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The Line Across the River

This is a spot I like to photograph. There are a lot of reasons but the main one is that the tracks form a leading line across the river. We are drawn to leading lines because they provide a sense of movement and direction. For some reason that’s important to us at an instinctual level.

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The Line Across the River
The line across the Manatee River in Bradenton

Maybe the rules of photography are based on some primal desire for survival. If that’s true it’s an interesting idea and, all the more reason to break the rules once in a while. That might mean considering compositions that will not lead us back to safety.

more from bradenton

I know I’m drawing a long bow, but writing about photos as I do forces me to think about these things. Let’s just say I do more than my fair share of introspection. In the end, I would really prefer to just get out and take pictures and worry about the intellectual stuff later. Or, not worry at all.

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Under a Rising Moon

This is an area not far from home where sailboats moor along the intercostal waterway. Whenever I come here I wonder what it must be like to spend the night on a small boat like this. This is a composite image that represents what I imagine the scene is like under a rising moon. It’s not real, but then, what is these days.

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Under a Rising Moon
A composite image I created as an experiment

Speaking of which, I put on a VR headset the other day and the room I was in disappeared. I was immersed in a different reality that was visceral and compelling. We are on the threshold of an age when reality will become a matter of choice rather than circumstance. And all of this without drugs; unless you consider technology the new opioid. I don’t really know.

more of my favorites

Nevertheless, I concocted this scene of a nightscape near my home. In my imagination, this is a VR world that I would choose to visit. Maybe one day I’ll know what it’s like to spend the night on a small boat as it gently rocks under a full moon. And then I’ll dream of yet another place I want to be.

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New Years Eve Birthday Party

The other day we had some low-key fun at a Florida ranch known as Sun City Stables. It was a birthday party for three-year old Amelia, but because it was the day before New Year’s there was no shortage of fireworks.

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New Years Eve Birthday Party
A New Years Eve birthday party at a ranch in Ruskin Florida

The next night was New Year’s Eve and we watched fireworks from all over the world on YouTube. In my opinion, Dubai edged out Hong Kong for best show and that’s saying something. London was pretty amazing also and came in a close third. All of the displays were beyond belief and must have costs millions of dollars to produce. I wonder how many hours you would have to wait and much you had to pay to get a good seat at those venues.

some of my favorites

But that was on TV, thousands of miles away in major cities around the world. On the other hand, these here where in the small town of Ruskin which is a rural community on the outskirts of Tampa. I believe the cost of the fireworks was a little over fifty dollars. I preferred this display because I got to see them in person with a front row seat. All I had to do was turn my lawn chair around from the campfire.

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West Coast Sand

This boardwalk crosses over the dunes to Nokomis beach. Whenever you go to the beach here along the gulf coast you see these walkways. They protect the dunes which in turn protect the islands during storms. I like how they appear to provide a grand entrance to the beach.

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West Coast Sand
West coast sand in Florida is similar to white powder

The sand at the beaches around here is a fine white silica, almost like powder. I’m not aware of any other beaches that have this type of sand. My car has black floor boards and the white powdery sand gets all over it. When I was in the Caribbean I learned a trick from a local tour guide. That is, to keep a brush in the car to brush the sand from my feet before getting in. Not that sand is a big problem, but I’m a bit of a neat freak so little tricks help.

more gulf coast photos

The sand on the east coast of Florida is completely different. The first time I walked along the beach in Fort Lauderdale I was amazed at how hard it was. Your feet sink six inches with every step making any long walk a real chore. This west coast sand is much easier to walk on. Anyway, that’s probably way more that you ever wanted to know about sand.

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Horse Head in Profile

On Christmas day, we did something out of the ordinary and headed over to a nearby horse ranch for a picnic and bonfire. The horses there spend days in their stalls or with riders out on the trails; however, in the evening they are free to roam the property. As it was a holiday the horses came and went as they pleased. That meant they would come up to the picnic table looking for handouts.

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Horse Head in Profile
Horse’s head illuminated with an iPhone

At night, the only light was from the bonfire so when I stood up and turned around there was usually a horse looking right at me. Someone turned on their iPhone flashlight and I snapped this profile. It might look staged but it was just luck on my part that I was able to get this shot.

other animal photos

I’m an animal lover so I’ll jump at any excuse to hang out on a ranch. In addition to horses there were sheep, goats, pigs and at least one ostrich. It was a fun way to spend an evening and if I’m not mistaken, the horses thought it was pretty cool too.

