I belong to a Meetup.com group for photographers call the SWFL Shutterbugs. I have been a member of this group for quite a number of years and have made some wonderful friends. This past weekend 26 of us gathered and went on an eco tour of Babcock Ranch. It’s not just a historic part of Florida’s history, but it’s still a working ranch with the descendants of the original Spanish Cattle and real working cracker cowboys.
The best thing is the wildlife we saw. Lots of wild hogs and baby pigs (bacon bits!), Wild turkey, Sandhill Cranes and lots of Alligators; lots to photograph!
We were fortunate enough to have our own private tour with a wonderful tour guide. The tour uses old school busses as their swamp buggies. It’s open, and bumpy and just a lot of fun; we filled the bus with our group. I love the wildlife, but my heart danced with joy when the cowboy’s horses came over and graced us with their presence. Our tour was over 90 minutes and was simply wonderful.
After the tour we all had lunch together catered by the ranch. As much as our group loves to take pictures, we love to gather together fellowship with each other and eat just as much.
If you ever make it to South West Florida please visit the Babcock Ranch Eco Tour, it’s worth every penny. Please enjoy the photos and feel free to leave me your thoughts.
I have not taken a vacation, a real vacation in more than a dozen years. I carry a pretty heavy schedule majority of the time due to working a full time job and photographing events and concerts thought out the year. But this year I decided I needed a break, a long two week break in the mountains of North Carolina. My best friend of almost fifty years lives in a little town called Concord. So on October 15 I boarded flight 818 and headed north.
It was a very short flight; less than an hour and a half and was uneventful. We landed on and I made my way across the tarmac to my waiting friend. I should mention that she too is a Debbie. When I got off the plane the temperature was cooler, but still warm, however I was in for a surprise.
On Tuesday we took off on a road trip up through the Pisgah National Forest and up through the mountains searching for some color and some waterfalls. The color was missing from this scenario as North Carolina had longer than normal summer temperatures which was keeping the leaves from changing. Not to mention two hurricane’s had passed through the area.
Our first stop was a little diner where I enjoyed a nice plate of NC style BBQ, one word; Yum! Our adventure continued as we drove through the mountains of the Pisgah National Forest and the weather took a turn and it started to rain. This did not stop our trekking the beaten path to find a waterfall; not only did I find one, but a covered bridge too! Giant score for me photographically speaking. The rain was coming down pretty steady but my excitement built as I heard the sound of rushing water and once we arrived the sound became deafening, but in such a wonderful restorative way.
This next week we stayed close to home and I was able to photograph some local birds and experience a change in temperature. Then on Saturday our other best friend flew in so we made another road trip into Charlotte to pick her up. Did I mention she too is a Debbie? (North Carolina will never be the same).
That weekend we invited a few friends who live in the area over for a gathering, it was great to see them and to meet their families. So much love in one place……incredible.
On Monday October 22 we three Debbie’s took off on a road trip once again. We drove up through the Blue Ridge Parkway and I was able to find more color, the temperature had dropped from the upper 70’s to the mid 30’s and settled around 45 degrees. For this Florida girl it was cold, but the crisp air, sharing time with my best friends and just enjoying the ride and the color seeping through the trees was something I can’t explain in words, only heart can. We drove up to about 5000 feet, found a lovely little restaunt to have lunch and then off to find Linville Falls. We didn’t hike to the top, but I was happy with what we found. Continuing our drive we found icicles popping out of the side of a mountain. So we pulled in to a parking area and I hiked back to the area where water was seeping out of the rocks. My lungs were screaming with the thinner and colder 37 degree air, but it was so beautiful.
I needed this time away, I needed to do some life reflection and to be with my girls who know me so well. I have not laughed or loved like this in a very long time. They are amazing; we are amazing to have had this friendship of 50 years that is so deep and unshakeable. The T-shirts Debbie brought us says it all the back has the three D’s and it says “True Friendship Grows Forever”.
I love these girls so much and I was sad to depart. I will be back…..again.
On Sunday June 17, 2018 three iconic bands from the 70’s & 80’s took the stage at MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheater in Tampa, Florida. Styx tours yearly and always has an incredible line up of stars with them. This year was the band Tesla and Joan Jett & the Black Hearts.
