Tarpon Pointe Grill & Tiki Bar

In keeping with my New Year's Resolution, I missed yesterday, so I'm making up for it by posting 2 photos today. It works out better that way anyway since they're both of the same subject.

This is the Tarpon Pointe Grill & Tiki Bar on the Manatee Landings Marina in Bradenton, Florida.

It's unique since it takes up the whole marina and it sits on a point out there in the middle of the Manatee River. This bar is a fun place and the food is to die for.

They have plenty of activities, like volleyball on the beach, a Polynesian Luau is planned for the 25th of this month, they have a regular jam night, and live music every night.

They have 600 ft of docking space and a 3,000 sq ft Tiki hut, built by the Seminole Indians. If you're ever in the area check them out; even if you're not in the area, it's worth the trip. (Sorry to sound like a commercial, no one is paying me for this and I do not know the owners.)

Who's Having More Fun?

Last night was our regular Monday Night Meetup in Safety Harbor, FL. We had a couple models come in for a model shoot, which everyone enjoyed.

Since I'm not really into shooting models after having my fill in the late '70s, I sat around at the picnic tables and talked with my friends. All of a sudden, Jean pointed out a photo opp right up my alley. She spotted this dad giving his toddler a ride on her kiddie car. I thought it was hilarious; especially with Daddy wearing a helmet.

Just as I was ready to shoot, the father got off the kiddie bike. I asked him to get back on it and ride so I could get a photo of it since he looked like he was having so much fun. He graciously obliged and this is the result. He only sat there for about a minute and this one was my choice of the 5 I shot because of his expression.

I want to know, though, who's having more fun--Daddy or his little girl?

Ferris Wheel

This is another of my favorite images from the Florida State Fair in Tampa, FL.

The light was fading pretty fast and my tripod was in the car, so I put my trusty Tamron F2.8 35-105mm lens on and hoped for the best. Lucky for me, there was enough ambient light to hand hold my lens to make this shot of this Ferris Wheel.

I have to admit that I was surprised that I was able to handhold this lens and still get a sharp image. This was only one of many I took that night that came out this well. I was able to keep many of the shots.

One thing that also helped is that I always shoot in bursts of 3 shots when I'm hand holding my lens. I figure the 1st shot, there's apt to be some camera shake while I'm pressing the shutter button, while my second shot is made while the shutter button is already being held down. The final shot is made when I'm releasing the shutter so the potential for camera shake exists. Most of the time, the second shot is the sharpest and shows the least movement if any. This shot proves my theory.

Florida State Fair

We went to the Florida State Fair last night for another Meetup with my Photography Group.

It was pretty warm when I got there, so I left my tripod and jacket in my car that was parked really far away from the entrance thinking I'd go back for it later. During the day it was too crowded to get many photos of the rides, so we waited until after sunset.

It began to get cold, and dark and I didn't feel like walking way back to the car, so I told my friend Dave that I'd just make a couple of shots of the rides and leave. Well, a couple turned into a lot!

This shot is one of my favorites, since I shot it handheld and without a tripod. Most of the shots I took weren't bad at all. I was surprised to see how well I as able to do with my fast F2.8 Tamron 35-105mm lens.

I'll be posting more once they're edited.