Beach Bistro

Here's a random beach scene from Lloret de Mar. Everybody seemed to be having way too much fun for a weekday. However, people here are on some kind of vacation, so the day of the week is unimportant. I had just arrived on a redeye from the states; it was Thursday, I think. And, I was just getting warmed up to the whole vacation thing. What better way to do that than take photos of others who are already warmed up. Eventually, I got into the rhythm of things, maybe even a little too much. By the time we left this town, I had managed to lose my passport, but that's another story for another day.

Platja de Lloret De Mar

This scene is a nine frame high-resolution panorama of the beach at Lloret Del Mar. If you wanted, you could zoom in to see the menu at KFC. Not that you would or that I would go to Spain for KFC, I'm just saying. Printed at full resolution, this is over eight feet across - a lot of detail. For panoramas to work, they need the right subject and, the Mediterranean is full of these kinds of scenes. I was here twice in September, once for an over-night and, a week later, to retrieve my lost passport. It was on the second trip that I made this. After I did, I went to an outdoor cafe facing the beach, not too far from KFC.

Carnon Plage Sunrise

Depending on the time of day, the scene at this beach is entirely different. I'm not sure which one I prefer better. Having spent almost a week here, I had plenty of opportunities to take in the view. I think perhaps that I like the early morning view for the stillness of the water. If I think about it much longer, I'll probably change my mind. The defining characteristic of Carnon Plage is the circularity of the shore. (BTW: Plage is the French word for beach.) Breakwaters were constructed to prevent erosion such that waves passing through form rings. The beach is therefore circular and, there is more of it than if it were merely straight. In the end, it makes for good picture taking, which for me, is all that seems to matter.

Carnon Plage Midday

Depending on the time of day, the scene at this beach is entirely different. I'm not sure which one I prefer better. Having spent almost a week here, I had plenty of opportunities to take in the view. I think perhaps that I like the early morning view for the stillness of the water. If I think about it much longer, I'll probably change my mind. The defining characteristic of Carnon Plage is the circularity of the shore. (BTW: Plage is the French word for beach.) Breakwaters were constructed to prevent erosion such that waves passing through form rings. The beach is therefore circular and, there is more of it than if it were merely straight. In the end, it makes for good picture taking, which for me, is all that seems to matter.

Monday Morning

This picture feels a little like a gloomy Monday morning, even though I took it on a Friday. I took this near our friend's house at the beach in Carnon. I never tire of these minimalistic scenes because they leave much room for interpretation and reflection — however, calm thoughts were the last thing on my mind when I took this. I was about to go for a swim and, the water was chilly. Getting in took two types of effort, one of the mind and one of the body. Neither my mind nor body was overly enthusiastic at the prospect. In the end, I completed the swim, which left the rest of the day to contemplate sweet nothing.

Platja de Sant Sebastià

In case you were wondering, Platja is the Catalan word for Beach. This particular platja is in Barcelona. I took this panorama on a previous trip to Barcelona in 2017. On my most recent trip, I spent time at other beaches, North and South of here. I created this by stitching together four photos in Lightroom and then worked on it with various other tools such as Luminar and Photoshop. I intended to post this last month but ran out of time before my vacation. Some of the photos I publish represent many hours of work, spread out over time. I thought this was ready last month and then, after getting back, worked on it more before posting it this week. If there is a point in any of this, I suppose its that the end can be a moving target.

Fleeting Moments

Lately, we have been getting a lot of rain. When that happens, it usually means you can count one thing, a sky full of colors in the evening. When I took this image, I didn't realize children were in the picture until later. I was too busy making sure I didn't drop the camera in the water. In any case, it was a lucky happenstance caused by the wide-angle of the lens. All good things are fleeting and come to an end. But taking photos is a passion for me, partly because it saves a moment to re-experience later. Pictures like this are memory pills that cause neurons to fire, bringing back moments, and sometimes surprises.