Tesla opened their eight song set with a rocking start as lead singer Jeff Keith belted out I Wanna Live then went right into Hang Tough. Vocally Jeff was strong as he worked his way across the stage, giving the audience a show of his still youthful moves and kicks. Mid set they performed the iconic Signs cover from Five Man Electrical Band. It was an incredible fifty minute set. Dave Rude (the only “new” member) is fun to watch on stage, he plays to the audience with flair. Overall they were tight and the audience was into the experience.
Next up was Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. I saw Joan Jett last year and wasn’t really impressed with her vocals, however this year she was on the money. Her Vocals were strong and remained so throughout her sixteen song set. She began her set with Bad Reputation and continued with several of her own songs and quite a few covers such as Cherry Bomb from her former band The Runaways, The Arrows I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll and Tommy & the Shondells Crimson and Clover. She also performed I Hate Myself For Loving You and Fake Friends. Overall her set was solid and she performed well. Unfortunately there are no photographs as no one was approved for Joan.
Last up was STYX, iconic and strong and one of this writer’s favorite 70’s & 80’s bands. This band does not disappoint. Lawerence Gowan (1999) is not just a great vocalist, but he’s an incredible showman and fits right in with James “J.Y.” Young (founding member 1970), Tommy Shaw (1975), Ricky Phillips (2003) and Todd Sucherman (1996). STYX opened their set with Overture which showcased each member as they entered the stage and opened with Gone, Gone, Gone followed by Blue Collar Man and The Grand Illusion. The set continued with them doing all of their best hits such as the rock ballad Lady and Too Much Time on My Hands. We were waiting on founding member Chuck Panozzo to make an appearance; as he normally does and I heard he did in Oklahoma. However, it did not happen in this show.
The only cover was Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody performed by Lawrence Gowan. STYX closed their set with Come Sail Away and encored with Mr Roboto; yes, you read that correctly. Renegade was their final number for the evening.
Over all this entire tour was fantastic and delivered all that was expected.
I really have been negligent with my blog. I can only attribute it to pure laziness. I must get out of that mindset and really buckle down. I tell myself it’s because I don’t have any content, which really isn’t true, I have the content, I’m just lazy.
So here goes a new post, and hopefully this will spurn me into doing more writing and shooting.
This past weekend I took a much needed break and went camping. I got to hang out with my youngest son Tommy and we tried some night photography work, but the clouds wouldn’t cooperate so I really didn’t get much. We hung out with a giant snake and I took photos of Tom and he of me.
I also scheduled a portrait photo shoot with one of my favorite little girls. I really don’t take portraits of children often, because they wear me out, mentally & physically, but this little lady is so very special. I have had the privilege of taking photographs of her since she was about six months old and have every 6 months to a year since. She is on the cusp of turning four (December) and honestly you would think as a toddler, she would be all over the place, however around the age of two, I had her complete attention. I alway allow her to dictate when our session is finished (and she has), but she has always given me one hundred percent. I have asked her to pose a certain way and have shown her and she does it…..without question. This weekend was different. I still showed her what I was wanting, but I took it a step further and asked her how she wanted to pose; what I got was just incredible. This child micro-moves like a model. She also uses her eyes, and I just love that about her. Here are a few of her photographs showing her sass and Superhero self!
A cute Super Hero
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A few years ago I had the opportunity to see Sir Rod Stewart in concert, I purchased a really good ticket and was excited to drive to the east coast to see him. A couple of days prior to the concert I had gotten the flu and was terribly ill, however I was hoping to feel better and attend the concert in Sunrise. Day of the concert get’s here and I am still not feeling 100%, but I kept thinking by the time I need to leave I will feel better. NOPE, the time came to leave and I tried to go, but it wasn’t going to happen. I was really bummed and I kept the ticket to remind myself how close I got.
Rod Stewart was returning in concert again, and I decided this time to put in for credentials to photograph him along with Cyndi Lauper. As the time approached I had not received word so I had given up and made other plans for the day. An email came at 10:59pm on Friday night, but I didn’t open my email until mid morning Saturday, I was ecstatic to learn that I had been approved to photograph he and Cyndi Lauper at Amalie Arena in Tampa Florida and quickly printed out the parking pass and the release form, got my gear together and headed out the door.
