Photo Story

Christmas Lights Santa Plays Baseball in St. Petersburg Florida

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Santa an an elf (?) playing baseball before Christmas!If you were wondering what Santa was up to two weeks before his lone out of home work day, it seems he was out playing baseball here in St. Petersburg.  I thought this was a pretty funny subject matter to have Christmas lights for so I was glad I had my DSLR with me.  Such photographs can be made handheld no problem as one only needs to expose for the lights of the subject.  Having the background remain all black is a plus for a lights shot.  

What are the funniest, most unusual Christmas or holiday lights in your town? 

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    • Help-Portrait 2011 St. Petersburg Florida behind the scenes

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    Jam packed with photographers and gear getting ready to start Help-Portrait 2011 in St. Petersburg, FloridaToday was the third annual Help-Portrait global movement for providing free printed portraits as a way of giving back to those in need.  It was my first time to participate.  I did not know what to expect exactly as I was having a hard time imagining what it would look like with so many mini-studio setups in one place.  I was surprised to walk into the room and see the above scene . . . so much gear!

    What Help-Portrait is all about - Nikon D300 Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm @ f/5.6 ISO 200 1/60th Strobist: SB-800 @ 1/4 power & SB-600 @ 1/8 power behind shoot through umbrellasThis was the first family I had the opportunity to photograph this morning.  I always like to, when possible, have the family members be in contact with each other somehow, which is why I asked the boy on the right to put his hand on his little brother's shoulder.

    Having fun having their portrait made at Help-Portrait 2011 St. Petersburg FloridaThe atmosphere in the room was great and there were big smiles all around.  It is really fun to make photographs in such an environment.  It was also a chance for me to see other photographer's portrait setups and learn a few things myself.

    Help-Portrait photographer volunteers wearing t-shirts with the Help-Portrait logoWhen there was some time between photographing families we made portraits of ourselves with the other volunteers we met this day.  If you have a lighting setup and people standing around, photographs will get made!

    One of the photographers from Help-Portrait with her own custom made Help-Portrait t-shirt!I really enjoyed being involved with Help-Portrait and hope to be able to do so again next year.  For more information about Help-Portrait please visit their official website.

    Signs of Fall and Winter in Florida

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    Pine cone stuck to a swinging bench - Nikon D300 Nikkor AF-S 105mm VR f/2.8G lens @ f/4 ISO 200 1/100thFall and winter in west-central Florida are not constants.  For example, just Wednesday a cold front came through bringing hours of rain and arctic (for us) 48 degree weather at night and 50s during the day Thursday.  Today is Friday and I am writing in shorts and short sleeves with the ceiling fan on and all the windows open.  Summer returned.  

    So it is difficult to be a traditional seasonal photographer in this part of Florida.  There are no autumn leaves to photograph to time stamp an image to have been made in the fall.  There is of course certainly no snow to illustrate any given photo is from winter.  

    Seeing this pine cone wedged on a bench swing was the most autumnal scene I have observed this year.  Post a link to your photographs that represent fall and winter in Florida to you below in the comments, and for non-Floridians, I enjoy seeing what real fall and winter look like too! 

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    • Vinoy Renaissance Hotel Mahaffey Theater The Pier St Petersburg Landmarks at twilight

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    Vinoy Renaissance Hotel east view - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/11 ISO 200 3-exposure HDR handheld

    Through my DSLR Photography teaching I am often out with students around various St. Petersburg landmarks.  Each of the three photographs in this post were made on different days while out on a lesson in the evening time.  

    The HDR image above is of the Vinoy Renaissance Hotel & Resort looking at it from the east along 5th Ave North.  At this time the setting sun was sidelighting the hotel and the tall palm trees in front of it.  The lighting is what made me stop and suggest to the student I was with that she photograph it from this angle.  I made my own shot of the hotel.  I knew HDR would produce the best results so even though I did not have my tripod with me I steadied my shooting position and fired off a 3-bracket exposure.  

    Mahaffey Theater east view - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/8 ISO 200 7-exposure HDR tripod mountedThe Mahaffey Theater was not the primary subject matter during this particular photography lesson, the new Dali Museum was, but I had always liked the architecture of the Mahaffey even when it had this area all to itself.  The sky was a fantastic purple that evening.  

    The Pier at twilight south view - Nikon D300 Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D @ f/8 ISO 200 1/80th handheldThe Pier is by far the most well known landmark of St. Petersburg, and perhaps the one with the least amount of life left as three new designs to replace the inverted pyramid have just been finalized by the city.  This landmark is most often photographed from the north and west, so I was glad to have a unique chance to photograph it from the south from a restricted access point at a marina I was able to get access to thanks to the photography student's mom having a boat docked there.  

    The Future is on the Street

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    I did not edit this photo, so much as I imagined it . . .I do not want to explain the technical aspects of the above image.  I made it based on a feeling I had this evening.  I was thinking of the street and of the future.  A home can be a cocoon, especially on a cold day.  Desire to go outside lessens in favor of remaining inside, in warmth.  However, the street is always out there.  On the street is a network.  There is a potential to go anywhere, do anything.

    The future is on the street too.  The future is not going to come from within one's home.  Pieces of the future can trickle into it, but they will not spring from it.  

    How is photography connected to the street and to the future?  That is up to the individual photographer to express.

    Photography Tip:  make an image based on a thought, not thinking of exif data

    Double Headed Cabbage Palm of Cape Coral Florida State Tree

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    A rare double headed cabbage palm in Cape Coral Florida - Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/8 ISO 200 1/320thI would say that this double headed cabbage palm is the most famous object in all of Cape Coral, Florida.  I cannot even think what the second most would be.  The cabbage palm itself, in normal single head form, is the Florida state tree.  Personally, I think the cabbage palm is perhaps the least good looking of all palm trees in Florida.

    While visiting Cape Coral a few years ago someone tipped me off to the existence of this most unusual tree.  I was able to find it, but I cannot recall the reason why I did not photograph it at that time.  This time I sought it out prepared to shoot it. 

    It does not hold any hallowed ground, living its life in a very humble bit of land that serves as the median of a suburban road in a little traveled part of Cape Coral.  

    If you would like to visit the most famous denizen of Cape Coral, you can find it here:


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    The Pier Trolley warp through St. Petersburg

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    On The Pier Trolley in St. Petersburg Florida - Nikon D300 with Tamron 17-50mm lens @ f/11 ISO 200 10 sec on Induro CT214 tripod with cable releaseThe results of this photograph were a complete surprise.  After the ten second exposure when the image popped up on the back of my DSLR I said, "wow."  I was in the middle of teaching a DSLR Photography Lesson at The Pier.  The student and I were up on the top of The Pier making long exposure night cityscape shots.  We came down to wait for the trolley and prepped to make light trail shots once we got back to Beach Drive where there were more cars.  While on the trolley I just casually stood my tripod up.  I decided to push the shutter on the cable release.  The above shot was the result.  

    Photography Tip:  make a shot when you would never think to

    If I had collapsed my tripod legs and had it and the camera leaning up against my shoulder as I normally would have when on the trolley, this shot would not exist.  If I had not thought, "what the heck, I'll just push the shutter and see what happens," there would be no shot like this.

    Now, on my own time I will return and take the trolley and on purpose try to make even better shots than this as I think the results are super cool and I am sure with a few improvements in technique and settings it can be done.  Once I do that I will post again detailing the technique I used.  I cannot wait! 

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