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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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City Hall

This is Vancouver City Hall. I came here one evening after work to look around as I’d always seen this on the skyline but never up close. This is a very trendy section of Vancouver and there are a lot of cool places to eat and shop. My favorite place to shop is the Mountain Equipment Co-op about two blocks away. As you might guess, people that live in western Canada are zealous about enjoying the wilderness and the co-op has every little thing to help facilitate that spirit of adventure. And the restaurants in this section are eclectic if nothing else. I might even venture a guess that there are more Gluten-free restaurants here than any place in the world. That’s just a guess and as usual, I have no idea if that’s true, but you get the idea. In any case, as I was standing here composing this night shot with my tripod, a young couple where sitting right behind me smoking a joint and offering encouragement, right there in front of city hall. Only in Vancouver.

This is Vancouver City Hall. I came here one evening after work to look around as I'd always seen this on the skyline but never up close. This is a very trendy section of Vancouver and there are a lot of cool places to eat and shop. My favorite place to shop is the Mountain Equipment Co-op about two blocks away. As you might guess, people that live in western Canada are zealous about enjoying the wilderness and the co-op has every little thing to help facilitate that spirit of adventure. And the restaurants in this section are eclectic if nothing else. I might even venture a guess that there are more Gluten-free restaurants here than any place in the world. That's just a guess and as usual, I have no idea if that's true, but you get the idea. In any case, as I was standing here composing this night shot with my tripod, a young couple where sitting right behind me smoking a joint and offering encouragement, right there in front of city hall. Only in Vancouver.

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

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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.

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

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Under the Granville Bridge

The thing about Vancouver is it’s hard not to find a good view. Everywhere you look there seems to be something interesting to look at. I think that’s one of the things that makes a great city, the visual appeal. Years ago I used to work in New York City. When I first arrived I’d be walking around looking up at all the sights around me. Later, as time when by I found myself looking down at the sidewalk as I walked to the subway or wherever. And when I saw someone looking up I knew they were a tourist. I guess that’s the nice thing about photography, now I never lose interest in what’s around me. I’m less likely to get pulled back to the norm of looking down and living in my own world. Vancouver is one of those great cities where if you keep an open eye and an open mind, you’ll see something at every turn and every corner.

The thing about Vancouver is it's hard not to find a good view. Everywhere you look there seems to be something interesting to look at. I think that's one of the things that makes a great city, the visual appeal. Years ago I used to work in New York City. When I first arrived I'd be walking around looking up at all the sights around me. Later, as time when by I found myself looking down at the sidewalk as I walked to the subway or wherever. And when I saw someone looking up I knew they were a tourist. I guess that's the nice thing about photography, now I never lose interest in what's around me. I'm less likely to get pulled back to the norm of looking down and living in my own world. Vancouver is one of those great cities where if you keep an open eye and an open mind, you'll see something at every turn and every corner.

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

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Backyard Sunrise

I live on the west coast of Florida in Manatee County. While that’s great for watching sunsets from the beach over the Gulf of Mexico, it presents a little more of a challenge for catching a good sunrise. However, because I walk my dogs before dawn I usually have an opportunity to look up at the cloud cover and make a guess as to what the sunrise might look like. So it was on this morning as I walked the dogs about ten minutes before sunrise. When I saw the colors begin to display I lost any self restraint and began a mad dash for my camera and car keys. Problem is there aren’t many places near my house where I can get an unobstructed view, …except one place. A couple of blocks away is a vacant lot and next to that is an unobstructed view, …from someone’s backyard. Fortunate for me the owners seemed not to be awake as I quietly positioned my tripod on a steep slope at the edge of the backyard. When done I emerged from the backyard through the lot with tripod and camera in hand and managed to get a worried look from a lady out for a morning walk. Am I a little nuts? Sure, but satisfied nonetheless.

I live on the west coast of Florida in Manatee County. While that's great for watching sunsets from the beach over the Gulf of Mexico, it presents a little more of a challenge for catching a good sunrise with my camera. However, because I walk my dogs before dawn I usually have an opportunity to look up at the cloud cover and make a guess as to what the sunrise might look like. So it was on this morning as I walked the dogs about ten minutes before sunrise. When I saw the colors begin to display I lost all self restraint and began a mad dash for my camera and car keys. Problem is there aren't many places near my house where I can get an unobstructed view, ...except one place. I quickly drove a couple of blocks away to a vacant lot and next to that is an unobstructed view, ...in someones backyard. Fortunate for me the owners seemed not to be awake as quietly positioned my tripod on a steep slope at the edge of their backyard. As I emerged from the backyard through the lot with tripod and camera in hand I managed to get a worried look from a lady out for her morning walk. Am I a little nuts? Yup. Am I glad I got this shot? You betcha.

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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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Lake Minnewanka

Don’t let the clear water and sunny day fool you, this water is about 3C/38F. For a guy from Florida that’s just about the temperature I want my drink to be, not my swim. Even so there were a few brave hearts jumping in this mid-summer day. Apparently the Canadian Coast Guard uses this lake for cold water rescue training. That’s good enough for me, …moving on. The mountains on the left have had prescribed burns and so the forest is healthy, vibrant and growing, however fire suppression on the right has left the soil acidic and unfit for wildlife. Even though the forest looks more healthy, it is not. In any case, I was fascinated about that fact. It seems that the more enlightened we become, the more we realize that mother nature had it all under control in the first place. Go figure.

Don't let the clear water and sunny day fool you, this water is about 3C/38F. For a guy from Florida that's just about the temperature I want my drink to be, not my swim. Even so there were a few brave hearts jumping in this mid-summer day. Apparently the Canadian Coast Guard uses this lake for cold water rescue training. That's good enough for me, ...moving on. The mountains on the left have had prescribed burns and so the forest is healthy, vibrant and growing, however fire suppression on the right has left the soil acidic and unfit for wildlife. Even though the forest looks more healthy, it is not. In any case, I was fascinated about that fact. It seems that the more enlightened we become, the more we realize that mother nature had it all under control in the first place. Go figure.

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

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Kokonut Hut

The Kokonut Hut is in Bradenton Beach, Florida. About a mile radius from this spot is where I shoot a lot scenes, an area with beautiful beaches, bridges and of course, sunsets. On this evening I was hoping for more but the heavy clouds were not cooperating. In fact I met a family of four that were standing there waiting for the sunset as it was their last day and they picked a (very) rare week when it rained every day. I doubled my resolve not to take the natural beauty we have here in Florida for granted. I ended up with this exposure because I thought that even without the sunset, hanging out at a tiki bar close to the water with the warm air and cool drink is not so bad after all.

The Kokonut Hut is in Bradenton Beach, Florida. About a mile radius from this spot is where I shoot a lot scenes, an area with beautiful beaches, bridges and of course, sunsets. On this evening I was hoping for more but the heavy clouds were not cooperating. In fact I met a family of four that were standing there waiting for the sunset as it was their last day and they picked a (very) rare week when it rained every day. I doubled my resolve not to take the natural beauty we have here in Florida for granted. I ended up with this exposure because I thought that even without the sunset, hanging out at a tiki bar close to the water with the warm air and cool drink is not so bad after all.

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