Cyndi Lauper came out strong and was incredible. Rod came on stage with the flair he’s known for, he was a bucket list artist for me and what an honor to photograph him, he was fabulous! The extra treat was a last minute change in number of songs I could shoot, as they added a song with he and Cyndi singing together!
What a great experience in a place I had never photographed before. And even though I have been doing this sort of photography for quite some time, I did learn a few things; bring your ID, they need it for you to get through security, I didn’t have it on me, but they let me in anyway, and bring a small step stool, I actually have one, but it’s heavy and I have already looked at some online which I will be purchasing soon, it will come in handy.
I think this concert was what I needed to relieve me of the funk and writer’s block I have been having. Please enjoy….until next time from the pit.
Being a photographer I have a good collection of gear. I love gear, new, used, doesn’t matter, if it goes on or near my camera I want it. I have great lenses, extra batteries, things to light up my subjects from the smallest critter to an entire family of people; I can create beautiful images in natural settings or provide the gear to set up a studio. Yep, that’s me the gear nerd! Recently I added to my addiction in the purchase of a new (to me) Canon 70d crop frame camera. I had the opportunity to purchase another full frame Canon 6d, but opted for the crop frame for several reasons. First of all, I needed a second body so that I don’t need to change lenses while in the concert pit or at weddings and chance missing the shot, the second reason is because the 70d’s button placement is almost the same as my 6d and lastly because my son shoots with the 70d and as my second for weddings I may need for him to use the second body and he needs to not have to think about where the buttons are and what to control. I tried it out this past weekend and I like it a lot, the shutter is a bit noisier, but overall the pictures were clean and crisp; I will use silent shutter for events.
My next purchase is an upgraded 50mm. I currently own the Nifty Fifty which is Canon’s f1.8 5omm lens. Great little lens, but I need something a bit sharper and faster. I have looked at the Canon f1.2 and have read, watched videos and compared it to Sigma’s ART series F1.4 50mm. With a cost difference of about $400 I think I may be going with the Sigma Art Lens. The reviews are incredible and I’ve even seen a few who pit it against the Canon f1.2. Stay tuned………..
Over the Thanksgiving holiday I took some much needed time off. After a full summer and a busy start to our concert season along with weddings, portraits and other work, I was ready to unplug and get back to nature.
My go to place as I’ve posted in the past is in the Everglades. I love to camp and I took four full days to step out of the digital world and relax. I did do some posting to Facebook, but instead of worrying about my status, I took camera in hand and stepped out into the swamp.
Because of the cooler temperatures (great for camping), the alligators were in abundance along the road of Jane’s Scenic Drive in the Fakahatchee Strand, and on the trails my son and I walked, (check out his website: Phloridaphoto.us He even decided to get a bit more up close and personal with a gator lying on the path we were walking.
I stopped and photographed him, photographing the alligator. I just could not bring myself to be that close to something that large with huge teeth. As my son walked past him, Mr. Gator lifted his head and rumbled that deep throaty sound as a warning to let him know he may be a bit too close. I had the same experience as I hung out the car door to get a rather large alligator hanging out on the road we were driving.
We also went out two nights in a row to capture the Milky Way, however during the hours we were there, the sky have cloud cover in the general vicinity. We did capture the sky at night and this photograph shows Miami glowing in the distance as the International Space Station does a fly over (I have an app on my phone called Sky Guide that allows me to track this).
Overall it was a wonderful relaxing long weekend, with friends, family and my camera.
Ever make a mistake? Yes, me too and when I do they are normally doozies! I consider myself a perfectionist. I was the kid who would not erase, but start over on a paper, it always took me longer because of this. I still carry that bit of perfectionism into my life today and in doing so it imparts undue stress which is something I try to avoid.
When it comes to photography, I rarely have to edit, not that my photos are perfect, far from it many times, but I try to get my settings right in camera to avoid having to spend time in front of a computer to edit. Last week that completely changed and I had an extremely humbling experience.
