How to take evening shots

Have you ever wanted to shoot the scenery at night? It's a little tricky for sure. A flash won't give you the light that you need to get the shot. And you really want to get those night colors.
If you have a point and shoot with a night setting that might work. However, since you'll need to keep that camera aperture open for a long time with a slow shutter speed, the best way to do it is to mount your camera on a tripod. Switch to manual settings — play with your shutter and aperture until something works well for you. Make sure you focus manually, probably by distance rather than eye, and start shooting. And keep shooting at different settings. It will take several tries before you get what you want, but that is the beauty of digital photography. You see what you get! And you don't have to worry about film. Just make sure you have plenty of batteries and a large enough memory card.
The following shots were taken just after sunset on July 4. I used a 55mm lens, focused to infinity, aperture (F stop) of F11, shutter at about 2.5 seconds. I took several shots before I got what I want. But that is part of the discovery process. You'll feel really good when you finally nail it. And if you don't — just love that delete button. (But don't delete until you view on your computer!) Photography, just as life, is all about the journey.
Most important, have fun!

The Ringling Bridge as seen from downtown Sarasota, FL, across Sarasota Bay.

Across Sarasota Bay from downtown, looking toward Longboat Key, FL.

Longboat Key, FL from across Sarasota Bay, and one glorious sky.

Stepping back in time and into luxury at The Cypress

I recently visited the only bed and breakfast establishment in downtown Sarasota — The Cypress.
It's a gem facing Sarasota's bay front — elegant and charming, yet comfortable and down-to-earth.
The home faces Gulfstream Avenue, with rocking chairs, seating groups, even a bocce court so guests may do as they please as they watch the sailboats glide by — and those spectacular Sarasota sunsets.
Hosts Vicki, Nina, and Robert are known for their pleasant conversation, knowledge about the area, spectacular, scrumptious breakfasts, and late afternoon cocktails and hors d'oeuvres.
The home is beautifully furnished with American and European antiques. Nina is an expert in anthropology and can give you detailed information about every vintage piece at the inn. Vicki is warm and vivacious, a former teacher, and puts all visitors at ease. Robert is the artist of the group, and his artwork and photography grace the walls of the inn. They are all expert cooks and will often whip up recipes made with ingredients from Vicki's herb garden or the fruit trees on their shaded property.
The Cypress is just a few blocks from the heart of downtown — restaurants, theaters, and the Sarasota Opera House and a several-minute drive from St. Armands Circle, Lido Beach, the Ringling Museum of Art, G Wiz museum, the Asolo Repertory Theatre, and more.
I always recommend The Cypress to my out-of-town guests who want more than a hotel when they visit.
Check out the  website for more information, photos, phone numbers, etc.
Let me know if you or a friend visits!

Bed in the beautiful Martha Rose Suite

Morning breakfast room faces Sarasota Bay

Kathryn's Garden Room

The Cypress - your lovely home away from home

Another point of view

A few weeks ago I visited longtime friends in St. Augustine, Florida. It was a jam-packed weekend. We spent hours catching up on the latest in our lives. But we also spent some time seeing the sites. What a great place St. Augustine is. I had only been there once before, but it was an overnight visit to attend a press convention dinner, and I saw nothing of the area. My friend Joanne gave me the grand tour — from the historic sites, to the wonderful restaurants, to the beautiful beaches.

The main building of Flagler College is the former Ponce de Leon Hotel. It is beautifully appointed. Look at the work in this women's room! When was the last time you saw a fireplace in a bathroom? Had to shoot it!

Chandeliers. Beautiful moldings!

Today's photos are not the usual "vacation" shots. A wise photographer once told me to look around and shoot something that no one else was shooting. What great advice that was! Yes, I took some of the typical tourist photos, but these are of the women's room inside the beautiful main building of Flagler College. This isn't your everyday women's room, for sure.

When you pick up your camera, ask yourself "What can I do to make this photo different from the others?" You can crouch down low, climb up high and shoot down, take a different angle, focus on the fine details, or simply just shoot photos in a place one doesn't normally find fellow camera nuts. I guarantee you will always find a point of view that will mark that shot as your own.

