The Salvatore Dali Museum

The Salvatore Dali Museum, St Petersburg, FL

The Salvador Dalí Museum is an art museum in St. Petersburg, Florida dedicated to the work of Salvador Dalí. It houses the largest collection of Dalí's works outside Europe.

It is located on the downtown St. Petersburg waterfront by 5th Avenue Southeast, Bay Shore Drive, and Dan Wheldon Way. On April 18, 2012, the AIA's Florida Chapter placed the building on its list of Florida Architecture: 100 Years. 100 Places.

St Pete Skyline

St Petersburg, FL Skyline

I just happened to glance out my window and saw this the day before yesterday. These amazing clouds were due to a cold front coming in. The light on the buildings in the distance is what I noticed first, then the clouds. I just had to shoot this--it was calling.

There is no HDR or blending in this image. As a matter of fact, other than straightening, and noise removal, I didn't do a thing to this. This is how it came out of the camera.

The Pier

The Pier, St Petersburg, FL

The Pier, located 1/4 mile out on the waterfront in St Petersburg, FL is an iconic symbol of our beautiful city. This beautiful building is 40 years old and is unfortunately falling apart. It once housed 3 restaurants, several shops and a food court on the first floor, an aquarium on the second floor, offices on the 4th floor and an observation deck with restaurant and live music on the 5th floor.

There were fishing docks on the back, mini golf, boats, ski doos, bicycles and paddleboats rentals on the left side, with a bait house where the Pelicans could be fed for $1 a fish. Free trollies brought people who didn't want to or were unable to walk the quarter mile walk to the end of the pier to visit this building. Tourists flocked here. It was a great place to spend an afternoon or evening. While all good things must come to an end, The Pier is now closed and has been closed since May 31, 2013.

Originally, the city was going to demolish it and replace it with another building. There were 3 designs presented and a design called The Lens was chosen. The people of St Petersburg were outraged and wanted nothing to do with The Lens. They didn't like the design and the proposed usage. A referendum was held and the City stopped its plans while the citizens gathered the required number of signatures to squash the plan. Once again, the city is looking at new plans for our beloved Pier. This time, there are 8 designs to choose from. We'll have to see what wins out.

This was not the only pier for the City of St Petersburg. The first pier was constructed in 1889 and  was called The Railroad Pier. It was a sight-seeing and recreational resort for locals and tourists. It was built around the Orange Belt Railway, and was railway accessible. In 1906, it was replaced by The Electric Pier and extended 3,000 ft into Tampa Bay. This pier was replaced by the Municipal Pier in 1914. The Municipal Pier was destroyed by a hurricane in 1921. The city then paid $1,000,000 for a new pier. The new one, called the Million Dollar Pier and dedicated in 1926. It was demolished in 1967 and the site remained vacant until 1973 when the current pier was built.

So, now we wait for a new pier to be built. I feel now is a good time to photograph and document our pier before it is gone.

The Dali

The Dali Museum

The building was designed by architect, Yann Weymouth. The free-form geometrical glass bubble is made up of 1062 pieces of glass and is 75ft tall at its highest point. This image shows only a small part of it. The bubble is named, enigma.The galleries house a collection of works by Salvidor Dali, dating from 1904 until 1989.

You can see another shot of the enigma in a previous post. I will be posting more photos of this innovative building as time goes by.

This building was shot in the late afternoon, using my Canon 6D, with my Tamron 28-300mm lens. Settings used were f3.5 at 1/2500th in Aperture Priority mode and +1/3 eV, ISO 320, at 35mm. I used the pattern metering mode to ensure a good exposure since I was shooting from dark shadows into the light.

free-form geodesic glass bubble known as the “enigma”. The “enigma”, which is made up of 1,062 triangular pieces of glass, stands 75 feet at its tallest point, - See more at: http://thedali.org/about-the-museum/the-building/#sthash.Dw8vutEw.dpuf

Yann Weymouth of HOK

Yann Weymouth of HOK

Great Blue Heron Up Close

Great Blue Heron

The other day during my trek to Spa Beach, I spotted this Great Blue Heron perching on a wall near a fisherman, just waiting to grab his fish.

