manateecounty Archives - Page 29 of 38

December 7, 2015December 10, 2015

Beach Houses on Anna Maria Island

Beach Houses in Anna Maria — Beach Houses on Anna Maria Island Obtain a fine art print

Walking around the beaches of Anna Maria Island you’ll find houses along the water with a view of the gulf. Some are located on relatively isolated stretches so that even if there are a lot of people at the beach these sections are quiet. Walking past this area the beach was was quiet and undisturbed as evidenced from a colony of skimmers that nest and feed here. As I walked past they paid me little heed as they rested on one leg. I live only twenty minutes away but I keep telling myself that one day I’ll just rent a beach house and do a staycation. I think this remote strip suits me just fine.

December 6, 2015December 10, 2015

Fishing on Anna Maria Island

Fishing on Anna Maia Island — Fishing on Anna Maria Island Obtain fine art print

On Anna Maria Island I have some favorite spots to hang out that are a little bit hidden and frequented more by the locals. This is opposite Coquina Beach and it’s a little dock where fishermen come to launch their boats around dawn. I was here walking around and noticed this guy casting his net and so stood a ways back trying to capture him in mid-throw. I think he noticed me and stopped throwing the net, maybe he was self conscious. I wandered off to leave the poor soul in peace. Hopefully he caught something because there were a couple of egrets waiting for anything he might pull up.

December 3, 2015

Tarpon Pointe Grill & Tiki Bar

I live across the river from this Tiki Bar. Quite often I’ll walk my dog at night and stop to listen to the band as the music floats over the river towards me. This night the moon was just rising as it cast a glow on the water. It’s on a little point surrounded by water on three sides so you get the sense of being on an island. I don’t spend a lot of time in bars and such, but I have been here a couple of times and both times it was a lot of fun, especially the music. In any case, maybe it’s time to go back and check it out again.

November 29, 2015November 29, 2015

Saturday at the Beach on Anna Maria Island

The beach at Bean Point on Anna Maria Island Florida Click to purchase a fine art print

Saturday I went for a walk around the tip of Anna Maria Island. Most of the walk is along the beach at Bean Point as it wraps around the tip of the island. There was a breeze and sound of the waves the whole way and that was a good thing. This is the time of year when the extreme heat abates and an extended walk or exercise outside is refreshing because the humidity is lower. In any case I plan on doing more of these walks because, well, …no bad thing comes from time on the beach.

November 25, 2015

Tropicana Train

This is the morning Tropicana Train crossing the river on the way to the plant. Bradenton is across the river and trains cross this river day and night to drop off fruit and load up orange juice to take all over North America. Whenever I travel and visit a grocery store, I like to look at the OJ container to see the “Made in Bradenton” label on the box. Don’t ask me why, kind of a silly thing I guess.

November 21, 2015November 21, 2015

Saturday Sunrise

This morning I managed to get out to capture these clouds over the Manatee River at sunrise. Sometimes I wish I lived somewhere closer to nature, but mornings like this can help make up for that. There really is quite a lot of beauty all around, I just have to put myself in the right spot at the right time. Nothing good comes without a little effort and so it was today. But I still need to get out of the city, maybe a walk on the beach is in order.

This is my first image using AuroraHDR from Trey Ratcliff and Macphun. I found it really easy to use. I don’t recall all that I did but I started with Trey’s “Soul Asunder” preset and then just started playing around. Finally I pulled it back into Lightroom for a few minor tweaks. I’m really happy with the way it fits into my workflow, and since I use all the other Macphun products it has a nice familiar feel to it. I’m pretty excited to have a new, intelligently designed product to help amp up my creativity.

October 22, 2015

Plain Old Sunrise

As compositions go we might say this has no subject, no main actor. Having said that, nothing beats a good sunrise and sometimes we just have to ignore the rules of composition and go with what moves us. In this case, the simplicity of the scene was enough for me. This is an HDR image, I combined four images to balance out the range of light to try and convey what I saw with my eyes. For me, getting up early and standing next to calm water like this is like meditation. It gives me a certain calm that I can carry with me the rest of the day. Calm and simplicity, two things I strive for in some of my images, especially those close to the water. Have a peaceful day my friends.

August 5, 2015August 5, 2015

Riverwalk Regatta

Buy

Earlier this year our town had a regatta. Silly me, I thought a “regatta” involved sailboats. Little did I realize these Formula 2 boats would be racing around a track in the river. They closed the main bridge over the river so you could get right on top of the action. These guys/gals are pushing the limits of physics as they try to remain stable on the water at extreme speeds, even so one of flipped upside down on a turn. The pilot was okay and the race continued. So NOW I know what a regatta is all about, silly me.

August 2, 2015

Path Between Two Beaches

Click photo to enlarge or obtain print

Between Coquina and Bradenton Beach is this walkway with shade and picnic tables. On account of the rain and wind it wasn’t too busy today, nevertheless it was pretty warm and quite a few were at the beach anyway. I walked along this between the two beaches and then along the beach for a spell watching the waves and enjoying the warm wind blowing in off the Gulf of Mexico.

July 29, 2015July 29, 2015

Sunrise at Riverwalk

Order a print
In Bradenton FL we have a riverwalk. Little did I know a lot of other cities do as well. Before I moved here I’d never heard of a riverwalk, but if you think about it it makes sense. Everyone likes to hang out by the water; run, walk or just chill. I come here a lot and this time to take pictures of the sunrise. I think I’ve taken pictures of the whole riverwalk length yet somehow I always seem to find something new. Regardless, its close to my home and if I ever get tired of this riverwalk there are others close by.