Lions Bay

About five years ago I took a drive up the coast from Vancouver. I took this at a little community called Lions Bay. This image has been sitting in my rejects file for a year or two. Now and then I look at the rejects and see if I should reconsider any. My perspective changes so much that, given a little time, I might change my mind. To be clear, most of my photos deserve to be in the dust bin; they are not that interesting. I usually wait at least a week, typically much longer, to post a photo. It takes a little time to look at a picture dispassionately and decide if it rises to the level. But even then, it's all subjective, and what makes a good photo is entirely in the eye of the beholder.

Streets of Salerno

It was one of the hottest days of the year, and for the life of me, I couldn't imagine why anyone would carry a sweater. Maybe the stores were air-conditioned in the shopping district of this Italian port city. In Florida, we freeze going to a movie in summer. You dress in shorts and flipflops but then need a jacket in the theater. When I was here in Solerno, it rained cats and dogs in the morning, and within an hour the streets dried up from the heat. I got a wide range of pictures that day that included different types of weather. It reminded me of Florida summers but with a lot more to explore.

Streets of Nice

Here is another photo from Nice France. I took this as I walked around the streets above the harbor on a hot August morning. The hill above the harbor is steep, and I remember thinking to my self that I didn't want to get too hot first thing in the morning. So I paced myself and took slow steps, trying to avoid exertion. That was a fool's errand because I quickly became covered in sweat no matter how slow I walked. I ended up getting ice cream for breakfast to cool down. That's just how I roll. Nevertheless, I prefer to walk around these little streets as opposed to the more famous beaches of Nice. Beaches I have all around me in Florida, so when in Europe, I like unique places like this; even when covered in sweat and eating ice cream.

Caboose View

In Skagway Alaska, we caught a sightseeing train from the sea up into White Pass. I took this just after we reversed directions to head back down. The whole trip I hung out between the cars where I could get pictures of the landscape. On the way up we were in the first car behind the engine. Then the train pulled into a siding and the locomotive connected to the other end and, as you can see, we were at the back. It was pretty high up, and the weather dropped about forty-degrees. Skagway used to be a mining town, and in the Klondike days before the train, miners would traverse the pass on foot or mule. That would be a hard slog indeed, so I was glad to be on a train with its trusty breaks all the way back down.

Bridge Again

I take a lot of photos of this bridge; I should open a gallery and call it the Manatee Bridge gallery. With these types of scenes can you blame me? What makes this so mesmerizing is the calm water of the intercoastal. When it's like glass, it reflects everything and creates a dreamscape-like effect. That's what I strive for but rarely achieve. Anyway, if you go to my gallery and enter the keyword "ManateeAvenueBridge" in the search, you'll get all the versions of this bridge I've taken over the years. In another five or ten years I'll probably have quite the collection. Then they can rename the bridge after me. It will be called the Rick Bridge, or not.

Manarola

This picture of Manarola is one I took from a boat ride along the Cinque Terre coast. It makes me want to pack my bags and go back now. The villages lie one after the other along a rugged coast, all connected by train. So while they are somewhat remote, they're easy to get to. They also have a trail that runs the length of the coast so you can backpack as well. When you look closely at the construction on top of the rocks, the difficulty involved boggles the mind. Also, the terraced hillsides have been carved out of the most inhospitable soil for crops, yet they are fertile and well tended. If you let your mind wander, you'll go back the many hundreds of years to see the first inhabitants removing one rock at a time. And that is why I'd rather be a tourist in this century.

Early Walk

This is a section of the Riverwalk in Bradenton. I'm not sure why people wake up before dawn on the weekend and come here. Nevertheless, there we were. Come to think of it, there are always people here, at any time of day. It's just one of those places people like to hang out. I'm surprised there aren't more restaurants here. Often, I operate with a sleep deficit. I should stay in bed on the weekend to catch up a little. But it's also the perfect time to get out and take these kinds of photos. I'll have plenty of time to sleep when I die.

Beach Fog

The other day I went to the beach to watch the sunset, but the beach was covered in fog; time to execute Plan B. Plan B is to try and make lemonade out of lemons. This shot is one where a hole opened up in the sky just as some birds flew by. Photos like this in the fog have no shadows because the light is very even. I think photography in this type of soft light is more comfortable on the eyes when we look at it. Even without the fog, some of the best landscape photos are taken when the sun was lower, and the light gets diffused by the atmosphere. Or, when there are enough clouds in the sky to diffuse the harsh sunlight. The sun is an unfathomably harsh body that can rip everything to shreds in an instant if it were not for the amazing conditions we have here on Earth. Knowing this and having the opportunity to photograph it is pretty awesome.