The story begins when I was asked by the lead singer of a headlining band to take their final bow shot at the end of the evening. I knew it would be difficult because the lighting at these shows are less than stellar. I accepted the challenge convinced I’d be able to give them something great. Throughout the show I really fought with my settings and the non existent or highly saturated stage lighting, but I still thought “I can do this” because there is one thing I rarely do is question my skills. Finally the moment came I climbed the steps up to the stage to position myself behind the drum kit and on my way I kept thinking, “I should have grabbed my flash”, I really didn’t want to use flash because the idea was to capture the crowd behind the band. I shot off the first few frames and thought my settings were adequate, however I had nothing to focus on as the stage lights were completely off except for this glaring green light bouncing off the cymbals. Still no realizing what was happening I continued to shoot as both bands took a final bow and my job was done.
On the way home the lead singer sent me a text message telling me how he couldn’t wait to see the photos. I felt the same way, until I downloaded them into Lightroom. My stomach dropped, every single photo was dark; except for the green lights reflecting from the cymbals on the drum kit. What was I going to do? I completely broke down; THESE were the MOST important shots of the night and I had completely failed. I began to question myself, my abilities and my judgement. For three days I tried to work on the photos and just could not get anything usable. I was devastated, I had ruined the photos.
Before
On the fourth day once again I received a text message from the lead singer asking when I would be sending the photos over, I told him they would be done later that night; again I broke down, but something at that moment hit me. I could and would salvage the photo!
I needed to believe in myself and my abilities and understand I could solve the problem (with a lot of prayer and pleading to God). Finally it came to me what to do and three hours later, the band had their photo.
After
Here is what I didn’t realize at the time: The green lights were reflecting from the cymbals back to the sensor on my camera, so when I thought I was exposing for the faces, I exposing for the cymbals. I should have stepped forward instead of staying behind the drums and finally I should have used my flash and deal with the crowd in post processing.
Here is what I learned about myself: Always go with your gut! No matter what, do what your instincts tell you to do. I should have used my flash. Next I learned that I need to not stress over this, just breathe and work until a solution is evident. And finally I learned I am human, and I make mistakes and I need to learn from them. However, the biggest take away from this is that God has given me the gift of creativity and I need to rely on him and not on myself no matter how impossible the situation seems. Thanks for following me, and Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Where I live in Florida we don’t have four distinct seasons, we have two; Snowbird season beginning in mid October and the season when they go back north which is normally after Easter. During this time in South West Florida the events and concerts pick up and my camera sees a lot of action. The weather is a lot more pleasant for outdoor events and weddings. My season started on October 15 with a wedding held at one of the most historic country clubs in Fort Myers; The Edison. I am fortunate enough to be able to work with my youngest son. He is an incredible photographer and one I trust explicitly. The long view of the couple facing The Edison was taken by him. Please visit his website at phloridaphoto
Between the special events I also schedule portrait sessions and was able to photograph an interesting fellow whom I believe is one of the many spirits which lurk in Historic Downtown Fort Myers, complete with orb and gargoyle (look closely).
I was also at Fright Nite where The Sick Puppies and Devour the Day headlined, there were also a few interesting characters out that night as well. You can see more of the photos from this frightful night by clicking on the photo below.
I am so fortunate that I get to live in paradise. I sometimes forget how beautiful our area here in South West Florida is. No matter what direction I travel I can find the natural environment I crave. From beaches to swamplands it’s all here. Today my travels took me to Sanibel Island and the J. N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge.
While driving slowly down the scenic drive and stopping when something caught my interest, I felt so blessed to be able to have the day off and enjoy such natural beauty. From birds to butterflies the day was full of surprises. A lone Roseate Spoonbill and White Ibis looking for their breakfast and finding it.
A curious Little Blue Heron signaling a warning of the alligator who was lurking close by.
A lovely Common Buckeye butterfly unknowingly pollinating the flowers as it gathered life giving nectar.
Even the pungent smell of fermenting palm berries carried in the warm breeze was refreshing in it’s erthereal own way.
The nutrient rich tannin stained waters were bringing forth life to the White Ibis as it was searching for a quick meal.
As I watched nature doing her thing, I was reminded that I am just a very small part of all of this, yet just as important. Each of us have our place in this world, the birds, butterflies, the water, the land, all celebrating our creator.
Thank you for joining me on my adventure……until next time, happy shooting!
Life, Love & Passion Through the Lens 