Banyan Tress in downtown St. Petersburg - 7-bracket HDR @ f/11Recently I have had to answer the question of why I live in St. Petersburg to a couple of different people. It would be better to say why I live in the specific part of St. Petersburg I do: Snell Isle & the Old Northeast. That I can answer easily: because of the trees. The neighborhoods here are covered in large trees of many different varieties.
The banyan trees in the above photo are in a non-descript part of downtown on a not so often traveled sidestreet. There are much larger banyan trees on Beach Drive that get lots of attention. As I was walking back to my car from a small photo job I came across these banyans and thought I should make the effort to photograph them and show some of the hidden beauty of the city I live in.
Banyan Tree roots in downtown St. Petersburg - 7-bracket HDR @ f/11Luckily the photo job I had to do required a tripod so I was able to make HDR shots of the banyan trees. I used the tripod on the shortest leg settings, requiring me to sit on the ground for both shots, which is fine with me as I like the slowness using a tripod requires for making shots.
What trees are there in your neighborhood and why do you live in the city you do?