Colt Creek State Park Lakeland Florida

We visited Colt Creek State Park in Lakeland, Florida by accident not long after it opened in January, 2007. We did a lot of day trips to various parts of natural Florida at that time, honing our nature photography skills and wrestling with the question of starting a photography business. At the time, someone suggested we check out the Green Swamp area.

Map and atlas in hand, we drove along route 471 and suddenly saw the state park sign. We pulled in and looked around. At that point the park consisted of a dirt road and a couple of areas to hike, but not much else.

Last week we decided to go back to the park. As we pulled in, we found a ranger station, a very helpful volunteer, and a paved road. We drove along the main park drive and parked next to a new building with an enclosed pavilion and restrooms. Most of our fellow visitors stood on a nearby dock fishing in Mack Lake. We walked the road toward the back of the pavilion and picked up part of the Flatwoods Trail. We met a ranger who pointed out the area that would be made into a family camping area, hopefully by the end of the year.

I remembered good birding from our previous visit, and found the same again. The lakes and swamp areas attract numerous water and wading birds. During one short walk I saw American Coots, Anhinga, Great Egret, Great Blue Heron, Tri-color, and many White Ibis.

We are looking forward to future visits, and to the opening of the campground. Located in the Green Swamp wilderness area, the park itself is peaceful and a wonderful way to enjoy Florida’s unique natural areas. 

Photography Talk at Brooker Creek Preserve

Saturday, January 30 we will be giving a talk at Brooker Creek Preserve in Tarpon Springs, FL titled "Capturing the Moment: Photography in an Automated World".The talk covers mostly composition topics such as lighting, framing, and lines. Our audiences vary so the topics will be covered in a basic manner.

Karl and I started using digital SLRs ten years ago. Recently we noticed that the technology in even the consumer digital cameras enable anyone who takes a little time to know their camera to take technically perfect or near perfect photographs. With technology taking over much, but not all, of the craft portion, the art of the photograph becomes more and more important.

Join us if you can. Admission is free, and if the weather cooperates we will take a short walk around the trails after the presentation.

Learning Photography: Getting Started

Most people receive their first cameras when they are quite young. In the 21^st century, children learn to photograph using their parent’s or even their own cell phone probably before learning to write. The technology of digital cameras in 2016 makes it possible for anyone to quickly learn how to produce a technically perfect or near perfect photograph.

If the above is correct, than what is there to learn about photography anymore? Actually, there is still quite a bit to learn if you want to pursue this as a hobby, career, part-time job, or to complement another skill or talent such as cooking or writing. Technically perfect photographs make great snapshots, but may not be artistic, nor do they necessarily convey meaning, make an impact, or tell a story. That is still the job of the person holding the camera: the photographer.

Start at the Beginning

Even now, when photography holds an important place in my work life, I still make a habit of going back and reviewing the basics. This reinforces the basic concepts, and corrects any bad habits that slowly make their way into my technique.

Find your camera manual, and read it. Go online to the website of the camera manufacturer, and find other references to download or watch. The first step in any art is learning your medium, and learning it well. To do this, you must know your camera and what the manufacturer says it can do, and be able to find and adjust all those settings.

Next, make sure you have a good, basic photography reference on the book shelf or on your electronic reader. I admit to a preference for a physical book in this case, and for most photography books. They contain photographs showing technique and for close study, and print can make a difference. There are many excellent books out there, but not all of them will resonate with you. Browse online for recommendations and in an actual bookstore to find the one or two that work for you. I purchased my go-to book in Ireland in the 1980s after weeks of browsing every photography section of every bookstore I could find, Photoschool by Michael Freeman. It is dated, and I need to find a comparable resource for digital photography, but this one has never left my library.

USE the Books

Once you find your manual and your personal photography reference book, USE them. Browse the chapters, read the text, study the photographs, try the camera settings, and do the projects. If you own the books, make notes in the margin and tab the pages you need often. Whether you do some or all of the exercises and projects depends entirely on you, your personal interests, and your objectives.

Next we delve deeper into the basics of your camera.

Festival of Lights - Stephen Foster State Park

Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park holds a Festival of Lights each year starting the first week-end in December, which we discovered three years ago. During a camping trip that October, all the volunteers we met told us we just had to see it, but getting a campsite that late would be nearly impossible. We managed to get a slot due to a cancellation, and now every year we book a site many months in advance. The festival attracts everyone within driving distance, and many of us who come from a longer distance and either camp or stay at the local bed and breakfast or hotel.