South Pointe Afternoon

Shooting into the sun on an afternoon is not a great idea. But when it comes to experimenting, I'm full of not great ideas. In this image, I took about seven exposures to get a wide range of exposures. I then blended a few of them to make the final image. There are some cases, like this, where you need to think outside the box to create an image. I experiment quite a lot with my camera, and in a lot of cases, the experiment does not turn out well. But, more and more I'm able to imagine what the result should be in my head before I take the photos. Post processing is where the magic happens; it's where the camera in my mind gets to work with the camera in my hand. In other words, it's the creative process.

Skyway Bridge

I take a lot of pictures of this bridge because it's so close to home. It's the biggest thing around, way bigger than a bread box. Do people still use bread boxes these days? Whenever I buy bread, it goes in the freezer. But I digress; the bridge is the biggest thing around, so it's the center of a lot of attention. I'm all about iconic photos close to home like this. This photo, in particular, is a long exposure that was taken with an ND filter. The picture is 46 seconds long which is why the water appears flat. Usually, I might use Photoshop to create the same effect, but in this case, there is little, if any, Photoshop involved.

Nice, France

This is a section of Nice where cruise ships dock and people come ashore on a tender. That's what I was doing when I took this picture. While waiting for transport to other parts of Nice, I walked up and around the narrow streets. It was in the middle of summer and hot. I remember trying to decide whether to have a beer or ice cream to cool down. My only hesitation was that it was nine in the morning so I opted for ice cream. The famous beach is west of here, but since I live close to beaches in Florida, I visited other parts of the city including an art colony in Saint-Paul-de-Vence. As that was up on a small mountain, it was a little cooler, but still quite warm. I ended up getting a beer there, but it was midday at that point. Such are my memories of ice cream and beer.

Tree Aglow

This photo was taken from a preserve adjacent to Highway 41 in Palmetto. If you look close, you can see an eagle sitting on a branch just to the left. It's a spot that's within walking distance of my home. However, I always end up driving because I'm trying to capture a sunset or something last minute. In this case, the sun is behind the tree illuminating the leaves and, causing them to glow. I didn't notice the eagle until after I took the photo. However, when I did notice, I walked a little closer to take a picture, and it flew away. But I've seen it here before, so if I really wanted to get the photo, I could just come back at dusk. We have a lot of eagles in our area, but having grown up when they were endangered, it's still exciting for me to see one.

Reflected Lights

I'm a sucker for reflected lights on the water. But to get this glassy effect I had to get up and cross the bridge at an ungodly hour. I make it sound harder than it was because I regularly wake up at an ungodly hour to go to the gym. So on weekends when I don't workout, taking photos is a good alternative. I took this picture of condos in Palmetto from the Bradenton side of the river. I've been waiting for the right time to capture this scene. It needs to be somewhat dark, the building lights on, and the water still. During the day it's a boring scene, but just before dawn, it seems to work. On this morning I got them all together so now I can check this one off the list.

Memorial Panorama

This is probably my favorite perspective of the memorial in New York. This time I took several vertical images and combined them into a panorama. I tend to repeat myself when I re-visit this site; however, I get a slightly different perspective each time. Repeating photos is a way of honing the craft. Another reason I like to come back here is the sense of quiet reverence that surrounds it. Just a few steps away are the sounds of the city, but in this particular spot, the noise is muffled, and people talk in hushed tones. In any case, this is a popular spot to take photos, so once I get the shot, I move along to make way for the next person.

Morning Sunlight

I took a photo out the window of my office on a recent morning. Sometimes the light coming across the field is so amazing I can't help myself. I'm usually too busy to take a photo. Or I might rationalize that I've seen it before so why bother. But some mornings I can't help myself. In this case, the sun shone through a mist that was just above the ground. I need to take more simple images like this. Concentrating so much on landscapes and cityscapes, I tend to lose track of the simple things that are just as compelling, if not more so.

Pelicans Preening

Cortez is one of the last fishing villages on the east coast of the United States. That would mean these pelicans picked the perfect place to live. We came for the annual fish festival and left stuffed to the gills. They had every kind of fish dish you can imagine, and then some. Fishing vessels were docked alongside the processing plant, and I captured these fellas preening themselves, oblivious to all the commotion around them. Sea birds in Florida coexist with fishing and are not afraid of humans at all. Anyway, this reminded me that I need to come back to Cortez on a regular workday to see everything in action. It's one of the first places I came with the new Sony camera about five years ago, and I always find something interesting to shoot here. And, as one of the last villages of it's kind, it is a little bit of history.

