inspired photography with just enough perspective
A farm pasture in San Mateo County along the Pacific Coast Highway. I was on a stop over from New Zealand to Florida and had a day to drive around. I probably need to spend a little more time driving around here because there seems to be something scenic at every turn of the road, and there are a lot of turns.
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If ever there was a place to rent a canoe and be inspired by all that surrounds you it is Maligne Lake in Canada’s Jasper National Park. It’s about an hour drive off the highway to get here and you are rewarded with one of the most scenic settings on the continent. In fact the drive is just as awesome. We were here in the peak of summer and I sat on the deck of the lodge looking out at the lake as I took this photo.
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One of the last mornings in New Zealand we drove up into the hills above Queenstown to watch the sunrise and then went for a walk down Skippers Canyon. We sat on the side of this mountain taking pictures and waited for the sun to rise which takes a little longer due to the surrounding mountains.
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This iconic setting is at Robinson Preserve in Bradenton Florida. It’s by far my favorite preserve near home and I come here as often as I can. Pelicans, Eagles and everything in between thrive here and you’ll see them just about every time you come. Once in a while I’ll rent a kayak and paddle through the miles of mangroves, inlets and saltwater marshes that create a natural habitat. This spot is a favorite as you can walk across and observe the mangroves, sea life and all manner of wildlife from just a few feet away.
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This is part of a half-mile long boardwalk through the mangroves of central Florida at the Crowley Natural and Cultural History Preserve. I don’t know how they passed through mangroves on foot back in the day, but without this boardwalk it seems to be impassable. The walk is pleasant and shaded with few distractions and at the end a wooden tower overlooking a river and floodplain. Along the way you see native plants, animals and birds and get a small glimpse of what the land was like in years past, back when they had no boardwalk.
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This is Holmes Beach on Anna Maria Island here in Florida. Something about coming to the beach helps ease the other things that are less pleasant. I guess that’s perspective, and every now and then I like coming here to get a little of that. Perfect way to begin the weekend dontcha think?
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This is a snapshot of a kite ballet. Yes, you read that right. I never knew of such a thing either. A dozen kites, flying in unison, creating choreographed formations across the sky, synchronized to music. That is a kite ballet. And if you think that sounds crazy, you should see it in action. The skill level of the kite flyers is nothing short of amazing. Hand eye coordination is redefined to new levels; the people flying these are like puppet masters. Puppets, dancing across the sky to music; is that over the top or what?
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Whenever I need a quick sunset but don’t have the time to drive to the beach or someplace for the “perfect shot”, I head down the street to Emerson Point for a little quickie. It’s a little peninsula that points west into the Gulf of Mexico and no matter how many times I go there, it never disappoints, it’s my secret sunset “go to”. Only it’s kind of an open secret, I almost always run into another photographer and half a dozen others who just come to watch the spectacle.
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This is the top of Mount Creighton in New Zealand’s southern alps. I used a wide-angle lens, which has the side effect of making the slopes seem less steep. In fact the slopes are more severe and once out of the helicopter, I was careful to watch my step. It is a long way down and I had the feeling it would be a very fast one-way trip. That’s Lake Wakatipu off on the right and Queenstown, our final destination would be left of that. This is one of the last stops as we flew from one mountain to the next checking out the amazing landscape of New Zealand.
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As I drove away from Asheville I couldn’t help but explore this river at the bottom of a gorge surrounded by the fall colors. The water was clean and apparently full of fish on account of the fishermen wading in fly-casting. I wanted to stay here all day but on account of an eleven-hour drive ahead of me I dragged myself from here and back into the car, content with the thought that I just witnessed a little bit of heaven, otherwise known as North Carolina.
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