Key West, November 2017.
Day 23. We continue to shelter-in-place. Still not highly motivated to get out and do some photo shoots, I rummaged through old photos for the theme of “It Floats”. I’ve always loved this photo as the sun appears to be floating amongst the clouds. I think it is impossible to take a bad sunset photo in Key West! Continue to shelter, my friends, and stay safe.
Little Blue Heron, Anna Maria, Fl
Well, here we are into April and still hunkered down on Anna Maria due to the pandemic. We received some very much needed rain yesterday and this Little Blue Heron took shelter on our dock. I don’t see these guys very frequently let alone have a photo of them, so I was delighted to have captured this one. Stay safe and well, my friends. Until next time.
Venice Area Audubon Rookery, Venice, Florida
“Hey Bro’ …. papa looks a bit grumpy!!”
Babies are popping up everywhere this time of year and the Venice Rookery is no exception with various chick species like the baby Great Blue Herons above. I love watching the devoted parents’ relentless care of their offspring. It always amazes me how overcrowded it is of the various bird species on the small island, some nests and chicks within a foot or two of each other. I guess there is safety in numbers!!
Nikon d850, Tamron 150-600
Ca’ d’Zan Bayfront Terrace, The Ringling, Sarasota.
I never tire visiting the Ringling property. The grounds, the museum, and the house provide plenty of opportunity to photograph the beauty of the buildings and its location. The Ca’ d’Zan was the winter home of the American circus owner, developer and art collector John Ringling and his wife Mable. They built the Venetian Gothic residence in 1926 on the Sarasota Bay. This image of the bayfront terrace was made from domestic and imported marble. Stunning design! And then there’s the 36,000 square foot house with its embellished glazed tiles, medallions and other ornaments. A great place to sit and take in the view! And to use as this week’s assignment of ‘In a Row’ with the windows, chairs and umbrellas!
Spiral Staircase, The Dali Museum, St. Petersburg, FL
One of my favorite sites in the area is The Dali Museum with its expansive spiral staircase. This image was taken looking up through the center and I liked capturing the young man leaning on the rails. If you’ve never been there, it’s a spectacular building that compliments Dali’s extraordinary vision.
Below is an image of the staircase I grabbed off the web. Isn’t it grand!
Flamingos, Sarasota Jungle Gardens
I caught these two flamingos dancing with their lovely long necks swaying in little loving nuzzles. Standing among the Sarasota Jungle Garden’s flock of pink pandemonium was an exhilarating event of observation.
A little flamingo fact: The backward bending “knee” of a flamingo’s leg is actually the bird’s ankle. The actual knee is very close to the body and is not visible through the bird’s plumage. Our photo club is returning next month and I look forward to capturing these beauties once again!
Nikon D850 and edited in Lightroom with adjustment brush to create black background. And that’s a wrap for 2019!
Net casting, Anna Maria, Florida.
We are celebrating this Thanksgiving week on Anna Maria with family. Kids and grandkids from Utah, Alaska and New Jersey made it, but we miss our other family members from Iowa, Ohio and Maine. Even though time and distance keep us apart, we always have a great time when we all come together. Everyone in motion …. kayaking, biking, swimming, sand castle building, story telling and sharing glimpses into the lives we lead while away from each other. It’s a time to catch up, a time to share, a time to be thankful for being able to come together another year.
Sarasota Pier, Florida.
We’re back!! We spent a week traveling back to Florida from Maine with our two doggies in tow, Harry and Lucy. We didn’t stay quite long enough in Maine to catch the beautiful fall colors I see others postling, but nonetheless, I’m happy to be here, even if the weather is still a bit too warm. My first week back, I participated in Jennifer Khordi’s workshop, hosted by our photo club. Our work was focused on sunrise/sunsets, the twilight hour and capturing the Milky Way, although the weather did not cooperate for any Milky Way shots. I had fun, met some new folks and learned some more photo skills.
Beer Can Island, Longboat Key, Florida.
We spent some evening time in Sarasota photographing the John Ringling Causeway Bridge and its constant changing color schemes. I haven’t done much evening shooting so it was fun to experiment as the sun set and the sky darkened. I look forward to coming back to these locations in the future. The Sarasota lights would make a good subject to practice on!
Until next time friends …..
June Beetle on Cacti Flower, Selby Botanical Garden, Sarasota
I have done very little macro photography but when we planned our visit to Selby Gardens, I thought it might be the perfect place to experiment. I didn’t take my tripod and I quickly discovered that it’s almost impossible to capture a sharp image without one when doing macro shots. But it was fun … learning and experimenting with the light and my camera settings but I’ve got a long way to go to capture good macro shots!
This was captured with my Nikon D810, 60mm, edited in Lightroom.
Reena Walkling 