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Path to the Beach

Here's a lifeguard stand on Anna Maria Island in the town of Bradenton Beach. It was only a few months ago that I took this and my how time flies, it's now the holiday season. I think when I took this I didn't give it much thought, ho hum, another beach shot. As I write this I'm up north in the cold and now it looks really good, as in I can't wait to get home. That inside joke about white sand up here, I get it. Time to trade my boots for a pair of sandals and reacquaint my feet with the real thing.

Here’s a lifeguard stand on Anna Maria Island in the town of Bradenton Beach. It was only a few months ago that I took this and my how time flies, it’s now the holiday season. I think when I took this I didn’t give it much thought, ho hum, another beach shot. As I write this I’m up north in the cold and now it looks really good, as in I can’t wait to get home. That inside joke about white sand up here, I get it. Time to trade my boots for a pair of sandals and reacquaint my feet with the real thing.

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Sun on the Path

This path leads to beach near Tofino, BC and just like the beaches at home in Florida, a stream of people arrive here for sunset each evening. The earth turns, the sun goes down, round and round we go. Play it again Sam. The things that happen with the light at that golden hour drive me a little bit crazy, and if I don’t have a camera, possibly a little more than a little bit. Addiction? Obsession? Perhaps. I suppose there’s no harm as long as nobody gets hurt. And nobody will get hurt, …as long as I have my camera.

This path leads to beach near Tofino, BC and just like the beaches at home in Florida, a stream of people arrive here for sunset each evening. The earth turns, the sun goes down, round and round we go. Play it again Sam. The things that happen with the light at that golden hour drive me a little bit crazy, and if I don’t have a camera, possibly a little more than a little bit. Addiction? Obsession? Perhaps. I suppose there’s no harm as long as nobody gets hurt. And nobody will get hurt, …as long as I have my camera.

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Different Priorities

I'm up north, away from home, and the only white sand is for snow cones. I pulled this shot out of the archives to remind me that, ...well, I forgot already. Lets just say that back home in Florida the priorities are a little different and that's exactly why all these people up here in Connecticut are so productive, there's really nothing else to do. I'm not advocating one way or the other, just a simple reminder that if you were in Florida you would be sitting on a beach chair doing absolutely nothing. Aren't you glad you're not? BTW: This is model Alecia Lou Dorics on a shoot I did on Anna Maria Island a couple months ago for a local tourism magazine.

I’m up north, away from home, and the only white sand is for snow cones. I pulled this shot out of the archives to remind me that, …well, I forgot already. Lets just say that back home in Florida the priorities are a little different and that’s exactly why all these people up here in Connecticut are so productive, there’s really nothing else to do. I’m not advocating one way or the other, just a simple reminder that if you were in Florida you would be sitting on a beach chair doing absolutely nothing. Aren’t you glad you’re not? BTW: This is model Alecia Lou Dorics on a shoot I did on Anna Maria Island a couple months ago for a local tourism magazine.

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Pinellas Point

This is a little spot across the bay from me known as Pinellas Point. It's not that easy to find but you get glimpses of it driving over the bridge. And so, after about ten years of that I thought it was time to discover this. Well, that's a little fib because I wanted to go the other way but my wife suggested we look for it. So we did, and here it is, looking back at the bridge, after all those years. I have a nickname. It's Christopher Columbus. But that's another story for another day.

This is a little spot across the bay from me known as Pinellas Point. It’s not that easy to find but you get glimpses of it driving over the bridge. And so, after about ten years of that I thought it was time to discover this. Well, that’s a little fib because I wanted to go the other way but my wife suggested we look for it. So we did, and here it is, looking back at the bridge, after all those years. I have a nickname. It’s Christopher Columbus. But that’s another story for another day.

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Naples Pier

I took this a few months ago at the beach in Naples Florida. There were so many people here that no matter where I looked some interesting scene was playing out. Whenever I take photos with a lot of people I have the luxury of returning to that moment in time and see it with different eyes. I photographed a friends wedding not too long ago but I was so busy taking the pictures and checking my camera that in a sense I didn't experience the wedding. Not unusual. After when I went back to process the images did I get a real sense of the whole affair. And so it is with scenes like this at times. As the sun is dropping below the horizon I'm using every last second to find a composition, very present in the moment, but a very different moment from those around me. And so now as I write this, I get to experience a little of the joy that was that moment without worrying about the sun going down. I don't know if that's good or bad. I guess it just is what it is.

