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Beach Dunes

In Bradenton Beach Florida we have nice sunsets, and even when we don’t there’s always something to take a picture of. I thought a shot from about four feet inside these dunes would be nice and so started to set up my camera. Bad idea. Turns out the plants in these dunes produce a prickly burr that’s as sharp as any I’ve ever seen. So I figured as long as I didn’t move around I’d be okay. Wrong again. It seemed like the burrs started attacking me and attached themselves to my sandals, t-shirt, legs and shorts. So I finished the shot quickly and walked to my car in darkness where I began detaching the burrs one by one which took about 20 minutes. They were even attached to the bottom of my sandals. As far as natural defenses go, those dunes mean business. A couple of days later near the lifeguard stand I found a sign that indicated this is a “Blue Beach” which means a high degree if environmental awareness and protection is practiced here and, …the dunes are off-limits. I think I learned my lesson. Dunes 1, Me 0.

In Bradenton Beach Florida we have nice sunsets, and even when we don't there's always something to take a picture of. I thought a shot from about four feet inside these dunes would be nice and so started to set up my camera. Bad idea. Turns out the plants in these dunes produce a prickly burr that's as sharp as any I've ever seen. So I figured as long as I didn't move around I'd be okay. Wrong again. It seemed like the burrs started attacking me and attached themselves to my sandals, t-shirt, legs and shorts. So I finished the shot quickly and walked to my car in darkness where I began detaching the burrs one by one which took about 20 minutes. They were even attached to the bottom of my sandals. As far as natural defenses go, those dunes mean business. A couple of days later near the lifeguard stand I found a sign that indicated this is a

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Siesta Key Afternoon

I headed down the road to Siesta Key from my home in Palmetto hoping to catch a good sunset. The clouds are so dynamic that you never know what to expect and as it turned out there was no sunset, however the colors and clouds still put on a good show. It rains so often in summer that most people just ignore it. It rarely last more than fifteen minutes and then you just continue going about your business. Of course I’m making liberal use of the word “business” because that’s about the furthest thing from anyones mind. However the folks on this broken down pier were engaged in the business of fishing, the folks behind me were engaged in the business of sunset watching, and I was engaged in the business of taking it all in and snapping some photos. Have your people contact my people and we’ll do business.

I headed down the road to Siesta Key from my home in Palmetto hoping to catch a good sunset. The clouds are so dynamic that you never know what to expect and as it turned out there was no sunset, however the colors and clouds still put on a good show. It rains so often in summer that most people just ignore it. It rarely last more than fifteen minutes and then you just continue going about your business. Of course I'm making liberal use of the word

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Antigua Sunset

As we left Antigua and Barbuda in October these Frigate birds were making the rounds and checking us out. However my mind was still back at Prickly Pear Island where we spent the day and the real world didn’t exist. It’s about a mile offshore with a few umbrellas and a little rum shack, the perfect place to forget everything. All good things come to and end but I find myself wandering back from time to time. Okay, back to work, don’t blame me if you’re losing your will to concentrate.

As we left Antigua and Barbuda in October these Frigate birds were making the rounds and checking us out. However my mind was still back at Prickly Pear Island where we spent the day and the real world didn't exist. It's about a mile offshore with a few umbrellas and a little rum shack, the perfect place to forget everything. All good things come to and end but I find myself wandering back from time to time. Okay, back to work, don't blame me if you're losing your will to concentrate.

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Elevator Sunset

In addition to photography I’ve worked in IT for quite a while. That takes me into a lot of big buildings and, a lot of elevators. This is a wild guess but I’d imagine I’ve taken about one hundred thousand elevator rides in my career. What’s a guy to do when the vending machines are four floors down, but I digress. Not one of those rides prepared me for the elevator on a cruise ship called The Jewel of the Seas, which as you can see, rises above the ocean. In fact there are two banks of elevators midship, one that faces out and one that faces in. I found myself waiting for an elevator facing out just so that I could see the ocean as I ascended. On the final day of my trip I snapped this at around sunset. Then, put my camera away and headed for the buffet.

