Jupiter Beach, Florida

Jupiter Beach, Florida

I am leaving for Asia on Thursday (with a three day stop in The City of Angels). In addition to some planning for the trip I am printing for three shows of my landscape work, October in Ohio, November in Indiana and December in New York.

Most of the images are from our National Parks. Places like Zion, Yosemite, Death Valley as well as Caddo Lake (East Texas), Florida Everglades, Scotland and Ireland. I might also throw in a few Urban Landscapes - after all I do live in New York.

Today's image is from Jupiter Beach , Florida. My friend Doug and I went out for sunrise on this day and we were not disappointed. We were greeted by a fast moving tide and lots of color in the sky. To this day Dough and I still talk about that morning as if it was yesterday.

Stay tuned for more information about the shows -

Florida,Jupiter Beach

Jupiter Beach, Florida

Several years ago my friend Doug Eng and I went shooting down the east coast of Florida. One morning we discovered this beach near Jupiter, Florida at sunrise and were treated to one those special mornings when the sky, fog, wind and waves seemed very much in synch.

We spent several hours shooting at this location and to this day we still talk about that morning. It was simply one of those days.....

And those who view my blog are aware of my love for moving, suspended water....

Florida, Mystic Sunrise

Mystic Sunrise, Florida

'No matter how slow the film, Spirit always stands still long enough for the photographer It has chosen'...........Minor White

Chokoloskee Sunrise, Everglades

Chokoloskee Sunrise

'There are no passengers on spaceship earth. We are all crew'.... Marshall McLuhan

Everglades, Smooth, Quiet, Sunrise

Quiet Sunrise, Chokoloskee Bay, Everglades National Park

Actually this image is just after sunrise out in the Everglades..The captain brought me out in the dark and dropped me off on an oyster bed just before the sun peeked out...That was truly a defining moment for this lad from New York.. The silence was deafening....I remember him clearly saying, 'you better get out now or you will miss the sunrise'. So I did.....Took a few minutes to get my bearings, particularly after he went out into the bay about 200 years - I wondered who helps when the alligator shows up... After that first 10 minutes it was difficult to get me off the oyster bed...a truly amazing experience...

Jupiter Beach, Florida

Jupiter Beach , Florida

It never fails to amaze me at what water looks like in a photograph - and Jupiter Beach has quickly become a mainstay for me. The rock formations at this beach are like 'a box of chocolates' - one never knows what will appear in the images. I have always thought this particular rock formation was some sort of prehistoric creature rising from the mist. Looking forward to another trip south this winter...

Chokloskee Sunrise 2

Chokoloskee Sunrise 2

Today's image was captured one day later then yesterday's sunrise image at Chokoloskee in the Everglades. The only difference is the tide was out so the oyster beds are visible....really need to walk with care on those beds, and, of course have the correct shoes on.....And yes, it was easier to get out of the boat on the second day....

Everglades - Chokoloskee 2

Sunrise, Chokoloskee

Yesterday I went on about my first experience in the Everglades and a friend emailed and said 'let's see the sunrise image you made that morning..you talked about this sunrise image and never posted it'...truth be told I seemed to have misplaced it at the time - and have now found it along with an image of myself walking around in the bay (afternoon image)...

It is so peaceful out in the water....no sounds except the wind.....

The Minnow and The Skipper

HS_Everglades

Everglades - Chokoloskee

10,000 Island, Everglades

It is just before sunrise and I am sitting in a parking lot outside the hardware store in Everglades City, Florida. I am meeting a boat captain to take me out to the 10,000 Islands which are mostly deserted beaches, water and mangrove trees, some of which are growing on oyster beds....These islands date back quite some time, some as far back as 3,500 years. Eerie place at best...

