inspired photography with just enough perspective
Neal Preserve is one of my favorite destinations inside Bradenton. As preserves go it’s fairly small but still has surprises each time I go. Theres a big lookout where you can look over the preserve in one direction and the inter-coastal waterway in the other. I prefer coming here after the rains to view the ponds.
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I took this Saturday evening at the Riverwalk in Bradenton Florida. I love coming here this time of day, everything seems so mellow. This composition was the very first picture I took earlier this year after I purchased my Sony camera. I figured now that I’ve learned how to use it better I’d try again. It’s not uncommon to see a manatee or dolphin swimming by. Mostly people just come here to fish or stretch their legs with a little walk. Happy Wednesday everyone.
This is a few feet from the kayak launch in a wildlife area known as Robinson Preserve. I’m enamored with the place, I love the open expanse right in the middle of a city where the waters are calm, the wildlife takes refuge and the stillness is enough to restore sanity. It’s been a few weeks so I’m overdue for a trip back, maybe even with a kayak. Things are crazy all over and it’s easy to lose track of what’s important (I’m the poster child for that). But if I come to places like this I have a better chance than just about any other way of finding that place of peace.
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I took this at a park named after Hernando De Soto. He was an explorer who passed through this way in the 1500s. I love coming to this park but it always makes me think about what it must have been like all those years ago. We have paths in the park and air conditioners in our cars, but back then it must have been difficult to walk through this vegetation in the oppressive heat of summer. I can wear shorts, sandals and a t-shirt, but what if I had to wear leather and wool and hack my way through the growth. Just kind of boggles the mind. I need a lemonade.
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This is the lookout at Robinson Preserve and a favorite place to go and recharge the batteries. At this time of day the mullet are jumping in the bayou below and the only sound is the constant splashing as they try in vain to reduce the mosquito population. Thank goodness for the sanctuaries of silence and nature that can be found in this part of Florida.
This is a relatively new park that I’ve passed many times on the interstate but never bothered to check it out. That’s because I had this preconceived notion that because it was by a highway it couldn’t be all that good. I was pleasantly surprised in that only a portion of it is along the highway and that there is plenty of space for ponds and areas of restoration and habitation of the local wildlife. This pond had a warning sign about the alligators, so I was on the lookout as I captured this. In the end the only thing that bit me was a few fire-ants amongst the tall grasses as I composed the shot. Now that I know better I’ll come back, keeping a close eye on where I step.
Recently I’ve visited the Rosa Fiorelli winery in Manatee County not far from my home. This is a small family run winery that has won many awards for it’s wines as well as the hearts of locals, me included. Sal, the owner was kind enough to allow me back in the evening to get a few shots of the vineyard at dusk. I’m originally from California and used to wineries everywhere, But finding such a beautiful winery in my own backyard here in Florida is an unexpected pleasure.
I took this from a kayak launch at a nearby park. There’s nothing spectacular about this shot but I think I like the understated nature of it. Just nature, simplicity, lot’s of space. Room to stretch my mind and let the complications of the day dissolve. I think that’s why I like coming to this spot. In any case, the week is almost over and it’s been a busy one for me, so I made a promise to myself to get out somewhere like this where I can let the frenetic pace of the week recede into memory, and hopefully take a few pictures while I’m at it. Have a great weekend everyone.
The other day I walked through Robinson Park just after a rain shower and just before sunset. I think because of the rain the park was deserted which lent a quiet solitude to the place. This was the last shot I took before turning back towards my car. As I walked back I noticed things I didn’t see the other way. And of course with the orange-pinkish clouds I just took my time and enjoyed the moment. Just then a cyclist rode by and when he saw me with my camera, commented “just another day in paradise”. Indeed it is sir, indeed it is.
The path around the pond at Neal Preserve in Bradenton Florida. One of my favorite places to watch the local birds and take in the lush landscape of central Florida. I’ve been traveling so much lately and am overdue for a visit in my own backyard to one of my favorite spots.