Baby Ducks

I have been hoping all spring that some baby ducks would arrive on the lake in my community, just the other day my wish was granted! One day there were none, the next there they were swimming staying close to their mom. They are in constant motion but lucky for me last evening and this morning they came up to the shore and allowed me to come close enough to get a few good shots.

From Stephaniellen Photography

From Stephaniellen Photography

It was especially difficult to get a photo of one alone as they stick to one another like glue. I am still hoping that Marvin the crazy white duck will father some with little poofs on their heads!

St. Petersburg, Florida

Today I am sharing some photos of the most beautiful place I have found in the Tampa Bay area, St. Petersburg. The downtown area on the water is simply stunning. Saturday mornings from October to May there is a fantastic market a block from the water featuring music, crafts, produce and delicious food. There is a wonderful walkway along the water as well as parks with shady trees and benches to relax on. You can walk to the end of a very long Pier where you will observe fishermen and my favorite pelicans. There is a small aquarium, some touristy shops and food at the end of the pier. There are several places you can eat while enjoying a view of the water as well. There is a gelato place which is amazing. Most of my photos were taken in the downtown area, a few were taken at or near St. Petersburg Beach where there is powdery white sand, blue water and beautiful sea shells. Ft Desoto beach/park is also nearby, I will write a separate post about it soon.
It is another beautiful sunny day here, tonight I will be going to Clearwater Beach to take some evening pics where they have a nightly sunset festival, will share those with you in my next post. Stephanie :)

Pelicans

Hello!
Today I am sharing a few of my favorite pelican photos. Before moving here I had never seen these unique birds up close. They are actually large and also very tame in the sense that you can walk up very close to them and they are not frightened-usually they just stare at you. Once however I observed one actually stalk a lady who was fishing off the pier at St. Petersburg Beach. He kept staring at her and she remarked she thought he was waiting for her to give him a fish. Not five minutes later the lady caught what looked to be a small angelfish and the pelican looked at it eagerly! He was rewarded as the fish was too small to keep. Pelicans are most frequently found along the beaches, I have not seen any venture inland to the suburbs of Tampa. The funniest thing about them is that they like to dive head first into the water, producing a large splash. This looks as though it would be painful, but they do it again and again.
About the photos: Photo 1-Taken on the beach just outside the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary, a nice but smelly place to visit http://www.seabirdsanctuary.com/. Photo 2-I took this at St Pete Beach. The southernmost point is a peninsula that is only about 3 blocks wide. You can walk from the beach across to the other side where you see a bay with many beautiful homes on the other side. This was taken on the bay side. Photo 3-One of my favorite photos taken on the Pier in downtown St. Petersburg with the city as a backdrop. Photo 4 was taken on a beach in Sarasota-sometimes it seems like these birds really want to pose for me!

Ybor Slideshow

Hi
Took me a bit, but figured out how to put up my Ybor Slideshow, hope you enjoy it!
Steph

Ybor City

Today I am sharing some pictures of Ybor City, a historic district in Tampa founded in the 1880's by Vincente-Marinez Ybor as a cigar manufacturing center. Ybor is a popular place to party with a wide variety of clubs and restaurants. Every Saturday morning brings a farmers market to Centennial Park, I go there often and it is a great place to relax and do some people watching. The buildings and shops are all very unique, the town truly has a historical feel which I love. There is also a large Muvico theater if you want to catch a flick. I have not sampled the restaurants there yet but will report back when I do, there are many that look very interesting. To learn more about Ybor please explore this website: http://www.ybor.org/index.cfm?section=vs

It is another beautiful weekend here in Tampa! Hope you are enjoying yours wherever you are!

P.S. I am having trouble putting multiple pictures where I want them so to see my other pictures of Ybor follow this link:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephaniellen/sets/72157616915564507/

Stephanie:)

Marvin the crazed Martian Duck

I live in a very nice apartment community with a lake in the middle. On the lake are the usual array of mallard ducks, and one unique duck unlike any I have ever seen. I call him Marvin the Crazed Martian Duck because he has a Mohawk which reminds me of the brush the Looney Tunes character has attached to his helmet. I throw the Crazed in there because it amuses me. It has been a quest of mine to get a perfect photo of him, which has proved quite difficult. I did manage to capture a few fun ones of him today, but still haven't gotten that perfect shot. Will certainly let you know when I do. I apologize for the bizarre way the photos are laid out above, I need to figure out how to make them appear the way I want them to.

Stephanie:)

First Post

Greetings!
Here it is my first blogpost! I am sure for the time being it will be a bit spare but hopefully as time goes by and I eventually start my life as a professional photographer I will have many fun photos and stories to share. First I have to learn how to customize things, add photos etc. I have begun reading a series of Photography blogs every day in addition to my normal web surfing. There is so much to learn, more than I ever guessed but I love the fact that every time I go shoot I feel more confident and I can see my photos getting better.
This blog will not only be about photography but my travels around Tampa Bay, my new home, there is a lot to see it is a beautiful place. Until a few months ago I lived my entire life in a suburb of Baltimore, Maryland. I never really felt like I belonged there though. Can't say I will stay in Tampa forever but it is certainly a much better fit for me. My first warm winter was amazing-I highly reccomend it.
I am still trying to define a photography style for myself but I am very interested in eventually doing some kind of travel photography. As practice I hope to feature some great photos of Tampa to show those of you reading this who are not here what it is like.
It is late so I will end this here. :) Stephanie