Enjoying the Redington Long Pier.

Redington Long Pier by Gregory Urbano
 
Everybody loves a trip to the beach right? And most people enjoy walking on piers over the water, its like visiting the beach with a better angle! People love to fish from them too. Each pier tends to have its own personality too, some more than others. If you were to think to yourself about which piers you like better than others, wooden ones would general tend to fare better in your rankings. This is my opinion anyway and it explains why I like the Redington Long Pier so much.

Found object Armadillo sculpture at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve, St. Petersburg Florida.

Transformadillo by Gregory Urbano
 
In the heart of south Saint Petersburg is a parcel of land that remains in its natural state called the Boyd Hill Nature Preserve. It has miles of trails and boardwalks that encompass a variety of unique ecosystems. From hardwood hammocks, sand pine scrub, pine flatwoods, willow marsh to swamp woodlands this is a park that has it all including being adjacent to Lake Maggiore one of Pinellas counties largest bodies of fresh water.
I usually find time to visit the park at least once a year. One of the highlights during those past visits and the primary subject of this blog post are the two metal sculptures made from found auto parts and scrap metal. Paul Eppling is the artist who created these magnificent pieces as well as a few others around Pinellas County.

Outside the Tampa Museum of Art

Rothman Plaza by Gregory Urbano

Outside you say, all the good stuff is on the inside of a museum right?
True there is always a great exhibit going on inside the Tampa Museum of Art but another thing to see is its stunning exterior. Made of glass and aluminum the building looks like a floating box to me. Right on the Hillsborough River in the heart of downtown Tampa this place is centrally located for any adventure. There is a park right next door plus it is a half block from the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts!
If you are a museum lover then living in the Tampa-St. Pete area puts you in driving distance to some really great museums and this is one of my favorites.

Skypoint Tampa.

Skypoint Tampa by Gregory Urbano

Emporis classifies the Skypoint building in downtown Tampa a "skyscraper". Wikipedia says the structure is the 9th tallest building in the Cigar City. I just say its one big, cool looking thing to photograph. With its glass and concrete exterior, saddled with parking garages the building stretches 32 floors upward. 414 feet from the the tip to the ground it cost a quarter of a billion dollars, that's right billion! (See comments!)

Seeing Cypress at Highlands Hammock State Park.

Cypress Stand, Highlands Hammock State Park by Gregory Urbano

One of my favorite photographers is Clyde Butcher. If you are not familiar with his work please visit his website and check it out. As far as inspiration goes his photography is one of my greatest sources. He photographs old school using black and white film and an old wooden box camera in the Everglades. The way he can bring out so much of the natural beauty using just black and white is a testament to his vision.
When I look at his photographs of the swamps, mangroves and grassy plains of south Florida I feel like it is some kind of out of body experience, like being transported there in an ethereal sense.

Meandering at Hillsborough River State Park.

Fallen Tree, Hillsborough River State Park by Gregory Urbano

MEANDERING - follow a winding path.

Why did I choose the term "meandering" to describe my visit to Hillsborough River State Park?

Probably because it is the best word that I know that conveys both the physical experience as well as the spiritual one. 

Hillsborough River State Park was a great find for me the first time I visited and each time I go back back. I came up with this thought as I was writing this post in my head before typing it into this blog post-

Catching Car Shows at Quaker Steak and Lube.

Ninety Eights by Gregory Urbano

As you have already noticed I love photographing classic cars. So I am constantly on the lookout for places near and far to shoot car shows. One such place that I have found that is close to me and has events on a regular basis is a local wing joint called Quaker Steak and Lube.
I decided instead of writing separate posts on each show I attend I would just lump them all together here, past, present and future.

Islands Fest 2013, Davis Islands.

Seaplane by Gregory Urbano

Wow, a chance to photograph something other than a classic automobile! The 2013 Islands Fest held at the Peter O'Knight airport on Davis Islands in Tampa Florida gave me the opportunity to shoot some airplanes. My only other post involving aviation is the one on the Valiant air Command Warbird Museum in Titusville Florida.

Day at the beach, Fort DeSoto Florida.

Gulf Pier Fort DeSoto Park by Gregory Urbano

I already have one post on Fort DeSoto Park in Pinellas County in this blog but this place is so fantastic I thought it would be nice to have one more. This time to shed some daylight on this beautiful beach!
To recap Fort DeSoto Park is located at the southern most portion of Pinellas County, the tip of the barrier island chain that runs the coastline. It sits at the mouth of Tampa Bay and extends into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

The Downshifters of Brooklyn 12th Annual Veterans Hospital Car Show

Red Car by Gregory Urbano

Ok so there are a couple of posts so far about car shows, I confess I really love photographing older classic cars. One of the great things about Florida is the relaxed attitude on keeping older vehicles on the road. In other states you might have a more restrictive system that includes an annual car inspections and testing. That tends to keep some of the older cars off the road. Here in the sunshine state there seems to be an appreciation for these classics and you see a whole lot more of them, people are more interested in them, hence maybe more classic car shows. I do not really know the reason except to say that other places in the U.S. where I have lived and visited there did not seem to be the same number of classics driving on the road every day.
Any way, I love classic cars, I love the way they photograph, I think Florida is a great state for catching classic car shows!