BendersonPark Archives - Just Enough Focus

This is an HDR shot made from three images. It’s Benderson Park which is a rowing venue in Sarasota. I took this early in the morning when the water was still, and the reflections were clear.

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Clouds in the East — This is Benderson Park in the early morning

I’m pointing mostly east. Around here the clouds almost always come from the east and dissipate over the Gulf of Mexico. I don’t understand it but for whatever reason, you have to look east to see clouds. Something to do with the Florida geography.

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I like images like this. Maybe it’s the reflections or simplicity of the scene. Granted it’s an empty scene, but that suits my aesthetic which is mostly minimalism. In the end, I shoot scenes like this because it’s what I like to do. And that, I keep telling myself, is what matters.

First thing in the morning the water here is like glass. This is Benderson Park, an international rowing venue and I came here on Saturday hoping to find some athletes on the water. Save for the early morning joggers the place was deserted. That presented different opportunities on account of the clouds in the sky so I went with plan B.

Morning Ritual — I went about my morning ritual as I captured the sunrise at Benderson Park in Sarasota

Early mornings are not easy for me. I do get up and go out sometimes, but I can be a little grumpy; it’s a good thing I’m usually alone. It reminds me a little of my morning workouts. I, and about 20 others, show up at the gym several times a week for a bootcamp-style workout. Several of us are less than chatty at 6AM. However by the end of the workout we’re all smiles and high-fives.

That’s how I am with sunrise photography. I leave the house in my car fighting the urge to turn back. I’ll get a coffee at Duncan Donuts and proceed to a location. Once there I’ll look around and take a few shots. Maybe they’re not so great and again I begin to doubt the effort.

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But, if I stick with it and put one foot in front of the other, something might catch my eye, perhaps the light changes. Before you know it I am fully engaged in composition and capturing the light. Thirty minutes later I’m in the zone ready for more.

And that, in a nutshell, is my morning ritual.