sonyalpha Archives - Page 79 of 85

February 18, 2016

La Promenade du Peyrou

La Promenade du Peyrou is next to the old city centre in Montpellier. Bordering the promenade on two sides are these tree lined walkways. I was here on a rainy day but on a sunny day they provide shade and a place to sit. By using a telephoto lens I created compression in the scene which adds to the sense of a tunnel or covered walkway. In situations like this where there is a line of repeated elements this technique can work pretty well.

I had been walking for hours when I got here so I was happy to sit on one of the benches. The city itself is quite busy but this spot was a nice respite from the commotion. Right next to where I was sitting there was a British rock band packing up their van. From the look of the equipment they must have been filming a music video. The scenery here must be popular as a film location for all kinds of productions; from music to feature film. It’s the perfect european backdrop.

Actually, now that I think of it, this would be a good location for a photowalk. The Promenade is a good meeting point and from here you could walk through the old streets and alleyways of the ancient city. In the other direction is an old Roman aqueduct and plenty of other architecture. In any case, I was on my own one man photowalk, stopping only to rest on a park bench or sip a cappuccino at a bistro or have a glass of wine in an outdoor cafe. That’s the typical pace of a Rick photowalk, slow and easy wins the race.

Check out my European gallery.

February 17, 2016

Tower View

This is the tower view from Robinson Preserve in Bradenton Florida. It’s on a trial about a half mile from the parking lot and a good place to get some perspective on the land. In a way this is a poor mans drone shot without the drone. These are inland marshes and salt flats that attract all manner of wildlife. The waterway on the right is a popular place to kayak and further up are mangrove tunnels to be explored.

For this composition I deliberately ignored the rule of thirds because I felt the sky is just as compelling as the ground, they hold the balance in equal measure as a kind of yin and yang. I’ve starting doing that sometimes when using a wide angle lens, here I shot at 14mm.

Normally I am alone here and the last one to leave the park, but just as I ascended the tower about twenty people approached along the trail and ascended the stairs of the tower alongside me. It’s a big tower so it can hold a lot of people. Turns out they were on a guided tour of the park to observe it at dusk and evening. With all the nocturnal animals I’m sure there would be some interesting sounds as well.

More landscape photography

February 16, 2016February 16, 2016

North Vancouver

North Vancouver is across the harbor from Vancouver. It’s actually a separate city with its own city hall. There are a lot of ways to get over there but the easiest is to take a ten minute ferry across the bay. I did that once and then walked up the streets from the water. They don’t look that steep from here but by the time I got to the top I was huffin and puffin like a Choo Choo train. When I turned around I had the opposite vista of Vancouver on the South side of the bay. Either way you look at it it’s a nice view.

I used my telephoto lens fully extended for this so the field of view is rather narrow. I could have done a panorama and it would have extended to the left with more tall buildings dwarfed by the mountain peaks and ski resorts. Skiing? No problem, hop in a bus, it’s right there in town. That’s just downright awesome.

I showed this image to some people in Florida to see if they could tell where it was. Everyone thought it was in Europe somewhere. I think most people don’t know what Vancouver really looks like except what they might remember from watching the Olympics. I’m the same way and when I first saw this in person I was hooked. Still am.

Here are a few more images from Vancouver.

February 15, 2016February 16, 2016

Casa Batlló Stairwell

This is the Casa Batlló Stairwell in Barcelona. This house is a work of priceless design by the famed architect and designer Antoni Gaudi. I took this while climbing the stairs to the roof. It’s a narrow courtyard of sorts with the house surrounding this central core. As I recall there were about five flights to the roof so on my way up I had plenty of opportunities to stop and gawk at the design.

This is a very big house, I could live comfortably on just one floor, even less. But if I did own the whole place I’d be sending texts to the kitchen to order meals, that would save a bunch of trips up and down the stairs. Then of course I’d need a Stair-master to get some exercise. I never said I was brilliant, if it was my house I really would have more money than brains.

I took a ton of pictures throughout the house, it’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Actually everyone takes pictures inside. There’s a nautical theme going on and it reminds me of a ship, or maybe something out of Jules Vern novel. When I Google other photos of this a few of them have an under water effect. Perhaps that was intended. In any case, here is a link to a search of stairwell photos from the house on Google: https://goo.gl/JW1jqj

Here are some more images from Barcelona: https://justenoughfocus.smugmug.com/keyword/barcelona/

February 14, 2016

Dawn Across the Pond

A view at dawn across the pond at a development known as Riviera Dunes.
This morning I was driving around at dawn and noticed this scene, I’d seen it before but this time I had my camera. The pond is home to fish, egrets, herons and of course ducks. I’ve also seen water moccasins along the edges and, there may even be an alligator, if not in this pond another one near by.

Alligators are common here in Florida, the ponds are not for swimming. They’re known as retention ponds because their purpose is to retain the water from the rains. They allow the silt and particles from the roads to settle down at the bottom before the water washes into the mangroves and river beyond. Retention ponds are everywhere in Florida. Thats one of the reasons alligators find it so easy to live in populated areas. They find a nice retention pond to settle down to raise a family, or eat one (just kidding). They lay around eating fish or ducks or poodles on a rope. You need to be alert when walking small dogs next to the water here, just a fact of life. Alligators will migrate from one pond to the next depending on their needs and availability of food.

I didn’t see any alligators this morning and truth be told I rarely do. Even though they’re around they are wary of humans and stay out of sight as much as possible. If you really want to see an alligator in a pond I recommend playing a round of golf. Golf courses always have a lot of ponds and you will usually see them sunning on the edges. Many have pet names and their pictures posted on the club house walls. Bottom line is that most locals respect our alligators and we all do out best to coexist, each keeping our distance.