Urban Beach

Here is another image I took on the beach in Barcelona. I photoshopped out most of the people, and believe me; there were a lot. We stayed at the hotel in one of the tall buildings for a couple of days before a cruise. Walking up and down the beach is entertaining, especially with all the outdoor restaurants and bars. There are so many it's hard to choose. Nevertheless, the heat forced us into the shade of a bistro that served icy pitchers of Sangria. And there we sat the rest of the day, savoring the flavors, recovering from jet lag and enjoying the sights and sounds.

Cool W

This is a fashionable hotel at the end of the beach in Barcelona. It's a cool beach with a cool hotel and cool people walking cool dogs. It's so cool that I was starting to feel a little self-conscious. But I know that's silly because the people in Barcelona are not so pretentious. They just have that way about them that seems fashionable to me. By the way, this photo is heavily Photoshopped. There were hundreds of people here. But, I picked out the most interesting and turned the rest to sand. If you zoom in, you'll see some quirkiness. That's just me and my less-than-cool sense of humor.

Venice on the Brain

I almost didn't go down to Venice Beach because I knew if I did, I'd end up retaking pictures of the pier. But I went anyway, and I did it anyway. I have this internal dialog in my brain. One side plans, decides, and weighs; the other does the opposite. In the end, all the noise is just that, noise. So this is the pier in Venice, it's a shot I've done before, but each time is a little different. This time I included only the sun's edge, so its presence is felt without becoming the scene's focus. At least that's how my left brain explains what the right brain did without asking permission.

Crescent Beach

Here's a shot from Crescent Beach, which is just north of Cannon Beach and mostly inaccessible. It was a hike but well worth it. I saw folks on the trail that looked like they shouldn't be there, I had boots, and they had flipflops. Some people looked like they couldn't make the steep inclines, it made me wonder if rangers rescued hikers here. Nevertheless, I made it despite hesitations of my own and arrived at this rugged, isolated beach. I placed my tripod low and took this as the water receded. I used an ultrawide 12mm lens from Venus Optics. It mostly stays in the bag, but times like this I'm glad I have it because of the perspective it affords.

Oregon Coast

I drove up and down the coast of Oregon last week to get a break from the Florida heat and take pictures. This image is from a random beach where I and several others stopped to watch the sunset. There was this little freshwater stream that trickled down from the hills and disappeared into the sand. When a family stepped in front of me, everything lined up, so I took the shot. The Oregon Coast Highway is probably better done in an RV so you could stop and take it in for long stretches before moving on; I was in a Ford Fiesta. I took plenty of stops but not nearly enough. Sometimes my wanderings would pay off with something interesting to see, other times not so much. But as they say, it's not the destination but the journey.

Cape Cove

While driving along the Oregon coast, I stopped here in Cape Cove. The area is so pretty it's hard to take a bad picture. The coastline has these massive rocks that are the remnants of an eroding mainland. I can imagine that ten-thousand years ago the land extended well beyond where it ends today. These are up and down the Pacific coast, and they make for good studies in geology and, in my case, photography. I created this effect using an ND filter, which allows for a long exposure, even during daylight; this is a 20-second exposure. With that, the water appears smooth like glass. Also, the aperture is set to f22, which allows both the foreground and background rocks to be in focus, and it creates the star effect of the sun. Also, shooting right into the sun like this created lens flare, which in this case, I quite like.

Rainbow Chair

Where there are rainbows, there must be rain. In Florida at this time of year, you can count on it every day. Look close, and you'll see the Sunshine Skyway Bridge under the rainbow. I used a wide angle lens, so the bridge seems far away. I took this about five years ago at Fort DeSoto Park. Looking at it now I wish I'd used a smaller aperture so the foreground would be sharper, but I like the photo anyway. Sometimes I try not to sweat the little stuff if I like the image. Technically the picture is a bit subpar, but I like the shot anyway, and in my mind, that's what counts.

Bradenton Causeway

The Bradenton causeway has advantages over the beach. You can park at the water's edge, and there aren't nearly as many rules. At this spot, you can generally see horses in the water. But I was here on a Monday, and they weren't. The causeway isn't fancy, but if you want to spend time at the water without the parking hassles, this is it. Many people prefer the beach with its powdery white sand. However, a lot of the locals come here. Just drive up, pull out a lawn chair and Bob's your uncle.

