Sunday, September 06, 2009

Monochrome Weekly: Unexpected Find

It isn't often I go out and discover a completely unknown place. Especially within just a few minutes of home. I may not have been on a particular street or in a specific neighborhood before but I do live in a city that I know pretty well. Today, I literally discovered an area of real natural beauty that is as close to unspoiled as I will find this is as surrounded by roads, houses, buildings and even industry as this place. The camera loved it (in both black/white and color) and if one can ignore and crop for the intrusion of power lines and a glimpse of a building, I could have been standing in the midst of thousands of unspoiled acres in the heart of Florida. The truth is I was standing with my back to anything but "unspoiled." A busy street was a couple of blocks west and railroad tracks had been snaking through here for over a hundred years. This place is hidden away, just off the main drag a wee bit. The waters of Tampa Bay are just beyond the tree line and the water could be tidal. It was a beautiful scene laid out in front of me and the sky and clouds were celebrating. (A loved one lives a quarter mile north of this spot; I wonder if she even knows it's here??)

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9 comments:

Kilauea Poetry said...

Gosh..I know what you mean about being somewhere.. you want to just exhale, knowing man hadn't been traipsing around..no tissue lying on the grass or remnant of someones plate lunch or fork protruding out of somewhere! ha. You've done that- this is a great capture!

Lowell said...

A hidden nugget! Perhaps you can spend more time there as I'll betcha you'll a lot of birds and other critters of which you can take photographs!

Don and Krise said...

Isn't it fun when you find a place like this? We go exploring even in our own neighborhood. Sometimes by car, sometimes by bicycle. It's better on a bike though. You can turn down roads and trails you would never drive down. That's where the hidden gems are sometimes. Congratulations on your find Frank and black and white looks good here.

Anonymous said...

I am sure the vegetation is very different but the bucolic scene is very reminiscent of a Devonshire haunt of my childhood. Charming.

Hilda said...

Wow. What a great find, Frank! It looks like you're standing in the middle of nowhere. Very nice!

Margaret Gosden said...

A lovely found spot and a wonderful shoot.

Toy Camera Play said...

OK, you found one of my favorite shooting places. Thanks for not giving the exact location. :0) I've always wanted to take a kayak here ... thought about buying one several times just for this place. Now, you got me thinking again. Many a Holga shots have been taken here.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/toycameraplay/2169435053/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/toycameraplay/2169433347/in/set-72157603644971071/

Love your shot! Clyde who?

Frank said...

@Jacob: There were tons of sea birds but they alone don't seem to attract many eyes...I need a $100,000 speed boat to get attention. (One won't be in this scene!)

@Toy Camera: So, you think you know my new secret shooting spot? You may but if so you should have planted a flag to mark it as your discovery. I was amazed that there were 2-3 very different scenes spread out in front of me and it appears to be several acres easy. I do think it's tidal water and not spring fed so I will Google-Earth it to see what it looks like from the air.

magicpolaroid said...

that beautiful and pacefull place! im happy for u!