69 of 544

|

acrylic prints nature acrylic prints tree acrylic prints landscape acrylic prints florida acrylic prints reflection acrylic prints

photographs nature photos tree photos landscape photos florida photos reflection photos

The Silver Lake Recreation area in Florida is mostly a camping destination. It also has two trailheads, one that heads into one of my favorite areas to hike, Croom. But a hidden gem is the trail along the Withlacoochee River. The River trail is about five miles long and parallels the river and a paved trail. Mostly the trail is pretty empty. This has to be one of the best hikes in Florida for photographers. As you hike you see these wonderful old Bald Cypress trees, that look to be black if the light is right, and occasional views above river. You go through some old agricultural lands that are now covered with Sand Pine trees. The interesting aspect of the river is the presence of the rusty color of tannin (or maybe iron) that contrasts so well with the darkness of the trees, the blue sky and the green. It gives you the magic of all the colors of the rainbow.

According to the State of Florida website, Withlacoochee is an Indian word meaning "crooked river," which accurately de...

I love to tell stories. About twenty years ago I had my first freelance travel article accepted by a magazine. Much to my surprise, the magazine expected photos along with words. I had not taken any during the preliminary work for my article. I drove back to the site and took the photos for the article with my little Olympus digital camera. The article was published with those very amateur photos. In time, I bought an Olympus OMD-EM5, a great camera for nature and travel photographers and discovered that I enjoyed telling stories with pictures more than I did with words. The last twenty year have been an incredibly exciting time as resources for photographers have exploded. I have been lucky enough to have some great teachers along the way...