One of my readers saw that we were in Crystal River and suggested we visit Cedar Key on our way along the gulf coast. We took the advice (thanks Kent!) and were treated to colourful and sometimes dramatic skies.
Our campsite was right on the water and we were delighted to find that we even had our own wharf with chairs to enjoy the sunset.
Please click on the images to view larger versions.
I could see an interesting boat that looked to be abandoned and the next night we strolled down the beach a bit so I could make an image of it at sunset.
The next morning we decided to get up early to find out if the skies were just as interesting at sunrise. I made this image of what the locals call “honeymoon cottage”. The stilt house sits out in the bay and must have been a great vacation spot in its day until it, and the walkway to it, was destroyed by a hurricane. Now it is the city’s most famous landmark.
I made each of these images by taking 3 different exposures (one for the highlights, one for the midtones and one for the shadows) and combining them using Photomatix. This allowed me to retain detail in the foreground elements when the sky is bright and colourful. Normally the foreground objects would be totally black with such a bright background, which is great if you want a silhouette, but that is not always the desired effect.
Tomorrow I will have some more photos from Cedar Key to show you a piece of the old Florida we discovered there.
Beautiful Anne – I especially like the first two. You’ve done a great job with creating a very natural HDR look.
Beautiful shots, Anne. All great but I like the one with the boat best. Has a nice mood to it!
I’m drawn to the final photo the most. It could be the near-collapsed building combined with the orange-redish sky.
Very nice and natural looking HDR. I like the composition and color in the images
Beautiful set of images Anne. I think the first is my favorite. The reflection, light and water are so calming.
These are wonderful images Anne. Super color, excellent reflections and great light. Who could ask for more?
I cannot get over the rich colors and tones in this set, not to mention the SUPER FABULOUS subjects!! Great shots here, Anne, there is no way I’m going to pick a favorite, that’s for sure! Top drawer work here, my friend!!
These are stunning. All of them!
Love the reflections and skies! Very nice!
Terrific shots, Anne. The clarity of the reflection in the first one is amazing.
beautiful images Anne. the image of boat at sunset is breathtaking. So glad for you that you are now making a living at the art you love. I’m still at the awkward stage of selling photographs – how much to ask etc. It’s mostly people I know so basically I want to give at cost or free – such a dilemma for me. I too love using HDR – photomatix. It rather spoils me – I tend to shoot all my landscape and architecture in bracketed exposures and then see which ones come out best in HDR processing.
Hi Tom, I’ll let you in on a secret. Even way back in film days everyone shot brackets just for insurance that you would get one with the proper exposure! I sure love what we can do with our brackets now though!! Thanks for your visit and comments.
Thanks for the memories. Many years ago I was a graduate student at UF and I spent most weekends at the marine station just off Cedar Key. Your beautiful images make me want to go back with my camera.