Fine Art

Sailboat reflections in St. Petersburg downtown harbor HDR

The marina across from the Vinoy Hotel sailboat reflections - Nikon D300 with Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 lens @ f/11 ISO 200 3-bracket HDR handheld

One day I will have to go out and make fine art photographs like this on purpose, as this one was made while teaching a DSLR Photography Lesson.  I noticed the sailboats' masts reflecting in the water and thought this makes this spot look much more interesting than the other 198 times I have seen and walked by it.  I normally do not center the horizon so much in the frame, but for certain reflection shots it works.  I left the top of the sky and did not crop right to the top of the masts to let the sky itself have more of a place in the photograph instead of only featuring the boats themselves.  

Taking three bracketed shots and using HDR processing allowed for a much more colorful and detailed image than the single exposure photo I took first.  I liked the scene, but I recognized that a single exposure may only leave me with a black & white choice for a final image, whereas also taking bracketed shots for HDR gave me an additional option to pick from once I returned home and looked at the photos on my 24" monitor.  

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  • Palm Tree Horizon Twilight Pink to Blue Fine Art Photograph St Petersburg Florida

    A low angle view of The Pier with a palm tree horizon & pink to blue twilight sky - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 lens @ f/11 ISO 200 1/60th mounted on Induro CT214 tripod with Nikon MC-30 cable release

    The most interesting period of the 24 hours we call a day, for me, is the transition from day to night.  Surprisingly, this is something that can be captured in a photograph.  The blue sky of day first turns pink (as seen above) in twlight before sinking to complete black at night.  What if the Earth always faced the sun as the Moon always faces the Earth?  What type of creatures would have evolved on a world with constant sunlight?  Everything on Earth is so cyclical.  I wonder about a world where everything is constant. 

    Warm Pass-A-Grille Florida Winter Sunset HDR

    Pass-A-Grille Beach Florida sunset - Nikon D300 f/11 ISO 200 5-bracket HDRAs I sit here in shorts & a t-shirt with all the windows of my apartment open, and the ceiling fan on, let me extend a welcome to everyone who is perhaps suffering from a less palatable winter to visit the tranquil & warm Pass-A-Grille Beach at the very tip of St. Petersburg, Florida.  This beach is a great escape, with just the right mix of available entertainment and solitude.  Plus, how cool will it be to tell your friends & family you visited a place called "Pass-A-Grille?"

    If you do visit this lovely place, please consider preserving your memories with professional beach photography.  I offer several candid portrait packages for families or individuals.  What would look better than a photo of you (and your family/friends) printed on a beautiful canvas gallery wrap hanging on your wall to remind you of Florida's warmth the next time a snow storm makes going outside just an impossible thought. 

    2010 Winter Solstice Moon Reflection Snell Isle Florida

    Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 @ f/8 ISO 200 13sec tripod mounted (knee high) with cable releaseI first saw the winter solstice moon as I was driving home from the dog park with Kiki.  It looked very large in the sky rising over the tower of the Vinoy Golf & Country Club.  I knew as a photographer this was something I should photograph.  I quickly fed Kiki dinner (Taste of the Wild dry dog food) then got my Nikon D300 ready for long exposure shooting, i.e. attach the cable release and mount it on the tripod.

    I was in time as there was still some light left in the fading twilight sky.  Without this light my shot would not have turned out as colorful.  The water of Smacks Bayou was very uncharacteristically like glass, but even the slight water movement can be seen in the shape of the moon's oblong reflection.  

    Did you photograph the winter solstice moon?  If so, please share your links in the comments below.

    2011 Florida Calendar now available for order!

    ORDER YOUR 2011 "SCENES FROM FLORIDA" FINE ART CALENDAR TODAY

    $50 with free shipping!*

     

    Featuring twelve unique fine art photographs, this 2011 calendar does not feature the typical images of Florida, but rather a very diverse series of images ranging from landscapes, to wildlife, to sunsets.  Orders may be placed using this form.  *Free shipping is provided to U.S. address only.

    ORDER YOUR 2011 SCENES FROM FLORIDA fine art calendar today!!

