Private Paradise

Useppa Island is the ultimate place to own a vacation home. So much in fact, that it is completely private and there is little access to the public. It is no larger than possibly 20 acres but amazingly enough it has a museum all of its own with some Calusa artifacts and the history of the island.

I recently found out that I could use a trial version of Adobe's Lightroom photo editing software and I fell in love with it. It's capabilities surpass any editing that I have ever played around with before and it is extremely convenient when it comes to importing, organizing, and exporting. I will finish my winter study with it and hopefully get acquainted with it enough to purchase it since it would be a great investment. Photoshop is still too far of a reach for me.

Here we are, ready to depart.

Drifting through the mangrove islands was sweet.

On the way to Useppa, Byron decided to show off his style which I captured and edited in Lightroom.

 Once at Useppa we immediately realized that this was a world far beyond the one we had ever known.

Again, a lot of what you will see are pictures that have been edited for a specific look and aesthetic and are very different, both in style and quality, of anything previous on this blog.

Spanish Moss tree.

Seen from below.

Useppa has lost some of its natural beauty due to new developments, yet the houses there don't fail to impress.

These next two are dedicated to my mom who has been hoping that I would capture "white beaches."

The most amazing tree I have ever seen.

These flowers were recovered from an original photo that otherwise I would never have even considered.

One of my favorite pictures so far on this trip.

The most expensive pool in Florida...

We wondered how people got around the island and very soon we realized that golf carts were it.

Each house had a mini driveway.

Look at the bottom left. Stylish right?

Seriously...

Palm tree variety is incredible around here.

All the way from the claws, to the sand on its back, and the grass in its mouth, this tortoise was awesome. Picture dedicated to Ben and Kevin.

Oliver, our professor's son, was apparently screaming the whole way back since he thought that no one could hear him due to the boat's motor.

A Golden Opportunity

A photographer only gets about 20 minutes of terrific natural light conditions a day, at sun up and sun down. These are the times when an entire ocean can be covered in a sheet of gold, or when light beams and sun rays squeeze through clouds. These are the times when a shadow tells its story.

Here in Pine Island we don't need to go too far for a beautiful view, it is enough just to step outside.

I was determined to drive to the west side of the island and capture a beautiful sunset. On our way back from a lecture by Dr. William Marquardt our group stopped at a public access dock. The pictures that follow were all taken at this location.

I am sorry about the tilted picture. The sun with the birds caught me by surprise.

Our winter study group enjoying the view.

Taken with the iPhone, the sun reflected off the wide lens perfectly for a nice picture.