Mexican farmer

When I travel to other countries I always find myself traveling the back roads in search of small towns and local county folk.  My path usually takes me on dirt roads that lead into areas that rarely ever see a tourist.  I enjoy seeing the everyday life of these rural areas and meeting the friendly people that live there.  I am always amused that as soon as I enter a town and begin looking around, people start coming out to see this strangers that has wandered into their town.  The children usually run around in the street laughing at me, while the older people peak their heads of doorways and windows with a suspicious eye.  I usually find a small family run outdoor cafe to get something to eat and sit among the towns people.  It seems that I am always rewarded by meeting nice people, and being able to witness a lifestyle of a simple purpose with a great importance.  

Evening Sky

I have made numerous images on Blue Cypress Lake of the cypress trees that grow in the lake.  It seems that each time I am out on the lake in my kayak I come across a new and interesting shape of a tree.  This past week I decided to take my kayak out at sunset and explore an area of the lake I haven't been to.  I have equipped my small kayak with an electric trolling motor so I can reduce the amount of paddling I need to do.  I was about five miles from where I launched my boat when I made this image.  After the sun had set I started making my way back knowing I had just enough time to get back before it was totally dark.  After about a mile my battery went dead for my electric motor and I ended up paddling my way back in the dark.  When I am on the lake I always see plenty of alligators swimming around me as I am taking photographs.  I must admit that it was a little spooky paddling in the dark knowing that the alligators are the most active at night.  This lake is uninhibited except for a small bait shop with a boat slip.  As I paddled along I kept searching for that one small light at the launch that would tell me where I need to cut back through the swamp to get back to where my truck was parked.  This lake is my favorite place to go.  It is full of wildlife and absent of people.  I enjoy the peaceful times when I am out there floating among the trees in my kayak.

Palm Hammock

I have been out this week exploring some new wilderness areas near me in Florida.  I visited the Kissimmee Prairie Preserve that is located in the middle of the state in central Florida.  I have been thinking of doing some night sky photography and this perserve is currently the only certified "dark sky" park in the state.  The park is large with nearly 54,000 acres, over a hundred miles of trails, and offers camping with hookup facilities.  It is a quiet park and primarily attracts those interested in nature and outdoor activities.  In the few hours I spent there I hiked on a few of the trails to get an idea of the lay of the land.  It is mostly open prairie with pockets of dense woodlots.  The above image was made in a palm hammock that was recently burned off in a control burn.  It was a sunny and breezy day and I was only able to make this image when a cloud blocked out the sun.  It was a surreal landscape of charred palm trees and brilliant greens from the new growth sprouting up.  I hung around for awhile hoping the clouds might increase to provide some soft light to do more photography, but it didn't work out.  I am glad I made the trip out to this preserve for a look around. I am certain I will return and experiment with some night sky photography in the future.

http://darksky.org/kissimmee-prairie-preserve-state-park-named-floridas-first-dark-sky-place/

The Manatee

Cypress Trees

The bald cypress tree has to one on my most favorite trees.  They have such a mysterious quality to them.  They sit in swamps and rivers with their limbs full of hanging moss and numerous cypress knees protruding out of the water.  They provide a superior nesting platform for many birds, especially the osprey.  As I glide around these magnificent trees in my kayak I get to see the wildlife that depend on these trees with the refuge they provide.  Most all of the large cypress trees were logged off at the turn of the twentieth century in the state of Florida.  I sometimes try to imagine what these swamps and wilderness areas must have looked like before then.  The trees are now protected, and in time a new generation will see them as they once were.  I am always searching to locate a new strand of cypress trees to explore.  To be able to glide in my kayak under their canopy of moss and hear the osprey's cry overhead is an experience I will never tire of.

Jekyll Island

I enjoy photographing near the ocean.  The combination of water, sand, and sky offer numerous opportunities of various compositions because of the constant changing conditions.   There are always places to discover where major storms have impacted the land and have left their scars.  I was at Jekyll Island a few months ago and hiked around the North end of the island.  There is a portion of beach that has several large uprooted trees laying on the shore.  I timed my hike to be in the early evening near sunset to photograph these trees in soft light.  Often times midday along the ocean has extremely harsh light with strong shadows making the scene too contrasty.  There is always a certain amount of planning that goes into visiting a new location.  I check google earth and look along the coast for possible sites of interest.  I then locate points where I can access the location.  I consider the direction of the sun and plan my time of day to visit the location.  With all landscape photography it can take considerable time and effort to achieve a few successful images.  With this image I drove a few of hours, hiked a couple of miles, and made only a few exposures before the light was gone.  Sometimes I am rewarded for my efforts and other times not.  It is all part of the process of being a landscape photographer. 

The never ending learning curve

It seems today that technology keeps changing at a faster rate.  The camera equipment, processing software, and computers seem to be in a non stop upgrade cycle.  While I enjoy new technology, it does start to become like a dog chasing its tail.  I think I spend as much time learning the changes that come with all of these upgrades, as I do processing images.  The most important thing I keep my focus on is that the look of the finished print remains consistent.  I recently have been migrating away from my trusted Canon system and moving into the Sony mirrorless camera system.  There are several reasons for my doing this.  First is my desire to photograph from a kayak and to be able to get sharp images. The Sony has an in camera five axis stabilization system that is amazing.  Next, as I get older I need to reduce the amount of weight I am carrying around with me.  The Sony is a much smaller system than the standard DSLR and lets me carry a much lighter tripod.  While it is not the prefect system it does have some innovative technology that is changing the way we photograph.  I made this image a couple of days ago on one of my favorite lakes near me.  I used the Sony A7R11 with the 16~35mm lens.  It is a great combo for being out on the water.  I recently purchased a Zeiss Batis 18mm f2.8 fixed lens made for the Sony full frame system.  I have always used prime lenses as a large format photographer and know they will always out perform a zoom lens for quality.  Dealing with changes are all a part of life.  The important thing is to maintain your vision as you adapt to the rapid technology changes of our medium.