birds Archives - Page 3 of 4 - Just Enough Focus

May 19, 2016

City Island

This is from a place known as City Island here in Sarasota. It’s not a city, but if you turn the other way it has a great view of the city. This is where the Mote Marine Laboratory is located. It’s a world class not-for-profit marine research facility, they also have an aquarium and ocean mammal rescue and rehabilitation facility. It’s a great place to visit if you’re in the area.

However I was here early one morning to get photos of the city at sunrise and then decided to turn my camera in the other direction. This is one of two herons that were there that morning as I walked about the park. They didn’t seem to mind that I was there, probably because it was prime fishing time and couldn’t be bothered with the human and his tripod, can’t say that I blame them.

More images of Sarasota County from the Gallery

I’ve taken pictures of this tree before, it’s distinctive and just begs to be photographed. The problem is there are a lot of distractions if you point the other way towards the city; buildings, boats and bushes. So on this day I took a different approach and aimed away from the city towards City Island. Come to think of it that should be a riddle: How do you turn your back on the city and face the city at the same time? Stand on City Island in Sarasota.

April 17, 2016

Heron and the Bridge

It seems whenever I’m taking photos near the water here in Florida, herons are never too far away. They’re skittish to be sure so you can’t just walk up to them and expect to get a picture. Having a telephoto lens helps a lot, with this shot I was back a ways and still able bring the bird up close. I’m not a wildlife photographer, but once in a while if the opportunity presents itself I’ll go for it. Real wildlife photographers have a lot of patience, and work long and hard to get a good image. In this case I positioned myself so the heron was framed by the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and fired away.

While I was here a couple of serious or “real” wildlife photographers walked up. They had big heavy long lenses and tripods that looked like something I’d expect to see on an African safari. They were here taking photos of the birds including this one. They had serious looks on their faces to go with the equipment they were carrying. Anyway, I got my shot, nodded to them and left the bird in their expert care.

Even today, a couple of weeks after I took this shot, I was by the water again and another Heron landed right in front of me. Again I tried to work him into the shot from a good distance so as not to spook him. Not always do the shots work, but it never hurts to try. When I take photos I try to keep my eyes open for any happy coincidence that might happen. Sometimes it helps to add another element to the story, sometimes it might even become the main subject. Anyway, in this case it just seemed to work, thanks to buddy bird here.

Some of my favorite images from the gallery

April 6, 2016

Out of the Box

This image is right out of the box, basically just as I shot it, nothing added or subtracted. I consider myself a pictorialist and it’s not often that I post an image that I haven’t processed, but this just seems to work for me.

I took this on Fort Lauderdale beach in southern Florida along the Atlantic coast. I got up early one morning to take pictures before the beach got too crowded. Actually, this was my second walk on the beach, I had been here before sunrise as well but as you can see the beach was still quite deserted, normal I suppose for a Sunday morning.

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One thing that struck me was how the sand felt. As I walked my feet would sink in several inches, almost as though it were a type of quicksand. That made for an arduous trek up and down the beach. Another way to put it would be to say it was a good workout; either way it took serious effort. Anyway these imprints were left in the sand where others had walked. I like how it looks well trodden yet empty at the same time.

Funny thing is I didn’t notice the seagull when I took the picture. That happens a lot, I’m usually so engrossed in looking for a scene that things can happen that I don’t see until I look at it later. I think that’s just a natural consequence of being out taking photos, good stuff is bound to happen.

January 25, 2016January 25, 2016

Keeping it Real

Keeping it real can be harder than it sounds. Putting aside all the things that we think are important, a little quality time is a pretty good way to start. In the end all we really have are connections. The rest can come and go, it’s connections that define us, or so I think. But when I think of the people that have made an impression on me, it was their gift of time that made that possible.

This is another photo from Fort Lauderdale Beach. I could just stay at the beach and take photos all day long, it’s a natural place for images to just happen, especially if you know what you’re looking for. I take a lot of photos of people walking on the beach. The initial snapshot is a reminder of what I saw in my mind and the idea that I had. Only later when the time is right do I express it, sometimes artistically like this. This image conveys the idea I had in my mind. I never really know how the image will turn out, but if I work at it enough I get close. Close enough for horseshoes and hand grenades. Bad reference, scratch that.

I’m going to go back to the beach sometime this week. Who knows what I’ll see or which beach I’ll go to. The main thing is to go and then just let the rest happen; kind of like keeping it real. I think that a lot of things can happen if we just let them. I rarely know what way the wind will blow, I just keep doing my thing and somehow it all works out.

December 6, 2015December 10, 2015

Fishing on Anna Maria Island

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On Anna Maria Island I have some favorite spots to hang out that are a little bit hidden and frequented more by the locals. This is opposite Coquina Beach and it’s a little dock where fishermen come to launch their boats around dawn. I was here walking around and noticed this guy casting his net and so stood a ways back trying to capture him in mid-throw. I think he noticed me and stopped throwing the net, maybe he was self conscious. I wandered off to leave the poor soul in peace. Hopefully he caught something because there were a couple of egrets waiting for anything he might pull up.

November 5, 2015

Plaça de Catalunya

Barcelona’s main square is a very cool place to hang out, its kind of a new meets old fusion of everything that’s awesome. I was amazed at the number or pigeons that congregate here on account of the vendors that sell bird food. If you feed them you are instantly flocked by hundreds. It was a lot of fun and I took a ton of pictures from every angle. That white building in the back is the Apple store and it seemed there were as many people in there as birds in the square. I would have gone in if I wasn’t so busy having fun with these birds.

August 3, 2015

Tampa Bay from St. Petersburg Florida

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The view from St Petersburg Florida as I looked out across Tampa Bay. In summer we go from wind a rain to a peaceful calm. This day happened to be one of the latter. The water on the bay was like glass as these sea birds snatch fish from the shallows. I waited for the perfect moment when the birds were in perfect position and took this picture. This is one of my favorite from the area.

July 29, 2015July 29, 2015

Sunrise at Riverwalk

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In Bradenton FL we have a riverwalk. Little did I know a lot of other cities do as well. Before I moved here I’d never heard of a riverwalk, but if you think about it it makes sense. Everyone likes to hang out by the water; run, walk or just chill. I come here a lot and this time to take pictures of the sunrise. I think I’ve taken pictures of the whole riverwalk length yet somehow I always seem to find something new. Regardless, its close to my home and if I ever get tired of this riverwalk there are others close by.

July 8, 2015

You Lookin at Me?

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Does anyone know what type of bird this is? I saw this fella at the Tampa zoo. His half whimsical half challenging look seemed to say (in a Robert De Niro voice) “you looking at me?”. Something tells me he was no pushover. I’m no dummy, I know when I’ve met my match.

July 3, 2015

Just Before Dusk

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I took this from a kayak launch just before the bridge to Anna Maria Island. This little guy was out feeding alone but I’m sure he knew where the others in his flock were. These waters are shallow enough that you could walk several hundred yards out with your fishing pole, as long as you keep track of the tide. Kind of a nice way to end the day.