Rooftop with a View

When in Barcelona, the last thing on my mind is taking photos of the sunset. However, if one presents itself, I'm more than happy to oblige. This photo is another that I took from atop the Fira Renaissance. The hotel is outside the main tourist area, so most of the people here were attending conferences. They would come up to the rooftop pool to socialize during happy hour. It still amazes me how structurally sound these buildings must be to support a pool on the top floor - water is so heavy. There is also an indoor pool on the floor below. I guess there is no limit to what people can dream and build.

The Pool on Top

The pool on top of the Renaissance Fira in Barcelona has a fantastic view of the city. As a shutterbug, that ranks pretty high on my list of amenities. I left the big boy camera in the room; all I had was my iPhone 7 Plus. I plan to upgrade, but this is not bad for an outdated iPhone if I do say so myself. I did indeed process it, as I do all my photos, but to get this kind of quality from a four-year-old phone is terrific. When I get the iPhone 11 with its new camera features, maybe I'll take a trip with just the phone. We are getting to the point where big cameras are becoming more of a niche item. Perhaps they'll always be around, but if you can get high-quality photos from a phone, why bother?

Bodacious Sky

I took this from the Green Bridge in Bradenton on a particularly bodacious evening. Does anyone use that word anymore? Bodacious is a west coast word, but I'm from there, so I get a pass. For some reason, a lot of new words come from California. When I was ten, I made up the word "bad" to mean awesome. I actually thought I invented that. Imagine my surprise when I heard it on TV. Surely I picked it up subconsciously somewhere. My vocabulary is not particularly great, enough to get by. But I do get impressed by words all the time. I love the dictionary feature in Kindle. Depending on the author, I might just spend a lot of time in there. It's not as easy as making up my own words, though.

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.

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.

When I See It

If you head down this road for three minutes, you'll end up at the gulf. If you go the other direction for about two hours, you'll end up at the Atlantic. Only in, Florida. I was leaving the gulf and stopped for a different shot when I happened to look back; that's how I came to take this photo. Most of the pictures I take originate from this rather haphazard approach. That's not to say I don't occasionally plan; it's just that planning and this type of photography are only loosely connected. Having a plan gets me out of the house, and that's where the connection ends. Once out of the house, the struggle is figuring out what photos to take; to solve that I try to stay open and aware of what's around me. Over the years, I've developed an aesthetic which largely stems from my personality. So, when I go out to take photos, even though I may not know what I'm looking for, I will generally know it when I see it.

Yellow Stand

These last few days it's been unbearably hot. The last thing I'd want to do is be sitting here all day; unless of course I had nonstop margaritas. The image is a redo of a photo I processed six-years ago. Because the tools and my techniques change so much, I like to redevelop images to contrast and compare to my former self. There's no right and wrong, just different ways to see the same thing. As we head into the middle of summer, I am looking forward to some downtime under a tiki hut sipping a frosty little drink with an umbrella. Umbrellas in glasses are a crucial element for survival in harsh environments. This is an important fact you may wish to remember. You're welcome.

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.

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.

Tweet Storm

I have never been at the center of a Tweet Storm unless of course, we are referring to squawks on the beach. Maybe this is a good metaphor for that. Speaking of which, I just heard the in-depth interview of Jack Dorsey on Sam Harris's podcast. (https://samharris.org/podcasts/148-jack-dorsey/) The guy is pretty zen, way more than I expected. Long story short, Twitter is a work in progress and, from what I can glean, Jack has his heart in the right place. I'm not much of a Twitter guy, I just tweet my photos, but that's probably not the ideal use case. I do like to follow certain people, but I'm not really into participating in public discourse. I'm more contemplative and keep my thoughts to myself. I'm not sure if that's a good thing; but let just say, it is what it is.

