New Day on North River

New Day on North River
New Day on North River, the Manatee River from Palmetto Florida                                                    Purchase a gallery quality print

The sun rises on a new day on North River across the Manatee. The river is about a mile wide here but only goes upstream for about ten miles. The land of Florida acts as a large catch basin for the tropical rains. We don’t have long rivers as compared to other parts of the country, but they can carry a lot of water nonetheless. The water empties into the ocean and so where I’m standing rises and falls with the tide.

I took this with a wide angle lens because I wanted to show the expanse of the river, it’s nearly a mile wide here. This area is a bird sanctuary, which means a lot of migratory birds come here in the winter. At this spot there is a great Heron that can be seen every morning. I suppose they are territorial because he is always here. He’s quite skittish so when I show up for sunrise he usually flies away. But this is his spot all the same and sometimes I see him when I drive by on the bridge just behind where I’m standing here.

Whenever this section of the country gets a cold snap, we get a lot of birds that fly down from Georgia and the Carolinas. They’ll end up staying for only a week or so until it warms up and then head back north to their own home. I suppose the birds that live here full time might get their feathers ruffled with all the visitors, and of course, the short timers need to get back to their own territory. But in the meantime, this is the view all the birds and a few of us humans see, even if it’s not our territory.

Random Beach Shot

Random Beach Shot
Random beach shot of the waves at Bradenton Beach on Florida’s Gulf Coast.                                             Buy a limited edition framed print

This is a random beach shot I took last year at Bradenton Beach, Florida. I was standing alongside this old broken down pier, one of several which has since been demolished and removed. I don’t know the county’s plans but it would be nice if they built a new one so I could take pictures of that too. It’s all about me.

I work during the day and spend much of my time at a computer. So when I write my blog I get to stare at something other than documents for a spell. I remember back when I took this I was standing in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. That’s about as far away as I can get from meetings and status reports. This picture shows where and how my batteries get recharged so I can do the stuff I have to do.

I think that looking at photos at the end of the day activates different centers in my brain. I have no idea which ones, just that they have nothing to do with computers. It has more to do with where I want to go. Wouldn’t it be cool if I could just look at a photo and then enter a dream of that location? I’ve heard that some people can do that, and for all I know so can I, the only problem is I rarely remember my dreams. I’m going to hope that when I go to sleep this evening this is where I end up. Whether I remember it or not.

Waves at Sunset

Waves at Sunset
Waves at sunset at Coquina Beach on Anna Maria Island, Florida                         Buy a fine art gallery print

This was taken in the last days of the year when I went to the beach to watch the waves at sunset. The waves were the result of a storm that blew off of the gulf. As I recall the evening was warm, more so than normal.

Hard as I might try to the contrary, I take days like this for granted. The winter warmth is not as appreciated by me as much as you might think. That’s simply because I live here and I’m used to it. Even so I do take advantage of what the area around my home has to offer. For instance I enjoy walking the beach. That might sound cliche, but it’s one of the things people do here. I do it mostly for photography because I will typically see something interesting, either in front of me or in my minds eye. It’s as though those walks help to prod my artistic muse.

Prior to moving here it would never have entered my mind to go to the beach just to walk and take pictures, yet now I do it. And when I’m away I feel a longing for those walks and the sound of the waves. I guess thats some new part of my makeup, something new I’ve discovered I like. I guess we are always developing new things we like, unconsciously evolving some new aspect of ourselves.

Despite taking scenes like this for granted, I find that when I return from a trip I become subtly aware aware of the Florida climate as though it was something new.  As I write this I’m traveling and have warm clothes in my suitcase as I sit in a hotel room with the heater on. It is a real possibility that when I return I’ll drive to the beach and go for a walk with my camera. Then I’ll probably say to myself how fortunate I am to live here and once again will appreciated it,  …until such time as it becomes normal and I start taking it for granted again.

Bradenton Beach Elements

Bradenton Beach
The natural elements of Bradenton Beach                         Purchase gallery print

A few of days ago I arrived at Bradenton Beach just as the sun receded beyond a layer of clouds. I like photos that show people alongside the elements of nature. Something about the outdoors resonates with me and so I try to create images showing people immersed in nature. Living near the coast of Florida I have ample opportunity to explore this. Its safe to say that most of us love to hang out at the beach, not only because its fun, but because it satisfies a need to be outdoors with the elements. The sand, the ocean, the sky and clouds, these are all things we can easily feel affinity for. Maybe we don’t always think about it, we just long for the relaxation and fun, but I think that on another level relaxation and fun come from being exposed to things that are not artificial. This is just a long winded way of saying it’s nice to get outdoors, and what better way to do that then time on a beach. So anyway, here I am, standing on the beach and I noticed these two enjoying the last rays of the sun. I’ll hazard a guess that they had some fun and went home a little more relaxed then when they arrived, I rest my case your honor.

Last Rays of the Sun

Last Rays of the Sun
Kite surfers at the Sunshine Skyway Bridge                                            Order fine art print

On the way home this afternoon we crossed the causeway that leads to the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. It just so happened the sun was heading down and there were these kite surfers. I’ve taken these kind of shots before but each time is different and for me the rays of the sun through the clouds added an extra dimension of awesomeness. And if I thought this was nice, I can just imagine what these surfers felt as they soaked up the last rays of the sun.

Bean Point End

Bean Point Ending
Sunset at Bean Point on Anna Maria Island                                 Purchase fine art print

I took this from Bean Point on Anna Maria Island about a year ago. I was driving by and noticed a water spout which is not all that unusual for late summer. By the time I parked it was disappearing but there were still a few people enjoying the last rays of the day including these three boys. It was one of those moments when everything seems just right and fortunately I was able to get a few images as everything came together to form the perfect end to the day.