Mockingbird

Peacocks!

There are 3 peacocks that have taken up residence in my neighborhood. According to a nice gal that lives nearby they even have some chicks. It is thought that these birds escaped from the Sarasota Jungle Gardens which is just a few blocks from where I live.

My boyfriend and I first spotted the birds a few evenings ago while we took Ghost out for a walk. The next evening I grabbed my trusty camera and headed out to see if I could find them again. Sure enough I did.

I stalked them through the neighborhood, often kneeling in dirt and crawling in grass. I love doing stuff like this and always serves to revitalize my passion for wildlife photography. The birds let me get pretty close which was a thrill.

Shooting these birds also made me realize that it's time to upgrade my telephoto lens. 

Waiting

My loyal direwolf pup Ghost guards my bike as I wade into Sarasota Bay for pictures.

The 2011 Sarasota Boat Parade

Behind You!

Ghost the Muddy Wonder Pup!

She's at 15 weeks right now and is certainly growing up! It's great to see her continue to develop a personality. Today we went down to the water to play for a bit and we both ended up muddy and wet.

Currently my favorite picture of her!

Tube Dude

Tube Dude of Sarasota, Florida. His show room is awesome.

http://www.tube-dude.com/

On Art and Censorship

Renowned graffiti artist, MTO painted this mural recently in Sarasota, Florida. The mural which is done only with spray paint is located in an area of town that suffers from high crime rates and rampant drug use. Compared to the rest of Sarasota, which is affluent, rich, and white, this area of town is often sneered at and dismissively referred to. As soon as the mural was completed the public cried out against its use of gang imagery.

According to a recent TV report, the model for the hands and the tattoos is a surfer from California living in Sarasota. 'Fast Life', he stated on the report, has nothing to do with gangs. Critics of the piece are stating that it is exactly that phrase, as well as the position of the fingers (the inspiration stated that the hands and fingers are positioned that way for aesthetic purposes) is offensive to the area and it's residents.

I'm not sure which section of Sarasota, which neighborhood, or which tax bracket has the loudest voice in opposing the piece. To me, I think the majority of the problem is because people simply hate having an issue that they would rather forget shoved in their face.

And what better way to shove an issue in your face than a huge mural?

Which is why the mural was scheduled to be painted over.

I took these shots on the day of the paint over but luckily the mural was saved last minute. The owner of the Tube Dude business, where the mural is located, said he would wait for one month to assess public opinion on the mural. If opinion is still negative after that time the piece is getting painted over.

Myself,  I love the mural. I think it's a fantastic piece of art expertly done. It's striking and powerful, and as all good art ought to do, inspire debate.

Photography Exposure!

A few months back the local library contacted me about a photo I took. They presented me a terrific opportunity that ultimately fell through. It was left that the library could use the photo for whatever such as newsletters and the such and that I would be given credit for the photo. That was enough for me, really. I'm an amateur photographer and any exposure is fantastic.

A week ago the library contacted me again to ask if they could use the photo for invites to the opening of their new Teen Center. Well, I said 'Hell yeah" of course and this is the end result! 

To me it's awesome that the public will be able to see my photo. This is the most exposure anything I've done has ever received. The Selby Library is a great group of people and I'm thankful that they wanted to use the picture.

Sarasota Bay

Occupy Sarasota Post 2

Occupy Sarasota

Crypt Keepers

Day 2 of my new 365! I headed out to Rosemary Cemetery to snap a photo of this one site with a very tattered and weather beaten Bible. I was not pleased with how that photo came out but luckily I took a photo of the lawn care crew.

What was supposed to be a quick trot down to Planned Parenthood turned out to be a 3 hour photo walk with a stop along Centennial Park where I took some pretty awesome photos of some birds which I will be posting later along with a discovery of a really neat little alley.

Faces in the Crowd

My main reason for going to the World Trade Center Memorial ceremony was a chance to take candid photographs of strangers.

Sand Hill Crane

Ca'd'Zan Mansion

Untitled Rooftop

I was born in Sarasota, though I never lived here until now. It's a weird city with a mixture of upper class and the impoverished. There's a strong artistic community here what with the Ringling art museum and the Ringling are college being located here. But there are also lawyers and doctors and little old ladies that have their faces skewered in a constant scowl walking their fluffy little dogs offering nary a hi or a nod to those who pass by. The Mennonites have a strong presence here as well and during the winter months certain neighborhoods are clogged with bicycles and women in bonnets and men with their great white beards. This is the city where condo owners of downtown balk and rail against the homeless doing all they can to push Sarasota's "ugly little problem" out of their sight.

I love Sarasota.

I took this shot on top of a parking garage on S. Palm Avenue. It overlooks the Golden Apple Theater Club to the trees of Five Points Park. To the left is just a hint of the Selby library and dominating the picture are the condos with a Starbucks on street level next to a handful of high class boutiques.

"Morning Paper"

There are few photos that I take that I fall in love with; this is one of them. I spotted this couple yesterday on my way to grab something cold and coffee like from Pastry Art. One of my favorite things to do with Harlock is to just sit together and read. It's an intimate moment. When I saw this couple I thought about Harlock and how true love doesn't need any spoken words just the desire to simply sit together and be near one another.

Parking Garage on S. Palm Avenue, Sarasota, Florida.