Lowry Park Zoo! Five Dollar Day!

© Spellbound Images by Wendy - All Rights Reserved

I created this image at Lowry Park Zoo on Sunday in Tampa. If you've ever been out to Lowry Park you know it's a pretty nice zoo, with the exception that in the summer it is sooo hot most of the animals hide in their shelters to get some relief from the exhausting heat!

It was $5.00 day, and I had to chuckle as I fought the crowd of frustrated parents, and crying children as I entertained the idea that “Humans are the only animals dumb enough to be out in this heat!” Yet there we all were taking advantage of the cheap admission along with the distant parking, the jam-packed attractions, and the debilitating sun!

In my life time this was my second visit to the zoo. If you read my last post concerning the Lowry Park Zoo you know that I had a great time and captured some nice images, even though it was as hot then as it was this past Sunday. It was mid week, there were very few people there, and far less cranky children! The price for admittance was about $21.00, and on both days that did not include any rides. I'm tellin ya... there were people coming in by the bus loads! I talked to one mom with 5 little girls who not only paid $30.00 for all of their admissions, but then also paid $18.00 for each of the children to have an arm band so they could enjoy the rides. Only to find out she had spent $18.00 for one child that was too small to go on most of the rides. Not to mention she also had to rent a stroller large enough to get a few of them around! Something not right about that! Anyone who knows me knows that I am the Queen of dealing with kids... I have several of my own, and a few strays, plus 7 grandchildren. In fact I took my two teenagers on this little excursion. Not so bad for teenagers... they have been to the zoo several times and know their way around, so it wasn't like I was dragging them along, or pushing them in a stroller. So here is my thought... why not drop the regular price of entree... forget about the crazy $5.00 day... therefor attracting more people to the zoo all year round?

I think the best part of my visit was petting the sting ray (who are just as cute as all get out), because for a few moments you can delight in the placement of your hand or hands in some nice cool water! I literally wanted to stick my head in the pool with them! We arrived about 10:30 and by 2:00 I just couldn't take anymore! We had packed a picnic lunch of sandwiches, soda, water, and snacks, but then had to park so far away that we decided if we're going to make the trek back to the car to eat, we may as well head home. By the time we walked the distance, heat exhaustion would have been inevitable and we would not have made it back. I swear most of the Tampa Police Dept. was on duty to direct traffic (I'm sure the blazing sun was getting to them too)!

Now I'm sure the zoo brought in a lot of revenue on five dollar day... and I'm sure it helps take care of all the beautiful creatures that reside in it's realm, but I believe they should rethink their strategy on the $5.00 day and attract more folks all year round! I'm sorry for the negative remarks, but I hope someone from the zoo finds this blog, and gives it some serious consideration.


As always,


Love, Laughs, and Photographs,
Wendy


All images captured with the Olympus E500 on Lexar Digital media with the Zuiko 14-54 wide angle zoom, and the Zuiko 40-150 zoom lenses.

Where's Wendy? Celebrating her Birthday! Part 3

© Spellbound Images by Wendy - All Rights Reserved

The 3rd and final part of my birthday celebration was spent on Treasure Island Beach at a place called “Caddy's.” I had visited there before, but never actually got the name of the place. It was Wnter about 4 years ago and I was out photographing holiday decorations. We do things a bit differently here in Florida... but that's another story altogether.

When we entered the parking lot we were stopped by a guy who was taking payment for parking... sound strange? Let me explain... the parking lot actually belongs to Caddy's, however a lot of people will park there for beach access which wouldn't leave much room for Caddy's customers. So here is the incentive... when you pay for your parking you receive a $5.00 coupon that goes towards your bill at Caddy's. Now that's either a good way to ensure that the people parking there are Caddy's customers, or motivation to check it out! Smart thinking on their part.

Since this establishment features two stories we decided to check out the upper deck first off. I thought possibly a good view of the beach, and much cooler since we had just walked Sunken Gardens for 2 hours in the afternoon heat. Although there we too many obstacles for my liking in the photographic department... we did enjoy the nice breeze coming in off the Gulf, and our bar tender Sarah was exceptional. She questioned why all the camera's and told us a bit about herself... it appears we have visited another establishment where she is employed... Ferg's in St. Petersburg. That is also another story. :)

After enjoying a couple cocktails on the 2nd floor we decided to check out the down stairs where there was music, and local beach life. We enjoyed listening to a singer who only goes by the name of Stephanie. She sang a lot of things that brought back memories... some Janis Joplin, Stevie Nicks, and more. I collected her information and have sent her an email for more info about herself and her side kick. If she responds I will certainly write an interview blog with “Stephanie”... in the mean time, I'm pretty sure you can catch her sometime during the week at Caddy's on Treasure Island Beach!