This year we saw several changes in the light sculptures, along with the old favorites. Festivities start each evening around 5 or 5:30 p.m as it starts to get dark. We usually start walking from the campground between 5:30 and 6 to get the best light for a few photographs. According to the volunteers, over 5 million lights shone this year. We usually walk around to see the lights, and then head toward the craft village area for hot chocolate, popcorn, music, and enjoying the craft demonstrations and exhibits. We went to the museum the first night at 6:30 to enjoy dulcimer music. People wandered in and out for a song or two, we stayed for several.

Below is a small sampling of the lights. Numerous displays dot the park grounds, with shooting stars and their tails sailing through trees, lighted angels, ornaments, and trees, and one of my favorites, the multi-color lolly pop "forest".

Changes in Nature Photography

On a recent hike I came across a frog sitting on a submerged log. I composed my first shot in a fairly straightforward manner: fill the frame with the subject, tack sharp focus, using the light to illuminate the entire frog. I took a few shots in the same manner, from different viewpoints. I liked this one best. The halo effect of the water around the head of the frog, and the horizontal line of the log leading to the head worked to make a good, straightforward nature shot.

I walked around checking out other angles, and noticed from one location the light bounced off the water, creating a shimmery, silvery, almost solid effect, with the exposed part of the frog's head the only part visible. I tried a few shots with different compositions from that location, and ended up with an interesting, and non-traditional, nature shot.

Nature photography, like all photography, evolves constantly. Once only professional photographers with the expensive cameras could get shots that a smart phone in the hands of almost everyone can get now. Take the time to really look for more creative ways to capture your subject.

Walking Through Brooker Creek Preserve Wetlands

The experience of an early morning walk along the boardwalk through the Brooker Creek Preserve wetland varies by the season. In late November, the pond cypress needles thin out, leaving the forested canopy open to the sky and natural light. A very wet summer, followed by a wet autumn kept the water levels higher, though they recede a bit each day now.

Photographing the landscape scene along the boardwalk always proves a challenge. Unlike the soaring mountains of the western states, or the rounding hills of the eastern states, Florida stretches out flat with numerous shades and intensities of green. After a recent course in art history, I find myself looking for the natural lines in each subject, where they originate and lead, and if they work for the image I want to make. I shot several scenes with that in mind, and the light worked with me. Reviewing my work later, I found several shots that worked, and one that captured the image exactly.

The slightly clearer line of water starts directly in front, and weaves back and out of the photograph guiding the eye along the banks. The trees along the edge are just barely reflected in the green covered water.

This scene makes the viewer wonder what remote part of the world is pictured here. That this beauty exists in the most densely populated county in Florida is amazing.

St. George Island State Park – A Different Trip to the Beach

September 27 – 28, 2015

The rain started about four hours into the six hour drive. We woke to cloudy skies that morning, and clouds stayed with us all day as we made our way on back roads and small highways, so we expected it eventually. The rain stayed light and occasional during the drive, but by the time we reached the park, it poured down. When we reached our site, the downpour had diminished to light rain. We did get a walk in around the park, but rain started again so we retreated to the RV for dinner and a movie.

St. George Island State Park occupies the eastern section of St. George Island, a small barrier island just over the bridge from Eastpoint, FL. We visited four years prior and looked forward to returning. We went in November that year, and the morning and evening sun lighting the sand dunes, with Ghost crabs everywhere, stayed in our minds. That beautiful lighting would not be happening much this trip.

The forecast started changing a few days before our scheduled departure. The low pressure area in the western Gulf started moving toward Florida, and the forecast changed at least twice a day as they tried to predict the direction of the storm. The day before we left, it was clear we were in for a rainy stay. We considered canceling, but the opportunity for interesting seascapes for Karl’s current project won out, and a little rain wasn’t going to stop us.

Then it wasn’t just a little rain. The storm intensified overnight and the forecast the next morning showed strong rain and thunderstorms heading our way. We considered leaving, but realized we would be driving in the storms and felt staying put a safer option. We planned to stay at our campsite or close by in the park, and kept the RV ready to leave quickly if circumstances warranted it. As the day progressed, we had several downpours but not the predicted storms. We learned that the storm tracked more north than east, and we missed the worst part of it.

We did get to the beach several times the first two days, keeping an eye on the sky at all times. These were not the idyllic beach walks of gushing travelogues or enticing post cards. The warning flags on the beach stood out straight in the heavy wind, the waves built more and more as we watched, and even the few shorebirds got out of the way. People stood all over the beach, or huddled down against the wind in the shelters, but everyone watched the sky and the waves. Travel pieces rarely write about these types of days, but they show the other side of those sunny dream trips, and maybe capture the imagination even more.