    • Makes a great souvenir gift for visiting friends & family

    Sunny Florida at f/11 project #06 - St Petersburg Florida Harbor HDR

    Nikon D300 with Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 lens @ f/11 ISO 200 3-bracket handheld HDR

    The sixth entry in my ongoing Sunny Florida f/11 project is an HDR image of the harbor in downtown St. Petersburg in front of The Pier.  Despite the harbor's small size dolphins and manatees regularly swim in it, and pelicans dive alone the seawall on a regular basis.  There is something I really like about this harbor myself that is ineffable.  The small cluster of trees on the left horizon is my favorite spot in the entire city which offers great views of Tampa Bay to the east and the downtown St. Petersburg skyline to the west.  Then in the gap between there and the park on the other side pass dolphins (photographed here) and manatee in water that can be fairly clear at times.  It is a position of power commanding viewership over the whole area.

    The harbor does not provide infallible protection from storms though as these recent photographs of a jilted sailboat illustrate. 

    Favorite Five Photographs from 2009

    2009 was the year I really got into HDR photography -- Colt Creek State Park in summer

    5 - Colt Creek State Park - category: HDR

    Not too long ago I did not like HDR photography at all.  Today, I love it and will have an HDR image in a collective retrospective exhibition of historical photographs of Saint Petersburg.  This HDR image of wetlands in Colt Creek State Park is one of my top five favorites of 2009 because I felt this park was an overlooked if not ignored state park.  It is a fairly new state park, only a couple years old.  I could almost feel the lack of photographs taken at this park, which is a shame as the wetlands were expansive and white ibis and other water birds flew in and out of them in flocks.  Someday I will return to this park and camp there in order to photograph it at sunrise.

     

    I photographed my first wedding in 2009 and learned it is not all stuffy formal photos.

    4 - The Ring Bearer Makes a Point - category: Wedding

    2009 marked my debut as a wedding photographer.  Wedding photography could not be more different than I imagined.  Maybe I have just been lucky, but all the weddings I have photographed have been fun, tension free experiences.  This candid image made in between the formal shots made this list because of the moment it froze and the smiles on their faces.  This is the epitome of my candid style of photography and the types of things I am constantly searching for when photographing a wedding, event or any other gathering of people.

     

    I still feel bad about running over this alligator in my kayak, sorry again dude!

    3 - Eye to Eye with an Alligator  - category: Wildlife

    This alligator photograph makes this list for a variety of reasons:  the long story behind the shot, my first time to really photograph an alligator, my first time to make any photograph from a kayak, and my first real foray into true wildlife photography.  The long story behind this shot can be read here.  After literally driving by the exit for Myakka River State Park on I-75 160 times, 2009 was the year I finally turned off the highway and got out of my car and into a kayak!  Floating added to the technical challenge of making this photograph, as was having to steady my hands on the camera knowing I was only a few feet away from this sizable alligator in his (her?) natural element, i.e. water.  However, being in the kayak allowed me to get to eye level with this alligator and having the sun to my back allowed me to get this exposure in the harsh Florida sun.  The experience of making this photograph was the only one that has ever made my heart race.  I cannot wait to shoot from a kayak again!

     

    Six years living in Japan allowed me some unique photography opportunities.

    2 - Four Come of Age in Vivid Kimonos  - category: Culture/Japan

    A friend still living in Japan recently remarked how it is almost cliche to photograph young Japanese girls on Coming of Age Day in their kimonos.  This was not really in my mind last January when I was still living in Japan and fighting the crowds to enter Meiji Jingu Shrine.  However, upon seeing the dozens and dozens of photographers (at least guys with very expensive photo gear) shooting like it was the red carpet at the Oscars, I started to think I am really going to have to dig deep to produce a standout shot, and not just standout from what others are shooting, but to be a shot that standouts to me personally, as ultimately I really only shoot for pleasing myself in these situations.  By not including the girls' heads in the shot, I thought I could put the focus on their kimono, and make an image that years later will make me think, "who were these girls?"  

     

    A true candid portrait, made at pretty much my favorite spot on Earth.

    1 - On Treasure Island You Can Meet Your Other Self*  - category: Candid Portrait

    I differentiate myself from other photographers in the Tampa Bay area by promoting my candid style.  I do not think I will ever be able to make a photograph that illustrates what a candid portrait means to me more than the one above.  This portrait of a boy placing his palms on the shore, closing his eyes, thinking/imagining, and unknowingly making a reflection of himself is a true candid.  He was off playing by himself while I was a distance away, when I noticed he was making a reflection in the wet sand.  I bent my knees to get near his eye level, steadying my 80-200mm lens in my hands, and that's when he went into this symmetrical stance.  I pushed the shutter and made my favorite photograph of 2009.

    *This photograph was critiqued by Scott Bourne himself.