out. I came here the other night to take some more pictures and saw a pod of dolphins frolicking in the waters pictured on the left. The water drops off just a few feet from shore and the current is quite strong, just right for dolphins to play and catch a meal. I never get tired of watching them in the wild. It’s an amazing feeling to stand just a few feet away from animals that may be smarter than me. And that’s just my dogs. I’m pretty sure dolphins are indeed smarter than me.

This is such a popular spot for family picnics that it can be hard to get parking on weekends. However, I took this in the middle of the week when few locals were out. I came here the other night to take some more pictures and saw a pod of dolphins frolicking in the waters pictured here. The water drops off just a few feet from shore and the current is quite strong, just right for dolphins to play and catch a meal. I never get tired of watching them in the wild. It's an amazing feeling to stand just a few feet away from animals that may be smarter than me. And that's just my dogs. I'm pretty sure Dolphins are indeed smarter than me.

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Weather Patterns

I’m convinced that Bradenton Beach in Florida has some of the best sunsets. I’m not entirely sure why but there seems to be a unique weather pattern that places high clouds over the beach as the sun is going down creating the perfect sunset. I also think it happens mostly in the spring, summer and fall. Which is entirely fine with the millions of snow birds that come down in winter since “all” they get are clear skies. Too bad for them, but then I suppose that’s a good thing (no clouds in the sky in winter) unless you are some over the top sunset obsessed photographer, …not that I know anyone like that.

I'm convinced that Bradenton Beach in Florida has some of the best sunsets. I'm not entirely sure why but there seems to be a unique weather pattern that places high clouds over the beach as the sun is going down creating the perfect sunset. I also think it happens mostly in the spring, summer and fall. Which is entirely fine with the millions of snow birds that come down in winter since

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Trellis

This is the rose garden trellis in Vancouver’s Stanley Park. When I took this it was too early for all the roses to be in full bloom, nonetheless I thought the setting idyllic, especially when you consider that the bustling city is just a few short steps away. If you come here in the evening around dusk you can have the whole place to yourself. I can’t think of a better way to unwind from a busy day than walking through a rose garden in Stanley Park.

This is the rose garden trellis in Vancouver's Stanley Park. When I took this it was too early for all the roses to be in full bloom, nonetheless I thought the setting idyllic, especially when you consider that the bustling city is just a few short steps away. If you come here in the evening around dusk you can have the whole place to yourself. I can't think of a better way to unwind from a busy day than walking through a rose garden in Stanley Park.

Follow link to obtain a limited edition print of this photo.