Venice Visit

Here is a picture from the other day at the pier in Venice, Florida. Isn't it interesting how so many places are named after a city in Italy? I suppose it's no surprise; it just makes me wonder what we'll name places on Mars should we ever begin to colonize there. If there are no bodies of water, Venice may not be high on the list. You never know. These are the kinds of silly things I think about when I have nothing better to do.

Less Obvious

The other day I visited the pier at the beach in Venice, Florida. It's an excellent place to hang out at the end of the day. I took this picture from the patio of Sharky's, one of the best beach restaurants in the region. When guests come to town, this is where we go. From the terrace, you walk onto the pier to fish or look for dolphins. It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it. What caught my eye was the sunlight through the grass. At the time, I thought to focus on the less obvious subject. It's the concept behind my website name. Sometimes, I focus on highlighting the underappreciated gems right in front of the more obvious choice. While I don't always succeed, that's the idea behind "Just Enough Focus" dot com.

Wave Motion

The best things about the water are the feeling of weightlessness and, the motion of the waves. Makes me wonder what it's like to be a dolphin. Speaking of which we see them all the time along the beach. Generally, dolphins swim by in pods or family groups. Many have returned since the end of the last red tide. I take a lot of these shots and just can't seem to get enough of them. It reminds me of times I visited Hawaii and would float for long stretches in the water, rocking with the waves. Now that I live in Florida, it's ironic that I can go whenever I want but seldom do.

Pirate Shells

When I see a bunch of shell on the beach, I want to hoard them like a pirate. At some point in history, these were money. This photo is reprocessed from an earlier version here. (https://justenoughfocus.smugmug.com/Portfolio/Full/i-MVVZNj3) The tools for post-processing are continually being updated, so lately I've been having a little fun going back to old photos to tease out a new look. I don't recall what tools I used back in 2015, but this time, I used the latest version of Skylum's Luminar. Nevertheless, what got my attention in this scene is all of the shells in the foreground; they must have been deposited after a storm. You can go to a store and buy a bag of shells for ten bucks, or you could just go to the beach and pick them up yourself. Better yet, send me the money, and I'll get them for you! (just kidding)

Beach Dunes

This picture is another in a series of dunes on Anna Maria Island. This might not be the most exciting thing you see today. A lot of effort goes into protecting these dunes and the natural flora that grows here. There are signs every thirty feet or so warning people to use the bridges to cross over to the beach. Even so, I've seen a few idiots disregard the signs and walk over the plants. I guess not everyone has a brain. Anyway, I love taking photos of these because they are an additional dimension to the landscape of the beach. And for the most part, they are the only place that the plants have a place to grow freely. Unlike dunes in the Sahara, these don't blow away or change their shape. We have the untrampled plants to thank for that.

Carnon Visit

My recollection of the last time I visited here in Carnon is a little spotty. I seem to remember something about fresh croissants every day. That, and the scenery and the excellent food and, let's not forget the wine. My memory of the trip is a string of highlights all tied together. I've been thinking about it lately because I'll be heading back in a few months. I have no agenda other than to get reacquainted with the customs of that region which, as I recall, are quite reasonable. I'll be taking a lot of pictures, of course.

Mouth of the Manatee

I took this photo at the mouth of the Manatee River. I live further upstream in the esophagus. It's curious how we anthropomorphize everything. DeSoto National Memorial Park is in the heart of Bradenton. Having grown up in the west, I still find it odd to have a national park in an urban area. To see the sunset like this, you walk into the park after closing. Doing so I thought I'd be alone but found a crowd along the shore, all with the same idea. After sunset, I took a quiet trail back to avoid the crowds. However, the trails have lifesize cutouts of historical figures, and more than once, I was startled by conquistadores and aboriginals staring back at me. It was a little unnerving, to say the least.

Week Ends

The feeling at the end of the week, knowing there's no work the next day, is pretty awesome. Before a long weekend, it's even better. This photo is a reminder of how good we have it here in Florida: that's directed at those of us that live here because it's easy to forget. Living along the coast, you develop a sense of normalcy about living where others vacation. So it's good to get away for some perspective and then come back. It's human nature; nothing lasts forever, even that feeling at the start of a long weekend.