Tis the Season . . .

Photo taken during the Murder City 5th Annual Christmas Lights Walk.

Sloshing through St. Augustine

This weekend was our annual trip to St. Augustine to see the beautiful lights and the boat parade. We meet up with friends who ride there on their scooters. We are all old friends from our bicycle riding days. Some still ride, and some a little less often. That would be me. Have to change that in the new year. I am still trying to figure out a good way to carry my camera and a tripod.

On the trip up we stopped at Fort Matanzas. To get there one takes a small ferry across Matanzas Bay(about five minutes or less). It's a small fort but very picturesque. We lucked out with having re enactors there to fire the cannon.

The second stop was to the St. Augustine Light. We actually paid for the opportunity to climb the 219 steps to the top. Its worth the effort for the 360 degree view of St. Augustine and the Atlantic Ocean.

Soon after heading towards the old town of St. Augustine, the rains came and never really stopped until after we left the next morning. We decided to forego the boat parade and went to dinner at Schooner's, a seafood restaurant north of St. Augustine. After dinner three of us drove around town to see the lights.

Photography in the rain can be a challenge, so I only used my Sony RX100 and also my Canon G10 infrared converted camera. With raingear and an umbrella it was manageable. Starting home Sunday morning it was still raining but decided to park and walk around town anyways. Overcast and wet streets usually make the photos better. In an effort to discover some new areas we walked south to the National Cemetery. There were fresh wreaths on each grave stone. Quite a beautiful site. Talking with a lady who was there we found out about a program called "Wreaths Across America." Every December a fresh wreath is laid on the graves of service men and women in the National Cemeteries across the country. The motto is "Remember, Honor and Teach."

St. Augustine National Cemetery

Lightner Museum Courtyard Infrared

Avile Street - Sony RX100 In camera HDR

Discovering a Hidden Gem amongst the Suburban Sprawl

A friend told me about the Everglades Trail along Shingle Creek in the Hunter's Creek subdivision. This is the headwaters for the Everglades. The beginning of it is just across the street from my office off of John Young Parway. I had been there once before and thought it was a nice trail so I went back to check it out again. Of course I had a camera with me this time. I didn't bother with a tripod because I was just exploring and it was high noon. Not the best time of day for photography. I saw several birds, turtles, squirrels but missed the otter that others said they saw. Maybe next time I will get there early and see more wildlife. The best part is that this trail is only four miles from my office. Could be a lunch time getaway.

Shingle Creek - the headwaters of the Everglades

Ocala Horse Farms

Great day after Thanksgiving photographing Horses, Horse Farms and Fence lines in Ocala with some fellow photographers. Infrared works well with the landscapes of farms and fence lines. The horses were all gorgeous. The last stop before home was the Gypsy Gold Ranch where they breed Gypsy Vanner horses. The owners were very hospitable and invited us to look around the ranch and take pictures. The horses weren't in groomed condition so were not as photogenic but all were all beautiful and very friendly.

Cleaning out, Reworking and Having Fun!

Topaz Simplify BuzSim

As I try my best to organize the mess I have made of my photo library, I come across images that I took awhile back. It's fun to rework them with new skills I have learned and also try some interesting filters, textures and effects.

Two sailboats barely visible in the dense December fog. I like the effect of the texture overlay.

Going for a vintage photo with faded photo and scratched effect
 

Jekyll Island Boneyard

Sunrise at Boneyard Beach, 30 second exposure

On the trip back from my Macro Workshop in Charlotte I had a stop over in Jekyll Island, Georgia. I have been wanting to go there to photography the famous Boneyard Beach at sunrise and now I was getting the chance. The trouble with just a one night stay is that you never can predict what the weather and light conditions will be. I had good weather but crystal clear skies and low tide. You can't have everything but I made the best with what I had. I will try to go back again to get different and hopefully better conditions. I hiked out to the beach in the daylight after arriving to scout out the best locations. Early, I mean early in the morning in the dark I hiked back out to the spots I had chosen. Now, the tide was out and everything took on a different look. It would have been nice to have more water coming in under the drift wood to get the silky soft water I have seen in photos. Next time.

Problems I encountered was getting too much grain in the long exposures and chromatic aberration. I can fix them both in Lightroom, but would like to start with less of both. Before leaving I explored the historical district of the island and took some infrared shots.

Added some clouds in this image.