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Artistic Headspace

This is from St Paul de Vence near Nice France which is an art colony on a mountain overlooking the Mediterranean. It’s an ancient village with narrow streets lined with shops and studios of every type. I snapped this of a random artist as I walked around one day.

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Artistic Headspace
Sometime I feel like I get into the same artistic headspace as a painter

Having spent so much time processing photos, watching an artist at an easel seems a little familiar to me. What I do with photography is different, yet I think I get into a similar mindset as say a painter or sculptor.

As I work with photos I create something new, mostly from an idea I have of the scene. Even though it’s a photograph I alter it through post processing to achieve a certain look. So, while it’s very different than using paints, my head is probably in a similar space as other types of artists.

european images

That’s the thought that struck me as I watched this artist quietly from behind. The solitary pursuit of his vision seemed very familiar to me; so, I took a picture and started the whole process over again.

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Cool Shot on a Hot Day

This is not a product shot, I just thought it was a cool shot on a hot day in our winter and your summer. Well, it seems a few days ago was the shortest day of the year, which also means it’s winter. Since I moved to Florida I can’t seem to get it straight, winter is like summer and summer like winter. Hear me out.

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Cool Shot on a Hot Day
Cool Shot on a Hot Day

In winter, we have mild sunny weather, in summer we have storms daily and the tourists are gone. If that sound a little backwards you’re not alone.

some of my favorite photos

This favorite little spot of ours known as Crabby’s Beachwalk Bar & Grill in Clearwater Beach. It’s a good place to contemplate these types of conundrums. When I get disoriented it’s better to just take a seat and chill. That’s exactly what my wife and I did when I got the idea to take this photo.

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Nuns on Vacation

I was walking through the old section of Kotor and came upon a group of nuns on vacation. At least I think they were on vacation, I didn’t actually speak with them. But they seemed to be having fun nuntheless.

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Nuns on Vacation
Nuns on Vacation – As seen in Kotor Montenegro

I’m not really in the habit of following people around, but I kept running into the same group. On no prior occasion have I seen nuns with cameras and iPhones, just like the rest of us. I don’t know why I found that odd, perhaps they are allowed to order these items on Amazon. But again, with nuns I am a novice and I could have it all wrong.

my favorite images

Anyway, I saw the group of them a couple of times and I took a few pictures of the spectacle. There is a certain ascetic to this scene that I find pleasing. I don’t see a lot of vacationing nuns in Florida. There is nothing much for them to see here except people that lay on the beach. And trust me, we have the mother of all beaches. But, they could raise money by selling French Fries. Anyone could order and they would just put the ingredients in the friar.

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Design Museum of Barcelona

This is one side of the Design Museum of Barcelona (Museu del Disseny de Barcelona). I was lucky to have been stranded in Barcelona for a few days and just happen to get a hotel right next door to this. While the city has more than enough ancient architecture, it is also a center for modern design and architecture that, beginning with Antonio Gaudi, spans the full breadth of imagination.

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Design Museum of Barcelona
Design Museum of Barcelona I took while stranded in Barcelona

On the day that I took the clouds reflected on the windows of the building creating this unusual effect. This is an example of why I am just happy to walk around with a camera; unexpected things will appear all around.

more architecture photography

I can get hyper-focused on small details and so I try to be aware of that with this particular type of photography. For instance, I might look at the shapes of the windows and miss the clouds reflected in them. Sometimes it takes a little effort to see interesting compositions right in front of me. Nevertheless, just by getting out and looking around it usually happens, like this, in unexpected ways.

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Bean Point

This is from Bean Point on Anna Maria Island. It’s a beach with no parking and a little hike. It’s a sanctuary of sorts; aside from the solitude there are various types of wildlife that find refuge here including colonies of skimmers. But of course, come with my camera for the sunsets and to walk the beach.

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Bean Point
Bean Point on Anna Maria Island

It’s easy to walk around the point and on the other side is the Rod and Reel Pier which is a local favorite for fishing or a blackened grouper sandwich. The area is so low key you might think you were in the tropics somewhere.

more beach photos

I took this over two years ago, but when I go back today it looks the same. Not much changes here and if you are into a slower pace of life then this where you want to be. Actually, all of Anna Maria Island is a slower pace than the mainland and Bean Point (at least for me) is the best example of it. It’s a good place to go and forget for a spell.