February 12, 2016February 12, 2016

Sunset Beach

A couple of nights ago I ago I went to Sunset Beach (yes, its a real place) to capture these waves at sunset. The wind off the gulf whipped up some wave action that provided a little more drama than normal. Despite the blustery weather the conditions were good for a sunset. Waves look awesome when you are on the same level. In this case, my camera was slightly below which allowed me to catch the sun on the wave top. Grody to the max.

The beach was deserted yet there were a few diehards walking the shore. I think some people walk the shore no matter what the weather. I can understand that. If I lived here on the beach I’d probably do the same thing. How awesome would that be; can you imagine? In the summer you’re barefoot in shorts, in winter maybe you wear a coat, but so what, you’re by the water. Awesome possum.

Did you know orange and blue are complimentary colors? I’m not sure how that happened but mother nature seems to have it all worked out, especially at sunset near the ocean. I suppose that fires some ancient memory buried deep in our DNA, but for whatever reason it just works. So here’s a toast to ancient DNA and the awesomeness of Mother Nature’s color wheel.

Gallery Link

Check out the Anna Maria Island Gallery here.

February 11, 2016

Rainy Predawn Hours

This is from the rainy predawn hours of a winter day at Science World in Vancouver. It’s one of the more iconic buildings in the downtown core and at this hour seemed to me like something out of Blade Runner. Actually is wasn’t that early, only about 7:30 but the sun only shines for about four minutes in winter. That’s not true, but it feels like it.

I think that Canadians are a productive lot. With so much time to spend indoors they channel their energies into solving all kinds of problems. I think in general that’s true of countries with long dark winters. On the other hand, in places where it’s always warm, people seem less inclined to spend all that time indoors. Of course this is just a generalization and more than likely I’m wrong. There are a lot of productive people in India and it has a warm climate. Anyway…

Actually, this building is known as Telus Science World. Telus is one of the big phone companies in Canada. If you live in Canada or visit there, you will at once recognize Telus advertisements. They use all kinds of little furry cute exotic animals on posters and billboards. As an animal lover I like the ads and when I’m on a subway I spend a lot of time looking at them. I guess that means they work.

February 9, 2016February 10, 2016

Hill at Emerson Point

Here I’m standing on a hill at Emerson Point which is a preserve not far from home. The funny thing about it is this is the highest point around. Can you imagine living in a place where the ground rises no higher than a palm tree? Having grown up in California I can say it takes some getting used to. For one, I find it a little disorienting when I don’t have a mountain range for bearing. The only thing I have is the direction of the sun, but that only works when it’s low in the sky. When I get turned around I always repeat in my head, “The sun rises in the East”. I’m a modern day Daniel Boone.

These hills along the coast are referred to as dunes. They don’t look like dunes because they is typically only one by it self and covered with plants. Also, to me they seem to be made of dirt, nonetheless they are referred to by the park rangers as dunes. Perhaps they have a high concentration of sand.

So unless I stand on a dune, I don’t have a strong idea of what the land looks like. That probably adds to my challenges with orientation, but I’m getting better at it. I can always use the compass app on my iPhone, not to mention Google Maps. So as long as I have cell converge I’m good.

February 8, 2016February 8, 2016

Taxicab on Thurlow

Here I’m facing south looking at a taxicab on Thurlow Street in Vancouver. This is where there are a lot of the towers of the financial district. It’s a section of town near the Marriott where I stay, you can see it to the right. For some reason this exact spot is a popular film location, it seems every time I come here a crew has setup shop with equipment trailers and catering vans; especially so on the weekends. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen this spot in a car ad back in Florida; kind of cool, reminds me of LA in that regard.

All of the taxis in Vancouver are small hybrids like this red Prius. That’s an economical way to go however it might look a little strange if you’re coming from New York City. Also, the colors of the cabs are a mixture of different primary colors, so it takes a little more concentration as opposed to just scanning for a yellow car.

Are taxicabs a thing of the past? With Uber I wonder if cabs are going the way of the dinosaur. Vancouver seems to still have a lot and I’ve never tried using Uber here. Most large cities have regulations with respect to who can drop-off and pick-up at an airport so taxis will probably never go away for good. For me it’s more convenient to just wave down a cab, less guesswork involved, especially if I’m in a busy area. But outside of the central core of a city, Uber is the only way to go.

February 7, 2016February 7, 2016

New Day on North River

The sun rises on a new day on North River across the Manatee. The river is about a mile wide here but only goes upstream for about ten miles. The land of Florida acts as a large catch basin for the tropical rains. We don’t have long rivers as compared to other parts of the country, but they can carry a lot of water nonetheless. The water empties into the ocean and so where I’m standing rises and falls with the tide.

I took this with a wide angle lens because I wanted to show the expanse of the river, it’s nearly a mile wide here. This area is a bird sanctuary, which means a lot of migratory birds come here in the winter. At this spot there is a great Heron that can be seen every morning. I suppose they are territorial because he is always here. He’s quite skittish so when I show up for sunrise he usually flies away. But this is his spot all the same and sometimes I see him when I drive by on the bridge just behind where I’m standing here.

Whenever this section of the country gets a cold snap, we get a lot of birds that fly down from Georgia and the Carolinas. They’ll end up staying for only a week or so until it warms up and then head back north to their own home. I suppose the birds that live here full time might get their feathers ruffled with all the visitors, and of course, the short timers need to get back to their own territory. But in the meantime, this is the view all the birds and a few of us humans see, even if it’s not our territory.