Macro Road Trip

Sunrise at Folly Pier

Old City of Charleston

Private Garden

"Rainbow" Row along the waterfront

Macro Images from Mike Moats workshop

Nautilus Shell

Watch and parts

I decided to sign up for a Macro Workshop put on my photographer Mike Moats. I missed all of his workshops that were close to home, so I found one near Charlotte, NC that I could drive to. In order to make this a more interesting trip I planned stops on the way up in Charleston and the trip back at Jekyll Island. In Charleston, I explored the Magnolia Cemetary, walked over the new Ravenel Bridge, walked around the old city and in the morning took sunrise shots at Folly Pier. By the time I got to the old city it was getting dark, so I returned in the morning to take some infrared photos of the gardens. My next stop was Mooresville, north of Charlotte for the two and a half day Macro Workshop. Good thing it was all indoors, because the morning temperature of 27 degrees broke a record. Mike teaches in a way that is simple to understand and using affordable equipment can be accomplished. Friday night session was an intro into his work and background, an overview of the necessary equipment. Saturday he went over techniques for shooting macro and in the afternoon, we each had a station and a large variety of subjects to photograph. I rented a macro lens for the week but found out later that some of the lenses I already have would have worked. I am still contemplating wether or not I need a dedicated macro lens. The trip home was broken up by an overnight stay at Jekyll Island. More on Jekyll Island in the next post.

More sunflowers before they are gone

Marl Bed Flats, a quarter mile hike from Oakway Lane



North Lake Jesup Tract

Hillsborough River

HDR of Rusted Truck in front of Smokehouse Restaurant on Rt. 301

Class II Rapids on Hillsborough River

 

Long Exposure 3 seconds at f/16 using a variable ND filter

I went to Tampa to participate in the World Wide Photo Walk in Ybor City lead by the Photoshop Guys, Pete Collins and Corey Barker.This photowalk was supposed to be i-phones only and the plan was to shoot lots of textures that can later be used in designs and photo montages. I used my Sony Rx-100 since I don't have an I-phone. We were also joined by RC and Brad Moore. It was a great time and we had some pizza afterwards and shared some of the images. I didn't want to drive home late so I reserved a campsite at Hillsborough River State Park. The benefit of camping is that you can get up early and have the park to yourself for photography. Normally the state parks don't open until 8 or 9 am. Usually too late for the good light. I wanted to check out the river rapids and try some long exposure shots.

In Search of Sunflowers, Part Two

To be more exact, they are helianthus angustifolius, also referred to as narrow leaf sunflowers, and swamp sunflowers. I returned to the North Lake Jesup track a little before sunrise and tromped through the wet, tall grass. My feet and pants were soaked in minutes but it was worth it. The sunrise added some nice color with the sunflowers in the foreground. A small lake (pond) also provided some opportunities for reflections.

North Lake Jesup Tract at sunrise

Next stop was the Marl Bed Flats. I finally found it thanks to a great map I found online. The GPS took me previously to the wrong part of the correct road. It's about a half mile hike out to the flats. I met some people who had a remote control aircraft with a GoPro camera attached. They were seeing what it was filming on the I-Phone. So cool! After that I saw two artists painting picutres. At least they didn't have to worry about shooting into the sun.

I tried not to think of what creatures could be lurking in the dense flowers and high grass. Almost every picture had some jet streams in the sky due to the closeness of Sanford International Airport. If the flowers last I may try one more time getting out there either early or late and see what I can do. After that it won't be until next year to shoot the sunflowers.

In search of sunflowers

"Swamp Sunflowers" at the North Lake Jesup Tract

Shot in the late afternoon at the North Lake Jesup Tract

After seeing a fellow photographers photo of these beautiful sunflowers next to Lake Jesup, I started doing a little research to see if I could find and photograph the flowers. I was pretty sure that he photographed the flowers from off of the highway. I found a blog about photo locations so I went off (with a good friend willing to help me explore) to find some of the locations mentioned. The gps took me to where I thought the trail head was, but it was nothing more than a dead end road. I tried another location where there is a park. We started out on the hiking trail. Before even getting into the woods, a snake crossed my path. I couldn't identify it but it can't be good. Not 30 yards down the trail, it was under water. Time to try something else. I found a couple to fishermen coming out of the woods so I approached and asked if they could help me find the flowers. They gave me directions to another location where I finally took some pictures of the flowers. I hope to get back out and try some other spots before the flowers are gone.

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Trolleys

You know the places that are close by but you never have visited? Well, I was up in Connecticut and Massachusetts visiting my Dad and we were trying to think of something to do. I have passed by the signs between home and the airport for the Trolley Museum for probably more than 30 years. So this time we decided to check it out. We started out watching the movie and then went out to ride a trolley. They have pretty much non stop trolley rides on various restored trolleys. The one we rode was a unique top-less version with stadium seating. I think it was originally used in Canada. We had a fun time riding the trolley. The museum also has a fire engine museum which had a least a dozen restored fire trucks. We wandered around in the back where they were restoring more trolleys and buses. This area was not really for the general public but no one seemed to mind too much. I loved the old, rusted trolleys with all the textures. It was a fun visit and something I can check off my list.

The motormen

We rode this open air trolley with the "stadium" seats

Waiting for restoration. My family was from Kenmore, NY and I lived there when I was born. Too young to remember any trolleys.

Graphic patterns and textures

"Water color" Reflections

 

Early morning at Portofino Hotel brings out spectacular colors from the buildings reflected in their little harbor. The photos take on a water color appearance. It's fun to find things to photograph without having to travel very far.