inspired photography with just enough perspective
This is another picture of one of my favorite spots in Bradenton Florida, Robinson Preserve. The last sunset I shot from here I nearly got lost walking out at night, now I take my bike, like a man on a mission. Today is Saturday and the only mission I have is recover from the busy week. Have a wonderful weekend everybody.
The colors we get at sunset this time of year in Manatee County, Florida are good and of course I’m trained to notice them. That’s a nice way of saying I’m obsessed with capturing them. Which is another way of saying I get a little crazy around sunset. Which is another way of saying that I get in a bad mood if we have a nice sunset and I don’t have my camera. Today, right before sunset, we headed out to a restaurant just as the sky decided to turn every color in the spectrum. Which is another way of saying I’m better off inside pretending the sunset doesn’t exist. I’m sure there is a name for my condition; obsessive compulsive sunset disorder?
Every now and then we get a nice “show” of a sunset. I don’t always have my camera ready or am in the right place. So even if all I can do is stand out on my back porch and look up I consider myself lucky. Three days ago we had a spectacular sunset and all I could do is watch from my back yard. We opened up a bottle of wine to better enjoy the variations and shades of color the thirty minutes it lasted. Unlike this photo, that’s another one that will forever remain in my brain.
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The waves we get here on Florida’s gulf coast are gentle as compared to the east coast or even California. I rarely hear the thunder as they hit the shore, maybe after a storm, but very infrequent. I suppose that’s frustrating for surfers, but the east coast is only a couple hours across the state. I think the west coast is more for just kicking back and relaxing. Any one want to join me?
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Robinson Preserve is in Bradenton Florida and serves as a sanctuary for all manner of migratory birds and waterfowl, not to mention eagles, osprey and all manner of critters. I like taking photos at dusk however the park closes at 6:00pm this time of year and they insist you get out. That gives me about 20 minutes after sunset to get my butt out of the park, which at over 600 acres is easier said than done when on foot. So I strap on my camera, lenses and tripod, ride my bike to a spot, shoot a scene (like this), quickly ride back, throw everything in the back of the minivan and drive out just as the electric gates are closing. I’m a little crazy, I know. Also, the critters know very well when it’s closing time because as I ride back to my car I hear them all coming out and scampering about their evening routines. I get the sense that as soon as the last human leaves it’s one big critter party until the first light of day. Just one more thing I’ll never really know for sure.
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This is one of those shots that I took with my iPhone while hiking through the mangroves near my home. This is Terra Ceia Bay which is full of Mullet and at dusk they begin a feeding frenzy and start jumping all over the place. If you look at the full resolution, you’ll see rings where mullet just jumped creating a cacophony of splashes as they grab every last mosquito. One of my favorite spots.
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Fort DeSoto Park is in St. Petersburg Florida and has this beach on it’s northern most tip. Now that the holiday season is coming to an end, the last migration of snowbirds are arriving by car, train, plane and motor home. This is when Florida is in full swing, the restaurants are full and it seems everyone is busy. However, if you know where to go you can still enjoy a sunset with tranquillity and peace. And after the mad rush of the holiday season that’s just what I plan to do. A little food for the soul.
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Cascade Pond is just on the outskirts of Banff in Alberta Canada. I don’t keep track of the moon phases as well as I should so it was a happy coincidence that the full moon was rising as I showed up at sunset. Also happy were the mosquitoes as they feasted in my arms while I waited for the moon to come out from behind the scattered clouds. In the end I was happy to get the shot and happy to get back in the car. All in all it was a happy occasion. Happy 2014 everyone!
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This bridge is in Terra Ceia Florida just a few minutes from my home in Palmetto. This is another one of those bridges I cross constantly without much notice and wanted to go back and take a closer look. Fishermen are always throwing nets from the bridge as it crosses a channel the fish use to come and go with the tides. I’m not sure why but I seem to enjoy the perspective under a bridge, it’s a perspective that most of us never get. I also like looking at the structure of the bridge, gives me a little more appreciation for what went into making it. I guess I’m just a bridge guy.
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Back, way back, way way way back in summer I captured this from Vanier Park in Vancouver one evening. I just love how long the days are in summer up north. Right now it’s the opposite. Basically you get about twenty six minutes of sunlight a day, and that’s only a slight exaggeration, if you live there you’re nodding your head now. But in summer the days are long and people are like bears out of hibernation, constantly outside on the hunt and soaking up every ray of light. If my memory serves me, I captured this around eight or nine at night. You would think being outside so much you’d get a little tired but it’s just the opposite, at least for me. But now, with so little sunlight it seems I get tired faster. Maybe I have some bear in my blood.
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