Category: Bayport

'scene' along the way, a second look, adventure, Bayport, birds, blessings, making memories, nature, perseverance, photography, Rise and shine, sky, sunrise

Sunrise and moonset…

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Saturday night’s sunset was gorgeous, what little I got to see of it. I ran out the door barefooted and took a picture with my phone. When that happens it always makes me want to head out for the sunrise the next morning, as if the color from the night before will somehow make the sunrise just as pretty. I didn’t work, at least the other ladies who happened to be at Bayport taking pictures were complaining that it wasn’t what they had hoped for. ‘Thank goodness for the full moon’, they said. I didn’t disagree, but at the last minute, once the sun was up, the sky did get pretty, and yes, thank goodness for that full moon.

I have tried to take HDR pictures of the moon before but usually Lightroom says it can’t merge the photos. But for some reason this one worked.
The color didn’t fill the sky exactly, but it was lovely in spite of it.
And if you zoomed in a little you were all set!
As you can see, I had company while enjoying the moonset.
He was strutting his stuff…
The sky got paler in this direction as the moon disappeared. According to another onlooker all the markers you see here aren’t for channels in the water. No, they are to mark the location of sunken ships left over from Civil war skirmishes between the confederate militia and union ships from Tampa.
People rarely spoil a shot for me. I usually like the shots better with people, just like this one.
Hmm, does ‘red sky in the morning, sailors take warning’ apply here?
'scene' along the way, a second look, adventure, Bayport, birds, friends, fun, kids, making memories, nature, perseverance, photography, Pine Island, sky, technology, weather

Enjoying life…

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I have to hand it to the lens ball. As a conversation starter it really can’t be beat. Every time I’m out with it someone comments, and I always invite them to take pictures also. And they do, because even the cell phone works like a charm with it. That’s what happened the other night. Two couples were out for the sunset together and they asked about the lens ball and then took their own pictures through it. We had a running conversation all evening, because when it was finally sunset they got to try it again. I saw them as I was leaving and felt like I was saying goodbye to friends. One man said, “Keep enjoying life”, and I’m happy to think that that’s how I came across to them. Because I do.

I’m not sure that this was the most fun shot they might have gotten as a test of the lens ball, but that’s probably the shot that they got. People do get excited when they see the image in the ball, and one gal said that she already wants one.
I thought I’d found all my people pictures from that night, but with fresh eyes this morning I found more.
I liked the sailboat, but I liked it better when the little girl walked into the shot.
Kids and flying seagulls were a theme that night. My dog Zoe would have loved running through that flock of seagulls and making them fly. When she ran though a flock of birds she meant them no harm, I know this because when it was a squirrel she was after she became a stealth, hunting, machine. One who never actually caught a squirrel, but my neighbor said that she drove the voles out of my yard and into his!
I admire people who feel free enough to dance around in the middle of a drum circle. Or anywhere. That is totally not me, you couldn’t pay me to do that, I’m too self-conscious. Which may be why I’m most comfortable holding the camera, hiding behind it so to speak.
Usually I’m late and racing for the sunrise or sunset, but that night I was early enough that they were still collecting parking fees at Pine Island, so I went to Bayport to kill a little time. That half hour delay saved me $5, and no, I don’t think I spent $5 in gas getting there and back.
Look what I saw in my rear view mirror when I went to pull out and head to Pine Island. I think I’d want to have some ruby slippers to go with it.
'scene' along the way, a second look, adventure, Bayport, friends, fun, Just do it, learning, life goes on, perseverance, photography, Rise and shine, sunrise, Up and at 'em

