Arch Detail

Arch detail and reflections in window of Regions Bank, which is in downtown Tampa. The University of Tampa campus is one of the preferred places to create "out of the box" images of downtown Tampa.

These arches are over the main doors in Plant Hall at the University of Tampa.

Backside Plant Hall, University of Tampa, Tampa, FL

This is another image from Plant Hall at the University of Tampa in Tampa, Florida. This building is so ornate it's hard to know what to shoot. It shows detail of some of the Gingerbread design that was so popular in the Victorian age.

Plant Hall, University of Tampa

This is one of the many porches on the backside of this amazing building. I've been there twice now, and still haven't been able to capture everything there is to photograph.

The University of Tampa campus is one of the most amazing campuses I've ever seen. The architecture appears to be a combination of Russian and Victorian, yet it also resembles Middle East architecture.

If you're ever in the Tampa area, this is one place to put on your list to see.

Minarets Atop Plant Hall at University of Tampa

Well, it's been a while since I've updated my blog. I've been on an extended vacation.

This photo of the Moorish minarets atop Plant Hall at the University of Tampa is only a small part of the beauty of this campus. I went there about two weeks ago and couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the beauty of this place.

Plant Hall was once the old Tampa Bay Hotel. "On June 14, 1898 Lt. Col. Theodore Roosevelt and the first United States Volunteer Calvary, known as the Rough Riders, embarked from Port Tampa for victory in the Spanish-American War: The Tampa Bay Hotel was used as headquarters for general officers who came to organize an invasion force for Cuba , and it gained national attention. Lt. Col. Roosevelt and his wife, Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt, were hotel guests for a brief stay. Later, Colonel Theodore Roosevelt became the 26th President of the United States 1901-1909." - as stated on a plaque in front of the entrance to Plant Hall.

As you can see it is only fitting that this beautiful building is now used as one of the main buildings on the University of Tampa campus.

Elusive Osprey

This Osprey sits up in my tree on and off all day and yet I've had the hardest time trying to photograph him. It seems he knows the beeps my alarm makes when I'm coming outside and as soon as he hears the beeps, he's off into the air.

Yesterday, I finally caught him off guard and was able to make this shot.

If you've enjoyed my blog and you'd like to see more of my photography, visit my website at: http://LoyceHoodPhoto.com.

Loyce

Muscovy Duck

These friendly ducks are either hated or loved. Personally, I love them. They're friendly, quiet and not the least bit afraid of people.

There are some people in my neighborhood that would love to see them go away. Right now, the town is trying to pass a law to prevent people from feeding them and all other birds. This is ridiculous! I hope the law isn't passed.

This one is on the bank in my back yard. We have several families living here and I enjoy seeing them. In the spring, after their chicks were hatched, they brought them into the yard right up to me to show off their little chick. They were so cute. I'd really miss them if they were to go away.

Muscovies are fairly large birds and can grow up to 20 pounds. They originally came from Mexico and are a tropical bird. However, they've adapted to the climate in the United States and have been found living up north.

Spider Carrying Leaf

This spider was working really hard trying to carry this leaf up through his web. We watched him for a while and he eventually dropped the leaf.

This photo was taken 12/11/07 during an early morning walk through Sawgrass Lake Park in St Petersburg, FL.

Unfortunately, I'm unable to identify the species of this spider.

If you enjoy my blog and want to see more of my work, check out my website at http://LoyceHoodPhoto.com.

Thanks for looking,
Loyce

Common Spatterdocks

Today my friend and I went for an early morning walk through Sawgrass Lake Park, here in St Petersburg, FL, looking to capture some bird photos.

While we didn't see many birds, I spotted these Spatterdocks and liked the way the light was hitting them, The reflections of the tree in the upper center frame is just icing on the cake to complete my composition.

Loyce

Panoramic and HDR Workshop

Yesterday afternoon I attended Day 1 of a photo workshop through my camera group (http://photo.meetup.com/406) at The Pier in St Petersburg, FL. There were 12 photographers in attendance and we had the most amazing sky for our shoot. My friend and Assistant Organizer, Michael Richter, led the workshop.

This photo is my favorite panoramic shot of the St Petersburg, FL skyline. It is made with 13 shots and the original size is a whopping 61 inch x 9 in photo at 180 MB. Obviously, I've resized it for this blog. You can see a larger version of this shot by clicking on it.

I processed the Camera RAW photos with Adobe Lightroom, then brought them into Adobe Photoshop CS3 and used the Photomerge command to stitch it all together. It took more than an hour to process it, but in my opinion, it was definitely worth it.

If you'd like to see more of my work, visit my website at: http://LoyceHoodPhoto.com.

Enjoy,
Loyce

Sharefest Event

Last week, I had the pleasure of participating in the Largo Sharefest Event at the Northeast Paw Playground.

I photographed dogs with Santa. I had a lot of fun after I realized that these dogs were all obedience trained. It was a first time for me. I worried that the dogs would be unruly and possibly bite Santa. The worry was all for nothing. The shoot went well, and all the dogs behaved.

This is my favorite photo from the shoot. The pooches name is Auggie Doggie, and he didn't seem to mind being on Santa's lap at all.

Let me know what you think!

If you'd like to see more of my photos, visit my site at http://LoyceHoodPhoto.com.