I took this a few months ago at the beach in Naples Florida. There were so many people here that no matter where I looked some interesting scene was playing out. Whenever I take photos with a lot of people I have the luxury of returning to that moment in time and see it with different eyes. I photographed a friends wedding not too long ago but I was so busy taking the pictures and checking my camera that in a sense I didn’t experience the wedding. Not unusual. After I went back to process the images did I get a real sense of the whole affair. And so it is with scenes like this at times. As the sun is dropping below the horizon I’m using every last second to find a composition, very present in the moment, but a very different moment from those around me. And so now as I write this, I get to experience a little of the joy that was that moment without worrying about the sun going down. I don’t know if that’s good or bad. I guess it just is what it is.

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Chesterman Beach

This is Chesterman Beach on the west coast of Vancouver Island. For a rugged coast it sure has it's share of long beaches. I guess it has the best of both worlds and that's probably why it attracts such an eclectic crowd. There are several of these scattered along the coast and at each one you'll find surfers of all ages. I'm serious, I saw a couple of grandpas out there. And good on them, I cannot imagine a better way to spend my golden years.

This is Chesterman Beach which is in Tofino on the west coast of Vancouver Island. For a rugged coast it sure has it’s share of long beaches. I guess it has the best of both worlds and that’s probably why it attracts such an eclectic crowd. There are several of these scattered along the coast and at each one you’ll find surfers of all ages. I’m serious, I saw a couple of grandpas out there. And good on them, I cannot imagine a better way to spend my golden years.

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Sunrise at the Pier

This is the Anna Maria Pier one morning which is probably my favorite place to be if I can wake up on time. Problem is when I do then I don't feel like doing much the rest of the day. It's too easy to get relaxed down here and sometimes when I work I have to close the curtains lest I get distracted by things like clouds, sunsets and all manner of stuff peeking through the window. I think I need to move to Norway just to get a little work done. Naw, that wouldn't work, too many cool things to take pictures of. Maybe the moon.

This is the Anna Maria Pier one morning which is probably my favorite place to be if I can wake up on time. Problem is when I do then I don’t feel like doing much the rest of the day. It’s too easy to get relaxed down here and sometimes when I work I have to close the curtains lest I get distracted by things like clouds, sunsets and all manner of stuff peeking through the window. I think I need to move to Norway just to get a little work done. Naw, that wouldn’t work, too many cool things to take pictures of. Maybe the moon.

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Fort DeSoto Lifeguard Stand

This is another shot from the northern tip of Fort DeSoto Park in St Petersburg Florida. For me sunset is the best time to be at the beach, yet usually there are only a few people left. That's just fine because you feel you have the whole place to yourself. And then finally when all the colors fade, the last stragglers walk back to their cars and leave, knowing the best was saved for last.

This is another shot from the northern tip of Fort DeSoto Park in St Petersburg Florida. For me sunset is the best time to be at the beach, yet usually there are only a few people left. That’s just fine because you feel you have the whole place to yourself. And then finally when all the colors fade, the last stragglers walk back to their cars and leave, knowing the best was saved for last.

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Little Skimmer Boys

I took this a week or two back at Bean Point which is at the very tip of Anna Maria Island. It's a remote spot that feels about as tropical as you can get in the lower forty-eight. When I head out here I never know how the light will look so there's a lot of luck involved. When I was about five minutes from here I saw a big funnel cloud in the overhead cloud layer and when I finally got here a crowd was watching the last remnants of the waterspout. These boys refused to call it a day with their skimboards, waterspout or not, they were squeezing every last moment out of the end of this most awesome day.

I took this a week or two back at Bean Point which is at the very tip of Anna Maria Island. It’s a remote spot that feels about as tropical as you can get in the lower forty-eight. When I head out here I never know how the light will look so there’s a lot of luck involved. When I was about five minutes from here I saw a big funnel cloud in the overhead cloud layer and when I finally got here a crowd was watching the last remnants of the waterspout. These boys refused to call it a day with their skimboards, waterspout or not, they were squeezing every last moment out of the end of this most awesome day.

Click on photo to obtain print

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Black Rock in Ucluelet

This is Black Rock Hotel in the town of Ucluelet where I recently stayed. It's on the west coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia. The shoreline couldn't be more different than that of Florida, yet the contrast was something I very much appreciated. The coast is rugged, yet punctuated with long beaches frequented by surfers, and while the waves aren't huge, they're respectable even on calm days. I loved walking along trails here and exploring tide pools and just listening to the sound of the ocean on the rocks. Food for the soul indeed.

This is Black Rock Hotel in the town of Ucluelet where I recently stayed. It’s on the west coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia. The shoreline couldn’t be more different than that of Florida, yet the contrast was something I very much appreciated. The coast is rugged, yet punctuated with long beaches frequented by surfers, and while the waves aren’t huge, they’re respectable even on calm days. I loved walking along trails here and exploring tide pools and just listening to the sound of the ocean on the rocks. Food for the soul indeed.