Ghosty Pine

This was taken off the Sanibel Causeway.  Many of the shorelines that have trees here in South East and South West Florida have pines...and I love how delicate the needles look so I'm prone to try to incorporate them into my photos.  This night...the air conditioning in the car was clearly a lot colder than the ambient air...so I didn't notice that the lens was fogged up until I got home and looked at the photos.  It took me a while to figure out why the first few  looked like this.  Then as I looked at this one...I kind of liked the effect. Stuff happens...and sometimes it ends up better than you expect :o)

Rainy Sunset

I haven't posted in ages...life has been too busy to allow me time for fun stuff. Is it just me or is time moving a lot faster than it used to? I think time is like money...now $20 dollars doesn't go as far as it did before...$100 is the new $20...well a month is the new week and the week is the new day.  Hopefully you're not experiencing the same thing.

Anyway...so this was taken on the Sanibel causeway...our usual haunt when I'm in Ft. Myers. Someone was getting some wicked rain that evening...but it was beautiful where we were.

Hope you're all doing well and enjoying your time behind the camera! Snap on people...

Egret Warning

I followed this Great Egret all over the place and took many shots of him...but this one is totally my favorite.  He hung out on this piling for the longest time...as if he was just dying for me to get him and his message.  Before we headed to the fishing spot this day, I bought a guide to Florida's Gulf Coast Birds at the bait shop...thank God I did or I would have had no idea what he was.  Also...it shares that during mating season this wading bird displays long lacy plumes on it's back...that was one of the things that most drew my attention when I first saw him was those beautiful strands feathering off it's back.

Pelican Stare Down

 We went to Mom's for her birthday and spent Sunday afternoon under the Sanibal bridge fishing...well actually I was chilling, taking in some sun, breeze and a few pics.  I found a couple piers and while I was looking at them...this pelican swooped down and landed on the end of the pier in front of me.  So I inched out toward him.

He noted me...but didn't seem intimidated...although he kept an eye on me.

After awhile he seemed to get comfortable and settled in.

Then I guess I got a little too close...he extended his neck and stared me down...and showed off that wicked claw on the end of his beak...yikes! So I decided to leave him be...it was a gift to have gotten that close to begin with.

Dark Sky

This was taken a couple summers ago from the water at the Sanibal lighthouse beach.  Clearly there was a storm brewing...but it was so awesome in the water...we (along with a lot of others) stayed until the rain came. But I just had to get a photo because the dark sky against the blue/green water was too much for me to resist.
To see more skies from around the world visit Skywatch Friday.

Winfsurfing Sunset

Mom and I were on the Sanibel causeway catching the sunset a few weeks ago...and this parasailer was enjoying it in a whole different way.  He was gliding back and forth parallel to the shore...so he interjected himself into my photos quite a bit...but I didn't really mind :o)

Fan of Clouds

Here's one I took a few months ago while watching the sunset on the Sanibel causeway.  The sky was amazing that night and changed dramatically over and over...I think I took over 150 photos that night.

Sanibel Dawn

This was taken one morning on Sanibel island at the lighthouse beach...waiting on the sun to arrive.

Blue Heron and Friend

While recently taking photos of the sunset over Sanibel Island, my Mom called out to me and when I turned I saw hug wings beating their way past me and all of a sudden the bird landed and this graceful, beautiful heron appeared.  I'd actually never seen one of them fly before...their wingspans look huge! Anyway, he hung out to watch the sunset too with a little friend.  It was nice to have the company!

Sanibel Sunset - Brrrrrrr!

Went to the Sanibel causeway tonight to catch the sunset.  It was cold...didn't seem to big a deal...but an hour into it I felt like I was up north and forgot to bundle up!  Yikes!  But...it was worth it.  Looked so the same for the longest time...and then just minutes before it got really dark...I got this phenomenal sight. Amazing...I never did see the sun, but the color tonight was awesome :o)  Happy Valentines Day!

Wind Blown Pine

This was taken along the Sanibel causeway during the last minutes of the sunset.  The wind was blowing quite hard and in the low light I couldn't capture the details in the tree, but in retrospect I kind of like how the movement is captured in the pine...helps me remember the evening better :o)

Moment of Sunrise

Coming, coming, peeking and then finally showing itself...it was a majestic morning...I really should get up earlier more often!

Coquina on Sanibel Shoreline

At the beach on Sanibel and I noticed these tiny shells all over the shoreline but didn't really pay attention. Then later started noticing they would disappear everytime a wave came and then they'd re-appear. So...I switched on the video and went in for a closer look. It really grossed us out! But I checked in a shell book later than night and found they are Coquina a small live clam that lives in abundance along Atlantic shores. Never saw them before or since...but they were pretty cool to watch...

Things Just Not Coming Together

Sometimes when I'm taking photos I have days when things just come together: composition, color, lighting, focus, subject matter and I come away with at least one photo that captures all the elements important to me. Other days...like this day...I capture a piece here and another there, but not enough are in the same shot to really make me love the photo.
This one I love the placement, the colors, the different textures in the grasses and although the focus isn't clear on anything I kind of like it...almost gives me a sense of the breeze. BUT I didn't catch the beacon on the lighthouse properly. So when I look at this one...I'm pleased with most of it, but that half light bothers me...

In this one, I actually like the grasses more than the first...they're more distinct and you get more of the green (I love green!). I got the light and the composition pleases me...BUT the lighthouse itself is too out of focus for my taste...this one bugs me too.

Then this one is just lacking something...focus is ok, the light was dead center...but it's plain...blah, blah, blah.

Oh well...tomorrow is another day! I will say this was the first time I had ever noticed the lighthouse being lit. Can't say it never was before, but if so, I'd never noticed before...so good photos or not that was kind of cool :0)

Waiting on the Sunrise

Caught these folks waiting for the sun to rise off-shore from the Sanibel lighthouse recently. What a nice way to start the morning...out on the sea, feeling the waves and listening to the birds :o)

Ft Myers Sunrise

Haven't posted in ages but I have been taking pictures here and there during my down time. Spent last weekend in Ft Myers. We headed over to the Sanibel lighthouse to watch the sun come up on Friday morning...I took alot of pics that I'll post over time. I really liked this one. Love the contrast between the land and sky...and that one lone star hanging in the sky. It was a great morning.

Rainy Sunset

Spent a few days in Ft Myers with some friends from London. On Tuesday we headed over to Sanibel for lunch, it was a rainy afternoon. Coming back over the causeway the rain completely grayed out the eastern horizon but to the west it was a clear, beautiful sunset. We parked in the rain and watched the sun go down as the windshield wipers methodically beat.

Evenually the rain spread across the sun and filtered it so all we could see was a red ball hanging in the sky. I just love the Florida skys :o)

Go and check out more Skywatch images at the Skywatch Site!

Waves and Sun

I love the sunsets at Bowmans Beach on Sanibel Island so I take photos there often. This is from one of our vists there. I really liked how the waves lined up to carry your eye right to what's left of the sun.

Father & Daughter Moment

This was taken a few weeks ago when I was on the Sanibel Causeway watching the sunset. A little family was watching alongside us and the kids were playing in along the shore right in front of me so they ended up in a few of my photos. I caught this sweet moment between the youngest daughter and her Daddy. That evening there were a few jet streams across the sky, you can see one of them in this shot...almost looks like a shooting star :o)

Glistening Gulf

This was taken through the tinted window of a car as we drove over the Sanibel Island causeway. I really liked the way the water was glistening :o)