inspired photography with just enough perspective
I took this photo not too long ago near my home in Palmetto Florida. I pass this marina a dozen times a week, it’s small and sometimes I don’t even notice it. But but at the right hour, the right light, the right angle and a little imagination it becomes something a little more. At least that’s how I see it. 😉
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I shot this just two nights ago near the appropriately named Sunset Park along Bradenton Beach in Florida. Unlike the white sand blowing in snow squalls up north, this is the real stuff. I love taking pictures of sunset at Bradenton Beach, each time I go there I seem to find a new section that I’ve never noticed before. And of course no two sunsets are the same. Head down here around sunset on any given day and folks have their lawn chairs out waiting, as if for the final act. I’m always busy taking pictures, one of these days I’ll try putting down the camera and just watching it myself. Or not.
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The story behind this shot is a little creepy so don’t read this if you hate bugs. Ok, here goes. I came here to the fishing pier at the Sunshine Skyway Bridge near my home in Florida to get a photo of the sunset. To get to this spot I had to walk on a concrete seawall by climbing over a fence and then over a bunch of big concrete boulders. Once on the seawall I started walking with my equipment to this spot and noticed something was not quite right. As I looked down, hundreds, if not thousands of bugs, not unlike cockroaches, were scampering out of the way. I was having my own little Indiana Jones moment, less the snakes (as far as I know). My guess is they feed upon the dead fish and bait from local fishermen, but whatever the case, there is a thriving population. I was committed to the shot so I steeled myself, marched on, setup, took about 20 frames, picked up my tripod and got the *%^#* outta there. During that episode I heard some noise in the water just a few feet away but was too pre-occupied with getting the job done that not until I got home did I notice that a dolphin and pelican passed by. I suspect they had a good laugh at the silly human freaking out in Paradise.
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This is the Venice Pier which is attached to Sharky’s on the Pier in Venice Florida. A couple of wooden versions of this washed away in hurricanes and so they built this newer stronger concrete version. It’s such an iconic setting that we always bring guests here. When my sister-in-law was down she lamented she hadn’t seen any dolphins, however the day we came here we spotted a small pod frolicking at the end. Florida’s west coast is dotted with establishments like this, but this is one of our favorite. Everything just seems to add up.
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Cortez, Manatee County, Florida. Grab a chair and a drink and sit here and watch the sunset. You’ll no longer be stressed and the normal world will seem far away. Just so you know, I’ve tried it and it works. The things I put myself through in the name of photography.
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Royal’s Jewel of the Seas; on deck one evening at sea. This is a section normally busy with people sunbathing or just walking the deck, but I headed up here around dinner and so it was pretty empty. Sure enough, early in the morning folks would be walking or running this track. My hat is off to those people, with discipline and fortitude to walk off the previous night’s meal. I tried a couple of times, but always seemed to get sidetracked by the drink of the day. Working up ambition on board a cruise ship can be a challenge, trying to stay focused on anything is pretty much impossible. But then that’s the whole idea, right?
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Apparently, piers are not permanent here in Florida, seems they erode away from Hurricanes and waves all the time. I’m fairly new to Florida, we moved here about nine years ago and in that time I’ve seen a couple of piers crumble away. I was at an art show with my photos the other day and a shot I did of the pier at Venice Florida was recognized by folks as “the new pier”. That was news to me since it’s the only one I knew of. But long time residents have seen two others washed away and the latest built about ten years ago. So now I know. In any case, I like even the crumbled down old remnants of a pier, it seems to attract birds like egrets, herons and pelicans as they use the old pilings to wait for prey or scraps from the fishermen. So now you know, probably more than you ever wanted, about Florida piers. Your welcome. 😉
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Cortez is a little gem of a fishing village in central Florida. Because it’s on the way to the beach thousands of people drive by it every day and never stop. There are several fish markets tucked away which we like stopping into every now and then to pick up fresh catch. There are tree lined streets with quaint houses as well as a little trailer park where winter residents (aka snowbirds) love to come and escape the harsh winters up north. On the evening I took this several of the snowbirds where lined up in lawn chairs with their cocktails along the water to watch the sunset. It lasted for about 30 minutes and as soon as the colors faded they stood up and headed back to their homes. However I noticed they left their chairs behind so it seems to me they must repeat that ritual each evening. If I ever retire, I might just get a trailer down the road from my house and live the life of a snowbird in the little fishing village of Cortez Florida.
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One evening not too long ago I was while riding a mountain bike through Emerson Point which a state park near my home. I stopped for a rest and noticed these colors and the calmness of the waters and felt I had to capture the moment with my iPhone. Perhaps one day I’ll try Google Glass as it seems I’m always looking for a shot even when I’m doing other things and Glass might just make it more convenient. Maybe we’ll all just end up with Glass implants in our retinas, I can see it going in that direction. In any case, when the water is this calm in Terra Ceia Bay you often see and hear fish jumping which momentarily creates rings in the water. I will leave you to contemplate the zen of that quite calm moment while I head to the mall for Black Friday Christmas shopping.
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As I write this there are storms across much of the Unites States and winter has made an early entrance. But in some places such as Florida’s west coast you can still find people on the beach or enjoying a sunset. It’s no wonder the population of Florida explodes this time of year. If I lived up north and had the means I’d come down here also. Fortunate for me I live here and this weekend I was outside at the Sarasota Fine Arts Festival. This shot is from just south of Sarasota in Nokomis which is a community with an awesome beach among other things. Anyway, at the festival I got to show some of my photos (similar to this) of the area and meet some of you in person. Even though it was warm, that was pretty cool.
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