These guys are the best at stealing a catch. The poor fishermen do all the work, while the Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets and Pelicans hang around just waiting for them to reel in their catch. As soon as the fish is above water, the bird swoops down and steals it.

Herons, Egrets and Pelicans in this area are so used to people they have lost all their fear of humans. It is not unusual to see 4 or 5 birds within 2 feet of fishermen. The fishermen try to chase them away, but all they do is move another 2 feet or to the other side of them and it all starts over again.

It's pretty comical to watch; that is, if you're not a fisherman. They don't enjoy these birds at all.

Sunshine Skyway Bridge

Sunshine Skyway Bridge

This was shot about 2 weeks ago from the North Rest Stop on the approach to the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, here in St Petersburg, FL.

When you look at the other view I posted showing the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, you can't tell just how high it is. The funny thing, now with newer and newer cruise ships, it seems it's still too low. They're trying to figure out if they have to raise it, or to build another port so cruise ships don't have to cross under the bridge.

The bridge is 431 ft high with a vertical clearance of 175 ft. It is roughly 4 miles long.

The Travel Channel has named this bridge #3 of the Top 10 bridges in the world. It is Florida's flag bridge

This bridge also has a dark side, however. It is also known as a popular suicide place. It got so bad, that a radio station even had a jumper pool. As of 2009, 207 people have successfully committed suicide by jumping off the bridge, and 34 others tried it and survived. One man, who had been kidnapped, tortured and beaten was forced to jump at gunpoint; while another man hung himself from the bridge. There are many more suspected with people missing, but no bodies were found. This year in 2014, there have been 7 suicides, 23 possible (no bodies found), 1 survivor, and 2 saves. This bridge is known the #4 suicide bridge in the country and #1 east of California. 

North Rest Stop

I chose this file from Tuesday's batch because I like the simplicity. It's a little different from what I usually post, but for some reason, when I look at it, it makes me feel peaceful. It has very little color and with the still water and the shore birds foraging for the night it just gives me that feeling of tranquility.

What do you all think?

Post 5 of 5 Day Black and White Challenge: South Rest Stop

South Rest Stop Under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge

This is Day 5 of my 5 Day Black and White Challenge that I accepted from my friend, and fellow photographer, Rosemary Morrison, of Rosemary Kaye Photo, who's work I admire. I am supposed to post 1 b&w image for five days, as well as challenge a fellow photographer each day that inspires me.

I saved my last challenge, for my dear friend, Brenda Knolls Budd who's work I have always admired. Brenda has a unique way of seeing things. It has happened time and time again, when a group of us (photographers) go out shooting and Brenda finds stuff no one sees. I'd like to see what she can come up with. I hope she accepts this challenge.What about it, Brenda, will you accept?

Day 2 of 5 Day Black and White Challenge: Dali Museum

Dali Museum

This is Day 2 of a 5 Day Black & White Challenge that I accepted from my friend, and fellow photographer, who's work I admire. I am supposed to post 1 b&w image for five days, as well as challenge a fellow photographer each day that inspires you.

I am challenging Beth McNabb of St Petersburg, FL, who's work I feel is outstanding.

This photo was taken of the Dali Museum building in downtown St Petersburg. I can see it from my window. I've been inside once, and with ticket prices being $22/adult and $5 parking, I decided I wouldn't go back in today. Maybe some other time when they're having a special; especially since I've already been there once.

Sawgrass Lake Park Waterway (Canal)

Canal, Sawgrass Lake Park

Sawgrass Park is one of my favorite places to go for some great images in St. Petersburg, FL. When walking through the park, one can see many photographers out and about both during the week and on weekends.

Sawgrass is a 400 acre park, with nature trails, a lake (Sawgrass Lake), and this canal running through the park. This particular area is along the pathway coming back from the beautiful Oak Hammock Trail. Sawgrass has one of the largest Maple swamps on the Gulf Coast of Florida. The boardwalk is a mile long and there is an additional 1/2 mile dirt trail.

