Key West Lighthouse

The Florida Keys are filled with many treasures to behold, most of them holding historic value. This Key West lighthouse is no difference, it is a piece of history that takes us back to a simpler time. I first spied this beauty while waiting in line to visit Ernest Hemingway’s house. It is literally across the street.  I shot a few photos of it, loving the colorful cloudy skies above it. And then I had to visit it. It is located in the Lighthouse museum on Whitehead street. It was just a beautiful inside as out. If you have some free time while visiting the lower Keys, you should take the time to check it out. It is worth the time.

Prints available at https://www.etsy.com/shop/freezeframefoto

The Fisherman

I call this shot The Fisherman. I shot it a few years ago while vacationing in Key Largo, Florida in the Keys. It was early in the evening and I was out waiting for some good sunset shots, not too hard to find in the Keys, when I saw this lone man fishing out on a natural jetty.  I snapped a few shots not sure if they were anything I could use. After playing with this one a bit with some textures, brushes and overlays, this is a final result. I am pleased with it, I hope you enjoy it also. Let me know what you think.

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Florida Keys wooden dock in HDR

The Florida Keys are filled with beauty everywhere you look, Everything from the absolutely stunning sunsets to the wildlife to the ocean scenery. But some things are right out in plain sight and many just walk by them everyday and don’t take the time to notice the beauty.  That is how I came across this old wooden dock in Islamorada, that I had walked by several times and not even taken a second look. Then one evening, as some ominous storm clouds rolled around in the background, the dock just seemed to pop out. As I looked at them on my laptop, they just didn’t hit me like they did while I was there. I played around with some HDR toning and this is what I came up with. HDR is something that can easily be overdone, but I wanted this shot to have that dramatic look.. I like it, I hope you like it too 🙂

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A Florida Keys Tarpon

Not many fish get a saltwater fisherman more excited than the “Silver King” or the Tarpon. The Tarpon is incredibly smart, thus making it a very elusive fish to catch. They get huge and are ferocious fighters leaping into the air and running of yards of line at a time. This Tarpon was shot near the docks of Robbies Marina in Islamorada, Florida in the Keys. If you get down that way, a visit to Robbies to feed the hungry Tarpon is a must. Get a small bucket of fish to feed, by hand, a the masses of very aggressive Tarpon. The braver you are, the better the show. These silver beauties will come out of the water after the bait. It is a sight to behold and even if you are a chicken it is a blast to watch the people freak out when the Tarpon come out the water at them. Screams of excitement fill the air.   I wanted to finish this shot with an abstract look, so I used several layers and textures for the end print. It looks amazing as a very large print on metallic paper.. I hope you enjoy viewing it.

Buy copies of this print, and others at my online shop at https://www.etsy.com/listing/212235315/florida-keys-tarpon-nature-photography

Japanese Botanical Garden

Shot at a Japanese botanical garden in Rockford Illinois last fall. The colors were popping out that day for sure.

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The Beautiful and Deadly Mantis Shrimp

As gorgeous as this guy is, he is one bad shrimp. There are two basic types of Mantis shrimp. The first is known as a “clubber” they have bony structures on the end of their front legs that they can fire out with extreme speed and power to smash the shells of small crustaceans. The second is known as a “stabber” and they have needle sharp bony ends on their front legs that they fire out to stab small fish,etc.. This guy was not too happy to have me in his face with my camera and kept charging at me, luckily he was a little guy only about 6 inches. They have been known to be as large as 18 inches in some parts of the world! Yikes..  Hope you like him!

Altered Art Butterfly

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Gorgeous sunset

New Lens

Good review

Carissa Snedeker Photography

After reading the reviews and seeing real live examples of what this lens can do, I took the leap and purchased a Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM. It arrived midday yesterday and I had to take it out for a spin. I am in love.

1/640s at f/2.0. ISO 100

1/200s at f/2.2. ISO 100

1/3200s at f/1.8. ISO 100

1/1000s at f/1.4. ISO 200

1/1000s at f/1.4. ISO 200

1/1000s at f/1.4. ISO 200

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The Images That Moved Them Most: Photographers on America’s Veterans

Awesome article