Sunrise/Moonset…

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I have a friend who seems to always find the perfect spot to view an unusual situation for a photo op. Sometimes it requires being on a beach 50 miles from home at 2 AM, which I did once and it really wasn’t too bad. So I really had no excuse not to try to find the spot for the sunrise and moonset that were going to occur at roughly the same time on Thursday morning. Doesn’t that sound intriguing? Would they be in the same shot somehow? I won’t know until I see her pictures, because I didn’t head out quite as early as I would have had to. But I did decide that I might be able to get a good view of the moonset and sunrise from Bayport. It’s almost as far of a drive for me, but a much easier traffic-wise and I know the area. So off I went and this is what I found, which isn’t what I hoped for, but it was fine. The reverse is true for this evening, a moonrise and sunset happening at nearly the same time. And if I want to join my friends I could find the spot in the daylight. We’ll see how brave/energetic I feel later today…

I hurried to take a picture when I saw the nice reflection of the moon in the water.
And I was happy to get this shot also.
But then I had to play with the Lensball but honestly couldn’t make heads or tails out of what I was seeing as I was shooting. And yes, the moon shows in this picture, just not the way I might have expected or wished.
I think I bought the Lensball because I could also buy this little stand that you can attach to your tripod. And yes, it’s an essential element for someone shooting alone.
As the sky got lighter the reflections disappeared.
But the colors of the sky got prettier.
And then it just faded away.
But wait, there was a sunrise happening across the parking lot!
Through the camera lens.
And from the iPhone.

'scene' along the way, a second look, Bayport, birds, eagles, Florida landmarks, nature, perseverance, photography, Rise and shine, sky, sunrise

Christmas Eve sunrise…

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I’m glad I rousted myself out early enough to catch the sunrise at Bayport because the weather took a turn for the worse as the day went on. Poor Santa must have had a heck of a time making his deliveries in the wind and storms we were having by last night. I hope he made it to everyone’s house okay.

Finally the sun was up and it was time to leave, but just as I drove out of Bayport Park I saw a large bird on a snag and had to pull over to take it’s picture. I thought it was an osprey, judging by it’s coloring and by the fact that it was so easy to spot just at the side of the road. But when I looked at the pictures in the computer I saw that it’s a young eagle, it just hasn’t gotten it’s full coloring yet. Now I’ll be disappointed when ever I go there and don’t see an eagle. I should just be happy to have seen him when I did.

'scene' along the way, a second look, Bayport, boats, go with the flow, live and learn, nature, perseverance, photography, sky, sunrise, unintended images

Dark skies…

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A few days after Thanksgiving I sat back in the recliner with my coffee and noticed out the sliver of window between the sheers and the valance that there was a big, round moon hanging low out there. That was all it took to send me racing to Aripeka to try to see it hanging low over the houses in the west as the sun came up. I didn’t rush fast enough I guess, because it was gone when I got there. Which left me time to kill before catching the sunrise at Bayport.

As soon as I arrived at Bayport I set the camera to take a set of three exposures intending to turn them into an HDR photo. But as the camera began taking the first of the three long exposures a boat came up the inlet right through my shot. Resulting in this photo.

That sent me down the rabbit hole of taking lots of shots of boats traveling through my shots. They were all awful, in fact most of my shots that morning weren’t great. The sky stayed gloomy and my shots were all dark. But I’ll be out again soon I’m sure.

'scene' along the way, a second look, Bayport, birds, Florida wildlife, fun, moments, perseverance, photography, sky, sunrise, Up and at 'em

I still love Bayport…

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I went back to Bayport again already, and I had a fun time shooting. There was enough of a pretty sunrise to make me happy, plus a great blue heron dropped in on the fishing pier, probably looking for treats from the fishermen. When I was heading here frequently for the sunrise I came to expect a great blue to show up before I left. We may not have been able to go to the park for several years, but the great blue was probably there every day, enjoying himself without us. I love to see the boats leaving from the boat dock, creating photo ops for me. Yes, a fun day. But then I got home and looked at my photos and they all looked too dark, I almost didn’t even attempt to edit them. I’m glad I didn’t give up because when they were merged into HDR they looked a lot better.

There was another unexpected sight that made me smile that morning. One last boat that was heading out for the day with a dog onboard, and boy did he look as if he was going to have a great time. Lucky dog!