In addition to photography I've worked in IT for quite a while. That takes me into a lot of big buildings and, a lot of elevators. This is a wild guess but I'd imagine I've taken about one hundred thousand elevator rides in my career. What's a guy to do when the vending machines are four floors down, but I digress. Not one of those rides prepared me for the elevator on a cruise ship called The Jewel of the Seas, which as you can see, rises above the ocean. In fact there are two banks of elevators midship, one that faces out and one that faces in. I found myself waiting for an elevator facing out just so that I could see the ocean as I ascended. On the final day of my trip I snapped this at around sunset as I headed up to the buffet, never-mind it was only one flight up and the stairs where quicker.

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Florida West Coast

This is a section of Bradenton Beach in Florida opposite the Tortuga Inn and Resort which is a favorite of visitors from the north, especially for weddings and family gatherings. Bradenton Beach doesn’t have any mega-size resorts, they’re all rather small in comparison to those in Miami or Ft Lauderdale. The west coast of Florida has a different feel, low key, laid back, go with the flow. In a sense, I think Florida’s west coast is an east coast version of California. I’ll admit it’s a weak comparison and there are a world of differences, but the beaches here rival anywhere in the United States and the sand is powdery white and smooth. That, the warm water and calm waves all add up to a nice experience. Add to all that a sunset and Bob’s your uncle.

This is a section of Bradenton Beach in Florida opposite the Tortuga Inn and Resort which is a favorite of visitors from the north, especially for weddings and family gatherings. Bradenton Beach doesn't have any mega-size resorts, they're all rather small in comparison to those in Miami or Ft Lauderdale. The west coast of Florida has a different feel, low key, laid back, go with the flow. In a sense, I think Florida's west coast is an east coast version of California. I'll admit it's a weak comparison and there are a world of differences, but the beaches here rival anywhere in the United States and the sand is powdery white and smooth. That, the warm water and calm waves all add up to a nice experience. Add to all that a sunset and Bob's your uncle.

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Autumn Twigs

In Autumn I pay more attention to my surroundings, cold is coming. There are little queues which increase each day until one day I can’t ignore it. It’s not the end of the world, just dimming of the lights and I know what’s coming next. Autumn reminds me that time is ticking and I better get ready because once the clouds come and the rain starts we’ll all be in it for the long haul.

In Autumn I pay more attention to my surroundings, cold is coming. There are little queues which increase each day until one day I can't ignore it. It's not the end of the world, just dimming of the lights and I know what's coming next. Autumn reminds me that time is ticking and I better get ready because once the clouds come and the rain starts we'll all be in it for the long haul.

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Autumn Sunset

Living in Florida we don’t get a lot of Autumn colors (nada, zip, zilch), and so when I recently landed in Vancouver I was pretty stoked that the colors were still there. I quickly deposited my bags and headed out to Stanley Park. I should have known I’d have good company, half of the city was out snapping photos as well. I witnessed the same phenomenon in spring when the Cherry Blossoms were in full bloom. Take it from me, Vancouver is one snap-happy town. It feels like one massive photo walk; I’ll notice something interesting and someone else will come over to take the same shot. I felt like I was on a scavenger hunt, trying to find the best compositions. Silly, yes, but fun nonetheless. I’m glad I was there to get a few pictures, along with about a million of my fellow photographers.

Living in Florida we don't get a lot of Autumn colors (nada, zip, zilch), and so when I recently landed in Vancouver I was pretty stoked that the colors were still there. I quickly deposited my bags and headed out to Stanley Park. I should have known I'd have good company, half of the city was out snapping photos as well. I witnessed the same phenomenon in spring when the Cherry Blossoms were in full bloom. Take it from me, Vancouver is one snap-happy town. It feels like one massive photo walk; I'll notice something interesting and someone else will come over to take the same shot. I felt like I was on a scavenger hunt, trying to find the best compositions. Silly, yes, but fun nonetheless. I'm glad I was there to get a few pictures, along with about a million of my fellow photographers.

