tree

Banyan Trees of downtown St. Petersburg appreciation

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Banyan Tress in downtown St. Petersburg - 7-bracket HDR @ f/11Recently I have had to answer the question of why I live in St. Petersburg to a couple of different people.  It would be better to say why I live in the specific part of St. Petersburg I do:  Snell Isle & the Old Northeast.  That I can answer easily:  because of the trees.  The neighborhoods here are covered in large trees of many different varieties.  

The banyan trees in the above photo are in a non-descript part of downtown on a not so often traveled sidestreet.  There are much larger banyan trees on Beach Drive that get lots of attention.  As I was walking back to my car from a small photo job I came across these banyans and thought I should make the effort to photograph them and show some of the hidden beauty of the city I live in.

Banyan Tree roots in downtown St. Petersburg - 7-bracket HDR @ f/11Luckily the photo job I had to do required a tripod so I was able to make HDR shots of the banyan trees.  I used the tripod on the shortest leg settings, requiring me to sit on the ground for both shots, which is fine with me as I like the slowness using a tripod requires for making shots.

What trees are there in your neighborhood and why do you live in the city you do?

Photography Tip - seeing a different reality - kapok silk-cotton tree

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The famous kapok silk-cotton tree of downtown St. Petersburg in sepiaWhy did I make this photograph?  Because of the shadows the branches were burning into the ground.  That interested me.  As it was close to mid-day the shadows were vividly dark.  They appeared to me to be separate from the tree itself, not so much shadows, but rather an alternative existence for another kapok silk-cotton tree bordering two realities.  This I saw for just a moment in between a lot of other things, like teaching a DSLR Photography Lesson and cars passing by and people jostling past on the sidewalk and the sun uncomfortably heating my skin.

The photography tip is this:  see a different reality

My favorite artist is Van Gogh because he saw a different reality, not in his imagination, but through his normal eyes, or was his mind imaging what he say and his eyes believed it to be the reality of others?  Regardless, I believe he literally saw the world as he painted it.  When he looked at a night sky, it was all swirly.  Thus, his paintings are now masterpieces and hold the interest of millions.  If he had painted the sky exactly as it appears to look for most people, he would not be an artist of any significance.  

Being able to see a different reality is an extremely valuable skill to any artist, to any photographer.  I believe these different realities are not constantly around us though, they exist only for a moment.  Take the above photo for example.  If I returned to that spot a few hours later, the alternative branch shadow reality would not be there.  

To me an interesting artist/photographer skillfully and creatively shows others the different reality he/she sees on a daily basis.

Strobist DSLR Photography Lesson #2 with Steve

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Steve in downtown St. Petersburg in a long shot strobist setup we were practicingSteve has taken a number of DSLR Photography Lessons ranging from an intro DSLR lesson to an editing lesson, and now on to his second strobist lesson.  Since our first strobist lesson, he has gotten Yongnuo remote flash triggers of his own so this time we could practice using long lenses for strobist shots.  

We used various downtown St. Petersburg locations that may in the future be used for Steve to photograph clients of his own.  Thus, half the time I acted as I usually do giving photography instruction, the other half I pretended to be a client letting Steve set everything up and instruct me how to pose, etc.  It is a big step to go from photographing just friends and family to photographing paying clients.  The camera will definitely feel different in your hand!

Steve has a friendly personality and is able to connect with people easily, so I am sure he will not have a difficult time finding clients when he is ready to start shooting paying gigs.   

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    • Snell Isle Series - 04 - Silk Floss Tree in full bloom

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    Silk Floss Tree on Cordova Blvd Snell Isle - Nikon D300 5-bracket HDRThe Snell Isle Series continues with a very special tree that can be seen on Cordova Blvd.  I have been fascinated by this tree since I first saw it almost two years ago.  It is a Silk Floss Tree (Ceiba speciosa) and stands out because of its thorny, green trunk which gives it a distinct fairy tale look.  When it blooms, it looks like a giant cotton candy on a stick with its dense, pink flowers.  

    Bees were swarming this Silk Floss Tree - Nikon D300 using pop-up flashThe tree has an eastern exposure, meaning sunset time is not good for photographing it.  So I woke up early and brought my HDR gear setup (Nikon D300, tripod, cable release) to catch the early morning light that just starts to pop up over the houses lining the street at 7:30am.  As I parked my car and was getting the tripod setup, I could hear an audible buzz.  There were power lines directly above, but I thought they cannot be under such a heavy load to buzz like that.  Well, the mystery was immediately cleared up when I walked up to the Silk Floss Tree.  Bees were all over the entire tree.  Every bee in a 5-mile radius must have been there, as it was 3+ bees to a flower (see above) and I was getting my tower buzzed as I stood there too, but I tried not to flinch.  An old woman passing by said she was on the other side of the street just to avoid the bees, but I felt no threat, they were in a nectar feeding frenzy, and I moved only cautiously and purposefully.

    The Silk Floss Tree on Cordova has a great canopy - Nikon D300 5-bracket HDRThe property overall has immaculate and detailed landscaping.  The owner is a kindly elderly man who I have never spoken directly to, but waved at countless time as I drove by as he is always sitting out in the driveway, though sometimes napping!  He has been gone for awhile, and I wonder if he will return.  His absence makes the neighborhood feel significantly less warm to me.

    Hug this! Nikon D300 5-bracket HDRThe Silk Floss Tree of Cordova really is the grand landmark of the area, way more so than the two-story multi-million dollar homes that are adjacent to it.  Every time I pass by, it gives me at least a second of wonder and fancy in my day.  I just hope its owner returns as well.