inspired photography with just enough perspective
A portion of the walkway at Coquina Beach. This row of change stations and containers caught my eye the other day. On the weekend everyone comes here because it is simply one of the most beautiful beaches. And since this is Florida, it pretty much stays that way all year round.
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About a half hour drive from me is this state park where you can walk the trails or launch a canoe and explore the Little Manatee River. I managed to get here on a work day and so I pretty much had the place to myself even though all the campsites were full. I think people must have been out canoeing because I didn’t see anyone on the trails. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
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Earlier today I read that this beach was rated number five in the “Top Ten Island Beaches for Perfect Sand” by Conde Nast Traveler. I thought to myself, hey, that’s MY beach. Fortunately we had nice clouds so I headed down this evening for a shoot. I’ve taken a lot of pictures of this beach, it’s by far my favorite. No matter how many times I come here the results are always the same, I go home relaxed and feeling much better.
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While driving across central Florida we stopped at Lake Placid for a picnic lunch. I’m guessing the lake got it’s name from the fact that it’s mostly calm water which is what I saw that day. In any case I enjoyed a sandwich and taking pictures of the shore such as this. It was a calm and peaceful scene indeed.
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In Sarasota we have a new world class rowing facility called Benderson Park. This is the far side one evening as I walked around it with my dogs. Right next to this scene is a sign warning of the local alligator that lives here. So, one eye in the viewfinder, one eye on the water, and desperately listening for any sounds as I snapped this and moved on. Sometime I just have to wonder about the things I do to get a good picture.
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This was taken at Dakin Dairy farm here in Manatee County. I imagine this big shed is so the cows can find shade during the long hot Florida summer. As a rule I don’t drink a lot of milk, however they have a milk bar where you can get fresh bottled milk. It was the freshest milk I’ve had in a long while. If I had to guess I’d say they were happy cows. And living out here in the country, why not?
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The waterways around here are typically sheltered from the ocean by keys. Most people think Florida’s keys are at the southern tip, such as Key West, but we have them up and down the west coast along the Gulf of Mexico. All manner of sail and power boats travel up and down, stopping in little towns along the way, there are restaurants and shops catering to these unique sailors. And because the water is calm you will always find boats docked here which can make for some nice pictures if you manage get up around sunrise.
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The Rod and Reel is a favorite spot of the locals on Anna Maria Island in central Florida. I took this before they renovated due to fire. No worries, it’s just as laid back as it ever, the atmosphere hasn’t changed a bit which is a very good thing. This is where you come when you just want to get away from it all and pretend you’re on a tropical island somewhere.
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This is one of the many bridges in Manatee County here in central Florida. The river is about a half mile wide at this point so the bridge is good size. But growth in our area has this and a nearby bridge filled to capacity during rush hour. So now they are looking at building yet another, or possibly making this one bigger. I took this as early one morning when the only rush was of the water under the bridge.
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Every year in Cortez we have a fish festival and so we went to get some fresh fish and hear good music. Cortez is one of the last remaining fishing villages in on the east coast. It’s full of character and, um, pelicans. Pelicans hang around for the scraps left by the hauls as they come in. This one is so used to people that he wouldn’t move even when this boy sat down next to him. I think since the boy didn’t offer him scraps he was just doing his best to ignore him.
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