There is also an overlook tower that looks onto the lake. On the lower level of the overlook tower, I have never failed to see and American Alligator or two and huge Soft-shelled turtles in the water. Gators can also be seen along the banks of this canal and other little ponds throughout the park. I have seen Armadillos, many species of birds, including Herons, Egrets, Roseate Spoonbills, Wood Storks, Ibis, Eagles and Owls. There are also two butterfly gardens where I have photographed too many species to mention. Of course, I can't fail to mention there are many squirrels, rabbits and racoons as well. Just looking through my past blogs, you'll find many of the things I've photographed at this park.

The park is also along the Great Florida Birding Trail, and this area is right on the migratory line, so it attracts many birders throughout the year. Sawgrass even has an education center. They have many educational activities for local school children.

The greatest thing about this magnificent park is the admission charge: FREE! There are not too many free things to do these days, so if you are ever in the area, check it out!

Sunrise, St Petersburg, FL

St Pete Sunrise

I'm very fortunate to live in downtown St Petersburg. This is what I wake up to in the morning. There's no better way to say, "Good morning", than getting greeted by nature every morning. It's a wonderful way to start the day happy.

St Petersburg could live up to the nickname of Sun City, however there is already a Sun City not far from us. It is boasted that there are only 6 days a year on an average that the sun doesn't come out. No wonder it was a retirement city a long time ago. Now, the median age is 39, so it no longer fits that description.

St Pete, or The Burg, as it is affectionately known to its residents has a thriving young community. It has also a large art community. This shot is only 2 blocks from Central Ave., our "Main St.". Taking a walk down Central, you will find many art galleries, quaint boutiques, and restaurants from ethnic and any type of food you can imagine. Food prices range from fast food pricing to elegant pricing. There is something for everyone, including hot dog carts on many corners. St Pete also has an active night scene as well. It is also minutes to the beaches, since it's a peninsula. It sits between Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. It doesn't get any better than that.

If you are ever in the area, check it out!

The Vinoy Tower

I shot this image during the same meetup as the last photo I posted. Rather than showing the entire photo of The Renaissance Vinoy Hotel, I chose to show only the tower. People who have visited the area know this tower well, so there is no doubt where it was taken.

The beautiful cascading Bougainvilleas on the arbor was what initially attracted me to this site. It's the only place to find "Fall" color in this part of the country. I didn't want the scene to look tropical, but rather like the season. Hopefully, I've managed what I have envisioned. Fall in New England has always been my favorite time of year. From the photos my son sent me from CT the color this year was spectacular. It must be all the rain we've had all summer long.

This was made at around 10:00 am and the sun was pretty strong. I had to be careful of extreme contrasts while not blowing out the whites. I chose F11 to get plenty of Depth of Field (DOF) at 1/320th second because even though my lens is Image Stabilized (IS), I wanted to be sure there was no evident camera shake. I used Aperture Priority mode with pattern metering at ISO 200 and a 55mm focal length with my favorite walk-around lens, a Canon 55-250mm IS lens.

Since we really don't have fall color in St Petersburg, I thought the Bougainvillas on this arbor in Vinoy Park would suffice.

Actually on Sunday, I brought my Newbie group to downtown St Petersburg for their Travel and Vacation Workshop. After the lesson, we walked around Beach Dr, pretending to be tourists and making photos.

It's funny, but people think "Travel" photography means you have to "travel" to make these kind of photos. That's just not true. Anyone can make "travel" pictures right in their home town or at the very least the nearest city. Everyone travels somewhere, and there are always tourists in your city. Someone has to take those photos; why not you!

I know what you're all thinking, "you live in Florida and everyone travels there". Yes, that's true, but I travel to Tennessee, Connecticut and New York. I also travel around Florida and all the states between Florida and upstate New York. You don't have to be on vacation to travel. Try "traveling" in your own home town. Take your camera along and make like tourists. You'd be surprised how things look when you really look at them. Give it a try--I'd be interested in how it worked out for you.