Historic Round Lake Park St Petersburg Florida

Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 handheld 3-bracket HDRWhen away from home and packing a lunch, it is always my preference to consume it outdoors.  Back in June I needed just such an outdoor spot for four lunches.  To my fortune Historic Round Lake Park, a hidden gem of St. Petersburg, Florida, was just a block and a half away.  The small park was all alone, so I was happy to befriend it along with the squirrels and birds.  The small round "lake" itself was not much of note so I did not even photograph it, choosing instead the grand Live Oak above whose shade I gladly sat in.

Royal Palm Trees -- handheld 3-bracket HDREven though I have beheld them for decades, Royal Palm Trees still hold an exoticness to me.  This triple cluster of Royal Palms in Historic Round Lake Park were of uncommon height.  It looked to me they were each racing each other to the sun.

Banyan Tree of Historic Round Lake Park -- handheld 3-bracket HDRNow that I think about it, for such a tiny park it is home to some magnificent trees.  Decorating the eastern half of the park is the expansive Banyan Tree seen above.  Like many other Banyan trees in the area, it has been defiled by fools seeking their name to be known of that as a defiler of nature.  I apologized to the tree for these slights.  Trees are very forgiving creatures.  

Visit the park yourself for lunch:

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Sunny Florida at f/11 project #03 - Royal Palms

Nikon D300 Tamron XR Di II 17-50mm f/2.8 @ f/11 ISO 200 3-bracket HDRIt has been over a month since I last did anything with my own personal photography project -- Sunny Florida at f/11.  So today I made sure to bring my Nikon D300 with me as I knew I would be in an area I had not been in before with an hour to spare.  The weather cooperated, as it does most days, and provided me with the sunny-ness this project requires.  

Now I always tell people you need to use a tripod to make HDR shots, and well, I broke my own rule as I did not have my tripod with me, and really it is busted beyond use as well, so instead of my usual 7 or 9 bracket HDR technique, I just did this handheld 3-bracket shot.  I even had to hold my D300 over my head.  I only tried it twice (this is the second attempt above).  The first attempt was ok, but the for the second one I really focused on my breathing and held my breath as I held the shutter down.  The exhaling technique does not work as well as just holding my breath for me.  

The three, tall, royal palm trees all grew out of the same cluster base.  If a botanist can tell us if they are all sisters or all one tree that would be cool.