Back to Normal

After the long red tide, it's nice to see the beaches back to normal. The fish have returned, and fishers are back at it. A lot of research has gone into determining the causes of the toxic algae bloom. Historically, this has occurred for decades if not centuries. It's possible that man is aggravating it, and it's likely there are other causes, such as colonies of it endemic to the deep in the gulf. Nevertheless, it wreaks havoc on coastal communities in Florida. It's gone for now, and we hope it stays away. But after the last eighteen months, everyone is a little on edge. Most importantly, it gives us a new appreciation for the years when we don't have it.

Beach Battle

There is a barrier of dunes that run the length of Anna Maria Island. Plants grow in the dunes and as a result, protect it from the onslaught of the sea. It's incredible how nature comes up with devices to protect one thing from another. The forces of nature are regularly at war, and the results of the conflict create a boundary that, in this instance, we call a beach. Sometimes I like to get down into the trenches with the troops. In this case, I found a path through the dunes at Manatee Beach. People came to enjoy the sense of peace and tranquility. However, as summer approaches, it will invariably bring new storms that test the resolve of these little dunes. May they hold fast and secure.

Midnight Sun

This was taken about three years ago in Alaska. It was around eleven o'clock at night as the sun slowly inched down. Then, just a few hours later it would creep back up. I took the picture from a ship as we sailed north. This scene was repeated in an endless succession of mountains and untouched wilderness. I was blown away at the vastness of natural landscape here. Until you experience it yourself, it's hard to imagine. And it's equally hard for me to convey in writing. If you have never been to Alaska, put it on your list. There is nothing like a lot of open space and massive mountain peaks to clear out the urban cobwebs and refresh one's sense of perspective.

Pass-A-Grille

I took this photo in Pass-A-Grille. The name is anglicized from the French: Passe Aux Grilleurs. It seems it's always been a favorite place to grill fish. http://www.pass-a-grille.org/history.php I've only been here a few times in the last decade, but I've never grilled fish. Nevertheless, it's just south of it's more famous cousin, St Pete Beach. And unlike the communities just north of it, has a distinct village feel. Anyway, I arrived just before sunset and, just like at all the other beaches in the region, people arrive to watch. In case you haven't noticed, that's a favorite photographic subject for me. I am attracted to the colors in the sky and, the scenes it creates of people watching the spectacle unfold. I think we like watching the sunset because, at a subconscious level, it's a reminder of our place on Earth as it moves through the heavens; and, that we are part of something much much more significant.

Obstructed View

There are so many mangroves along the water that quite often the view is obstructed. But maybe in some cases, it's a good thing. I was walking along a hidden shoreline at Emerson Point in the afternoon when I took this photo. I'm not sure what prompted me, but it seems the focus on the foliage is the subject of this image. Foreground elements are essential, especially in environmental or landscape shots. They're a good idea anyway because they tend to be the first thing we focus on. As our eyes wander, we travel from foreground to the background. The trick in photography is to make that journey enjoyable.

Magical Walkway

This is a magical walkway leading to a hidden land where the sun rests each night. Or, its a boardwalk over the Mangroves in Palmetto. We report, you decide. All the pictures I've published this week are landscapes with water and clouds. Perhaps that has me in a mood to concoct fantasies about the scenery. Fantasies are natural for children, why not us? I think it's cool how the leading line points to the sun. I got this photo from my 2015 archives. Maybe it was my lack of imagination that kept it hidden for so long. Or, perhaps it was meant to be buried forever, protecting the secrets of Neverland from humanity.

Sailors Delight

The saying goes "Red sky at night, sailor’s delight. Red sky in morning, sailor’s warning". And as it turns out, it's mostly right. Having said that, because Florida is a big peninsula, the weather can be unpredictable, especially in the warmer months. Tropical storms boil up from either direction in little time and dissipate just as fast. But for the most part, the old sayings are still relevant. This photo points out over the Gulf of Mexico, so if I launched a sailboat directly west, I'd end up near Corpus Christi. But even though the skies say it's okay, it's not something I'm likely to do. I'm no sailor, and I prefer to stay away from the open seas in a small boat. I'm a cruise ship kind of person and a rough day of sailing means having to wait in line at the seafood buffet.