Today this body of water is very calm except for the sound of our motor and the wake produced by the boat - not a sound except for what my mind tells me is an alligator  - and visually just the twilight starting to peak out on the horizon -

So we motor out for about one half hour and Captain Ray stops the boat, looks at me and tells me this is the spot, get out of the boat. I mean we are in the middle of nowhere and he is telling me to get out of the boat - I hesitate - he says you will miss the sunrise if you don't get out now - I am thinking miss the sunrise', what about the alligators and anacondas I have heard so much about?

Long story short I get out of the boat and find myself standing on an oyster bed - the water is maybe 2 feet deep and I can see down to the bed - Captain Ray hands me my tripod and drifts his boat out in the water (out of my camera view) telling me he will come back in 30 minutes to pick me.....of course I am always looking over my shoulder to make sure he is still there - and of course he is floating about smoking a cigarette and eating breakfast....business as usual for Ray....

After a few minutes I become comfortable with this and fire away at the sunrise for maybe 20 minutes....when I turn around the image above was waiting.....the moon setting behind me....

What an amazing experience this was - of course I spent the rest of the day jumping out of the boat on many of the islands feeling a bit fearless after that sunrise experience....WOW.....

White Pelicans

White Pelicans, Duck Rock, Everglades

Yet another image from last year's Everglades road trip. This particular day I had rented a boat and was cruising out in the 10,000 islands when we came upon what the Captain called Duck Rock. Love the little guy down front -


Captured with a Canon 5DMKII, 70-200MM Lens

Everglades

Moon Setting, Mangroves,  Chokoloskee Bay, Everglades

Funny story on this image. I drove down to the Everglades last year to go swamp walking with a photographer named Clyde Butcher. Went a day or so early and rented a boat with a guide to investigate a few of the 10,000 islands in Chokoloskee Bay.

First morning we get out there before sunrise and upon arrival at this location the guide tells me to get out of the boat and prepare for sunrise - 'the best images are made standing out on the oyster bed' he says. I was planning to shoot from the boat but soon realized he was right about getting out on the oyster bed. Very difficult to get a crisp sharp image on a moving boat in low light - lesson learned.

Needless to say I got over the fear and over the next few days found myself walking in swamps and waist high water in the bay - camera in hand. Never saw one alligator or Anaconda....

Everglades Revisited

Chokoloskee Sunrise, Everglades

Still working on images from the Everglades earlier this year - although it seems like it was several years and twenty thousand images back. I still can't believe I drove over 3,500 miles on that trip. Hoping to repeat this same trip again this year, specifically the part where you go out early and walk around on the oyster beds at sunrise - what a hoot.

The image above is from Blowing Rocks on the east coast of Florida...love the ocean so this location proved inviting and I spent several days shooting and captured over 1500 images. Surely has something to do with my childhood spent by the sea in Atlantic City.

Blowing Rocks, Jupiter, Florida

The one below is from Chokoloskee Bay in the Everglades. Went out early on a boat to walk the oyster beds and capture sunrise images. Very eerie feeling being out there in the water at that location at sunrise...feels like you are in some sort of timeless void and you are the only person left on earth.

On another note my Allusions of Reality show opens tomorrow night at the Renaissance Fine Art and Design Gallery in Carmel, Indiana. There is a link below to view the images from this show. All images are for sale and one can contact Kathleen Stevens at the Renaissance Fine Art and Design Gallery for more information.

Here is the image link:  http://harrysandler.com/Allusions/

All images in this show are inkjet prints using  Epson Ultra Smooth Fine Art Paper. They are printed on an Epson 9900 printer using the latest Ultra Chrome Inkset Technology.

Everglades Workshop

Yesterday was the first day of the Cyde Butcher Workshop. We were swamp walking in the morning (murky and muddy) and in the afternoon, well, look at the photo below.

On the morning walk I slipped and fell into the swamp but managed to save my gear, except for my iphone which is now located at the bottom....Lost a phone and a good camera.

On Sunday Captain Gary Thompson is taking us to a less traveled location about 90 minutes south of Everglades City - hopefully we get some cloud cover that day -

Here are a few images from today...