Follow link to obtain a limited edition print of this photo.

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Fort Desoto North

This is a sunset I took one evening at the northern tip of Fort DeSoto park in St Petersburg, Florida. Typically this park has a lot of visitors, but if you drive to the end the crowds thin out and the scenery is quite pretty. There were other photographers here, each focusing on a different aspect of the scenery. For instance I was focused on the waves and sunset while others were focused on birds and wildlife. Is it just me or are there more photographers than ever before? I don’t really follow the trends but I’m noticing more and more photographers wherever I go. Maybe I’m just more sensitive to it, or maybe I just frequent popular spots for photography, but I have this sense that it seems to be growing. I think the cameras in cell phones and the great mobile software like Snapseed are inspiring more people to take up the pursuit. Whatever the case, it’s a good trend in my books.

This is a sunset I took one evening at the northern tip of Fort DeSoto park in St Petersburg, Florida. Typically this park has a lot of visitors, but if you drive to the end the crowds thin out and the scenery is quite pretty. There were other photographers here, each focusing on a different aspect of the scenery. For instance I was focused on the waves and sunset while others were focused on birds and wildlife. Is it just me or are there more photographers than ever before? I don't really follow the trends but I'm noticing more and more photographers wherever I go. Maybe I'm just more sensitive to it, or maybe I just frequent popular spots for photography, but I have this sense that it seems to be growing. I think the cameras in cell phones and the great mobile software like Snapseed are inspiring more people to take up the pursuit. Whatever the case, it's a good trend in my books.

Follow link to obtain a print of this photo.

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Anna Maria Island

This is Anna Maria Island, which is in Manatee County Florida. It’s a quiet beach community along the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Normally people will sit here to wait for the free trolley, enjoy an ice cream, or just catch a little shade as they plan their next move. However if you get up at the crack of dawn you can have the whole place to yourself, unless of course you run into someone like me taking photos. I never get tired of Anna Maria Island, and the next time you go there you’ll know what I mean.

This is Anna Maria Island, which is in Manatee County Florida. It's a quiet beach community along the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Normally people will sit here to wait for the trolley, enjoy an ice cream cone, or just catch a little shade as they plan their next move. However if you get up at the crack of dawn you can have the whole place to yourself, unless of course you run into someone like me taking photos. I never get tired of Anna Maria Island, and the next time you go there you'll know what I mean.

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Hidden Beach

This was a recent sunset at Emerson Point in Manatee County, Florida. Emerson point is more about mangroves and wildlife than beaches. However, if you know where to look you can find a couple of secluded beaches like this one in and amongst the mangroves. The evening I shot this I had a couple of raccoons amble by. I think they were a little surprised since these little hideaways tend to be deserted, especially as the sun is going down. They decided to wait patiently from a few feet away as I took my pictures, probably wondering if I had any scraps of food to leave behind. The other thing I like about this spot is that we can bring our dogs here on a hot day. Most beach areas in Florida prohibit dogs, but since this isn’t strictly a beach, dogs are allowed and they love to wade in the shallow water to chase fish or just cool off.

This was a recent sunset at Emerson Point in Manatee County, Florida. Emerson point is more about mangroves and wildlife than beaches. However, if you know where to look you can find a couple of secluded beaches like this one in and amongst the mangroves. The evening I shot this I had a couple of raccoons amble by. I think they were a little surprised since these little hideaways tend to be deserted, especially as the sun is going down. They decided to wait patiently from a few feet away as I took my pictures, probably wondering if I had any scraps of food to leave behind. The other thing I like about this spot is that we can bring our dogs here on a hot day. Most beach areas in Florida prohibit dogs, but since this isn't strictly a beach, dogs are allowed and they love to wade in the shallow water to chase fish or just cool off.

Follow link to obtain a limited edition print of this photo.