inspired photography with just enough perspective
Is it any wonder that sometimes I run out of words? At the end of Emerson Point in Manatee County Florida is where a few of us locals go to watch the sunset. Sure, the beaches are good, but there are a few secret places like this that, well, leave me at a loss for words. So perhaps I’ll just leave it at that. Have a great weekend everyone.
The last few days here in central Florida have been foggy which means the light is soft, something I love. Everything is mysterious and the mood is completely transformed. This was taken at St Petes Beach which is just south of Clearwater. Earlier, at around 6:30 in the morning I was in another location near my home taking photos of a pier. As I walked back to my car a very well dress couple approached me, apparently they had a ministry and were out spreading the word. I politely smiled and suggested I didn’t need the pamphlet but thanked them anyway. They continued on in the early morning light and I glanced back as they disappeared into the fog. I was dumbstruck by this powerful metaphor of searching for lost souls in the fog, it played on my mind for a while after. Why where they there so early on such foggy morning? That, at least to me, was a bit of a mystery, and as ephemeral as the fog.
Florida is emerging from the crash of the US real estate market. Near where I live is an abandoned development where all the roads and utilities where built but not a single house. I’ve never been on the property myself, but I took this one morning from a spot that looks over the mangroves along the river onto the abandoned development. Folks in my town of Palmetto expect that someone will revive the project at some point. And when they do, some lucky homeowner is going to wakeup to a sunrise like this each morning. I’m thinking that’s probably worth a penny or two in property value. Just a guess.
Whenever I need a break I head down to the beach for a walk. I just made that up, I don’t really, but it sounds like a good idea. When I head down to the beach it’s usually to take pictures. I see a lot of other people taking a break and it looks so serene and peaceful I have to take a picture of it. I know there’s a lesson or commentary in there somewhere, but hey, it is what it is. This is one of the old piers in Bradenton Beach in Manatee County Florida and while I was taking it’s picture the other people here were sitting in beach chairs and enjoying the scenery.
I’m not complaining but, …it got a little chilly here the last couple of days, about 50F/10C. I got so stoked I dressed up for the occasion with a sweatshirt, socks and shoes. My sandals took a well deserved day off. They were calling for snow in the Florida panhandle so I was hoping against the odds we might get a whiff, no such luck. Had to recycle the makeshift cardboard sled, maybe next year. This is another broken down pier busy protecting white sand on the beach from washing away. You know, white sand. No, not that stuff you sled on. But I digress, …what was I talking about?
They call it the golden hour, but sometimes it’s pink. A couple of weeks ago and looked over to see this scene right as the sun was setting. Not very golden is it. In fact it only looks like this once in a blue moon. Pink clouds, golden hour, blue moon; got all that? This is the public boat dock at Holmes Beach in Manatee County Florida.
Time passes differently for different people. In a slow world our time seems to stream past, like this picture. That’s why they made Florida, it’a a place where time goes a little slower. I think they made Maui that way also, but I digress. When you see one of those cute little signs that say’s “slow down, you’re on Florida time”, don’t laugh, the fabric of space time is indeed a little different and you need to slow down. If you don’t understand any of this you’re long overdue for a vacation. And if you do understand it, then perhaps you’ve been in Florida too long. In case you’re wondering, this is a picture of the Cortez bridge in Manatee County Florida taken from the perspective of a time warp. 😉
For whatever reason the clouds like to sit just off shore just to tease me. They know I’m here for a sunset shot yet I don’t always get what I want. But like the song says, if you try some time, you get what you need. So I guess I needed the sunset to look crazy on fire like this with a layer of grey clouds on top. This is the remnants of a broken down pier at Coquina Beach in Manatee County Florida. And that bird? That’s his pier.
This is another picture of one of my favorite spots in Bradenton Florida, Robinson Preserve. The last sunset I shot from here I nearly got lost walking out at night, now I take my bike, like a man on a mission. Today is Saturday and the only mission I have is recover from the busy week. Have a wonderful weekend everybody.
I live along the Manatee River in Manatee County Florida and so I’ve got a lot of opportunities to capture a sunrise over the water. All things being equal I think taking pictures at sunrise is more enjoyable because there are fewer people out and of course the water is usually calm. The only challenge is waking up and getting out. Traveling west across time zones usually gives me an advantage, I can wake up at 4 and it seems like 7. But then if it’s cold outside, …well you get it. So the biggest problem of all is my own procrastination and laziness. But, every once in a while I get up and get out and this is the result. Pardon me while I pat myself on the back. 😉
