Drawn to Morning – A Safety Harbor Pier Photograph

Description

The Safety Harbor pier has a special place in my heart. Just over 3 years ago with cell phone in hand, this is where my photography journey began. And on this rainy early hour photographic trip,  Drawn to Morning – A Safety Harbor Hour Pier Photograph was created.

You will notice we capture and create a lot of images at the pier in Safety Harbor. Not only is this where it all began for me, it is absolutely the best local spot to watch the sun rise above the horizon. And although this morning, I did not stick around to see the light of a new day, it was a welcoming reminder of the place the pier holds in my heart.

The Image:

Ever since I became serious about photography, I have ditched the alarm clock. It is just something about the early morning. Watching the darkness of early dawn turn beautiful and colorful hues and into a new day, is my Happy Hour. And on this morning, I was awakened at 5am by the sound of heavy rain. As I awakened to check on Prancer, our rescued Tuxedo cat under the bed letting him know not to worry. He is off the streets and forever dry from the rain. As a few moments went by saying good morning to Prancer and feeding him breakfast, I do what I do every morning. Peek out the blinds to see what beholds outside. On this morning, the sudden stop of rain, provided an interesting opening in the sky.

As a landscape photographer, every outing is an exploration. It truly is a hunt for a digital treasure that may or may not be found. And this morning proved this, as there was hope. Although it was minimal, hope was there. After splashing my face with water and brushing my teeth, I said goodbye to Prancer, as the minutes had flown by. The time was approaching 5:45am, so I rushed downstairs to make my cold brew, say goodbye to the kitties and kiss Kim goodbye. As I loaded the car, the interesting opening had opened up slightly wider. Swigging my coffee with joy, I jumped in the car and headed East 10 mins. to the pier. A few minutes later I had arrived to an empty, wet parking lot of the Safety Harbor marina. First one there, surprisingly, I pulled into my spot at 6:15am. With clouds forming, I was hoping for a somewhat silky harbor. There was a light brush of wind, giving the early morning a tolerable temperature to work in. However, the harbor had a good tide coming in, not giving me what I had hoped for. Exploring compositions, I noticed low lying clouds heading towards the pier at a slow pace. With the sky opening up more, I was hoping for an intertwinement of clouds and light. The pier was the subject of the morning’s photography journey.

After stepping on the wooden boardwalk of the pier, a puddle not too far away caught my attention. This exploration this morning may turn up a digital treasure. The journey out here was worth it, and as I told this to myself while a halo was forming ion front of me. It was a reminder, that this is where my photography journey began 3 years ago. A calling me to the pier for a sunrise, I found my love for creating art through the lens. With cell phone in hand, crawling through mangroves, climbing rocks, I made pictures every weekend.

While keeping an eye on the sky above, the puddle several yards up the boardwalk kept catching my attention. Studying the formation further, I noticed a connection. The halo forming in front of me, was made up of the puddle connecting with the shadows on the harbor and cloud formations above. This was the morning’s story. Sipping my beloved cold brew, I rushed as I lined up the composition. Lifting the tripod up, down, I aligned the shot finding the perfect composition. Setting up the camera about 2.5′ off the ground, I set my camera to it’s proper position. Checking off my settings, I made the shot. Focusing on the pier head, then focusing on the boardwalk feet in front of me.

After pressing the shutter a couple of times, I was happy with what I had captured. As I sat there sipping coffee as the morning unfolded. It left me in awe. The subtle halo, the lighting, everything had come together this morning. As I continued to take in the mornings scene, I was reminded that not only was I drawn to the Safety Harbor pier 3 years ago. I was drawn to morning.

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