Sunset Watchers

Cortez is one of the last fishing villages on the east coast of the United States. That would mean these pelicans picked the perfect place to live. We came for the annual fish festival and left stuffed to the gills. They had every kind of fish dish you can imagine, and then some. Fishing vessels were docked alongside the processing plant, and I captured these fellas preening themselves, oblivious to all the commotion around them. Sea birds in Florida coexist with fishing and are not afraid of humans at all. Anyway, this reminded me that I need to come back to Cortez on a regular workday to see everything in action. It's one of the first places I went with the new Sony camera about five years ago, and I always find something interesting to shoot here. And, as one of the last villages of it's kind, it is a little bit of history.

Banff Springs Driveway

I took this about six years ago while staying at the Banff Springs hotel in Alberta. This was out back facing the conference area. The Banff Springs is a massive property with majestic views of the Canadian Rockies on all sides. While there I walked around taking shots of everything. This image has a nice leading line and captures some of the environmental elements. I've had three bracketed frames in my archives for a long time. Now that I have the newest Aurora HDR software from Skylum, processing it is easier than ever. I've been going back into the archives a lot lately. It's funny how you see things in a different light over time. I wish I could go back and change my camera settings, but it's also good to notice how my technique has improved. The mountains, on the other hand, have not changed, they are just as majestic as ever. Time for another road trip.

Ocean Drive

Is it just me or does it seem like we get a lot of Supermoons? This is a picture of the last one, which is the one before the next one. These moon photos are a bear to take. Unless you have a very long lens, like 600mm or more, the moon doesn't look that big. Also, the composition is a little tricky because if you expose for the moon, everything else is too dark. If you expose for everything else, the moon is too light. In the end, I created a composite with two photos. The moon exposure is combined with the bridge exposure. Despite the challenges, it's a lot of fun, and I'll probably plan on doing another one. With all these supermoons coming, I'll have plenty of chances to get it right.

Yet Another Supermoon

Is it just me or does it seem like we get a lot of Supermoons? Nevertheless, this was the last one, before the next one. These moon photos are a bear to take. Unless you have a very long lens, like 600mm or more, the moon doesn't look that big. Also, the composition is a little tricky because if you expose for the moon, everything else is too dark. If you expose for everything else, the moon is too light. In the end, I created this composite with the moon exposure blended with the bridge exposure, so this is two photos. Despite the challenges, it's a lot of fun, and I'll probably plan on doing another one soon. With all these supermoons coming, I'll have plenty of chances to get it right.

Simple Light

Across the street is a fence, and beyond that are bushes and a field. It's not much to look at unless, maybe, the light is just right. Almost anything can look good in the right kind of light; however, I'm not entirely sure why that is. Technically, photos are just recordings of light bouncing off things. And for whatever reason, certain kinds of light resonate more than others; both consciously and subconsciously. Some of my favorite photos are simple scenes like this. Here is a link to Shin Ikegami on Flickr (https://www.flickr.com/photos/tyobita1985/). He has incorporated this idea into his art and taken it to a whole new level. I think it's safe to say that sometimes, simplicity speaks more to us than seemingly smart complicated images. I'm sure there is an excellent reason for that too.

Stern Morning

Crossing the North Atlantic in a straight line, each morning you could watch the sunrise from the stern of the ship. Without this constant, there is little else for orientation. Admittedly, getting up early on vacation to watch the sunrise sounds insane. But crossing the ocean on a ship leaves plenty of time to nap throughout the day. Trust me; sleep is not a problem. Likewise, in the evening you could see the sunset from the bow, but, at that time it seems you're always busy getting ready for one thing or another. So early mornings and late evenings are the best time to take pictures on a cruise ship. And that, my fellow travelers, is your cruise ship tip of the day.

New Bridge

The new bridge at Robinson Preserve presents an open invitation to cross over to a winding trail with ponds, marshes, and wildlife on all sides. The image I posted yesterday was not far from this spot, but the weather could not have been more different. That image was on a foggy morning, and this is at the end of the day. The light in each tells an entirely different story. As usual, the story is mostly in our mind. With these types of landscape images, we all see the same thing, yet we fill in different details. And, as with life, we perceive in it what we want to see. I think self-projection is one of the purposes of art, to allow us to muse upon things that are reflections of ourselves.

Returning Home

Hang out at Longboat Pass in the evening, and you'll see a stream of boats returning to dock just after sunset. It keeps the drawbridge operator quite busy. This is a shot using a Playpod at the water's edge. In this age of drones, it's nice to have a tool that helps create a somewhat unique low-down perspective. Not that I have anything against drones, they are fun and provide excellent viewpoints. But angles like this are just as rewarding. I've not been to the beach for sunset in a while, so I almost forgot how to photograph the whole golden hour; I nearly left too early. I was heading to the car and noticed another photographer just getting out. That reminded me that sometimes the best light occurs after the sun goes down. So I headed back to the shoreline and took this along with a few others. Then, after squeezing the last ounce of light from the sky, it was finally time to head home.