Closeup of the trim over the mantel.

Door handle on the carved wood door. (And yes, the door is quite heavy.)

Lighting 101

This is from the Strobist blog, one of my favorite web sites.
It's amazing what you can do with your off-camera flash. And it's really easy.

Lighting for group shots

Adorama TV has some excellent photography teaching videos. Check it out!

Sometimes you just have to go with the moment

Spontaneity is the key.
A couple of evenings ago, somewhat before sunset, I was sitting at my computer writing after I had spent a perfect afternoon at the beach. It was a glorious day — sunny, breezy, dry, with temps in the low 80s. Now that we're more than halfway through April, I don't expect we'll have many more days like that in Florida until winter.
I knew I had to get back out there and enjoy — writing could wait until after dark. I grabbed my camera this time, figuring I could get a few shots of the sunset over Sarasota Bay. By the time I began to drive, there wasn't a whole lot of daylight left. I was still five minutes or so from my planned spot. I glanced out my right passenger window and saw hundreds of seagulls flying over the bay. *Light bulb goes on in my head.* By then, it was nearly sunset and I realized that particular location was a boat ramp. People would be coming in with their boats after a day of fishing, hence all the gulls.
I made a quick right, found a parking spot, and started shooting. The wind was slapping my face, the salt air smelled divine, and the birds were calling to each other, diving for cast-off fish, and making a perfect spectacle against the now changing sky.
Not only was I pleased with what I got, but I had a blast. Remember to enjoy your surroundings as well as your photographs when shooting nature. Spend some time looking through the viewfinder, but don't forget to put your camera down for a while and take it all in!

10th Street Boat Ramp, Sarasota, FL at sunset

Please vote for my photo!

Plese vote for my photo in the Herald Tribune's Mother Earth Photo Contest. You can vote once a day, every day!
Thanks!
Patricia

Fresh from the Sea

Recently, one of my sons came to visit from New England. I'm tickled that my grown kids actually like spending vacation time with me! He happens to be a marine biologist who works with commercial fishing fleets - and he is used to super fresh seafood!
So, where do you take someone like that to eat? Starfish Company in Cortez Fishing Village. It's an old-Florida-style fish market with a dockside restaurant. We had blue crab/stone crab chowder and large, peel-and-eat Gulf pinks for lunch. Can't beat the freshness or the price. Fresh fish was on the menu that night as well. We brought home a nice piece of grouper and more Gulf pink shrimp. Blackened grouper — peel-and-eat shrimp (This time with a bottle of wine). Ooh la la!
As we sat on the dock at Starfish Company I watched my son pondering his surroundings, so I just picked up my camera and began to shoot. My family is finally getting used to me pointing my camera at them.
Not only is vacation a great time for taking snapshots, it's also a great opportunity to make art — and memories.
Bon vacances!

Here's the famous son.

And here is the famous market/restaurant.

This is the view from the dock. Florida at its best!

Shooting the Moon

Yes, I was one of those crazy people out in the cold (even here in Florida) during the lunar eclipse last December. Of course cold here (perhaps was in the 30s that night) is way different than cold was for my friends farther north. I cozied myself up in a few layers of sweats and a winter jacket to watch the skies for several hours that night. (When you are not moving - cold feels even colder!)

I had planned to use my trust SLIK tripod, but no dice. The moon was directly overhead and the only way I'd be able to see through the viewfinder of my DSLR would have been if I were on my knees. Since the knees aren't what they used to be, I decided against it.

So, I pulled a sand chair out of the trunk of my car and sat there, looking up at the moon, with camera to my eye. Shooting at night without the use of a tripod to steady the camera is not easy! I kept my arms close to my body, held my breath, and shot. Lots of breath holding that night — and lots of photos that no one will ever see! But this one's a keeper. There are others, including the red moon, which I'll post another day. But I really like the simple black and white shot.

This was shot at F6.7, 1/250, 300mm, 100 ISO.