Alas my celebrating had to come to an end... it was a long day filled with new opportunities, and we were exhausted! On our way out of the parking lot our little truck got stuck in the sand... after some digging and laughter... and a little weight over the tires, we made our way back home... chatting about our adventure, listening to good music, and smiling about our antics.


It was a wonderful Birthday, filled with everything I wanted to do!


Love, Laughs, and Photographs,

Wendy






All images captured with the Olympus E500 on Lexar Digital media with the Zuiko 14-54 wide angle zoom, and the Zuiko 40-150 zoom lenses.

Where's Wendy? Celebrating her Birthday! Part 2

© Spellbound Images by Wendy - All Rights Reserved

Okay... In my last post I described my birthday lunch at Bahama Breeze, which was the intro to my special day.

After a wonderful lunch, as planned, we headed off to Sunken Gardens in downtown St. Petersburg (which offers free admission on your birthday). I had photographed a wedding there a couple years ago, and had been wanting to get back and enjoy the botanical atmosphere for quite some time. I remember visiting the Gardens with my family when I was very young and vacationing in Florida.

Although the flowers weren't as plentiful as I had hoped, Sunken Gardens offers a surreal ambiance as you wander along the clay tile walkway through this botanical paradise. Their website boasts this is the oldest living museum at 100 years, and is home to some of the earliest tropical plants in the region. In the early 1900's neighbors loved to visit George Turners garden on 4th Street. I can imagine sweethearts holding hands and stealing kisses as they strolled through this tropical Eden, and parents with small children in carriages would promenade amongst the foliage on a Sunday afternoon.

During the early morning hours Florida locals enjoy Yoga, Pilates, hoop dancing, body sculpting and meditation in the Gardens. They also provide tours, programs, field trips, and special events like the wedding that I photographed in the past. They even have a small amphitheater for shows and presentations.

From cute little bridges over small ponds and waterfalls, to exotic birds, coy fish and a children's science museum, “Great Explorations,” Sunken Gardens surely has something for everyone. Imagine... all this from a plumber who loved to garden! :)

Love, Laughs, and Photographs,
Wendy

All images captured with the Olympus E500 on Lexar Digital media with the Zuiko 14-54 wide angle zoom, and the Zuiko 40-150 zoom lenses.

Where's Wendy? Celebrating her Birthday!

© Spellbound Images by Wendy - All Rights Reserved

This is part 1 of a 3 part series. Since my birthday was filled with some awesome photo opportunities I decided to break it down into 3 parts so you could get the full description of how my day went, and you could also see several of the images that were captured that day.

September 7th 2010 started early. The day after labor day, and the kids were back to school. After all that commotion the house was peaceful as we enjoyed our coffee. We had some running to do before getting started on the day that was “All About Me!” First some card shopping for our fellow Virgo's and a bill pay. We had to make a stop at the post office in Tampa (it gets there faster from the air port post office I guess), so on our way we decided the “Bahama Breeze Restaurant” would be great for lunch!

The Bahama Breeze sits on the water just after you cross the bridge into Tampa, and was the perfect lunch spot for someone who enjoys an Island atmosphere with Caribbean cuisine, great music, and an amazing view. I started my day off with the fish taco's, a bowl of seafood chowder topped with fried shrimp, and my favorite cocktail. Excellent!

With a view of the water, a beautiful breeze, and Island music, it brought back memories of my vacations to Key West... and made my recent desire to go back to the Keys even stronger. It also made for great conversation about future plans.

Just ask my kids where they will find me in my old age...


After a wonderful meal on the deck, I went inside and snapped off a few shots of the dinning area. The staff was great and our waitress Veronica was delightful! She knew the menu, made suggestions, and was very attentive without being over bearing. She even snapped a few pictures of us with the point and shoot for my scrapbook and more memories.

All my images were enhanced using Topaz Adjust or OnOne software. I love that these plugins brought out the vibrant colors of this Island escape, and allow you to see the range of the images by bringing everything out of the shadows.

Stay tuned for part 2!


Love, Laughs, and Photographs,
Wendy

All images captured with the Olympus E500 on Lexar Digital media with the Zuiko 14-54 wide angle zoom, and the Zuiko 40-150 zoom lenses.

Where's Wendy? The Tampa Theater!

© Spellbound Images by Wendy - All Rights Reserved

While visiting downtown Tampa in the past I've made brief stops to photograph the exterior of this 74 year old structure. Saturday afternoon a call came in from friends to go see a show, I jumped at the chance to get inside! This was great... I didn't have to wait for a tour date! My next thought was what should I bring in the way of equipment? One camera... or all of my gear? I opted for my full camera bag (because you just never know what you might get into), but I left my tripod behind since I was actually going to see a show, and it would be kinda hard to maneuver into our seats and wander around with a large tripod in tow. When it was all said and done... I should have brought it along.

So... all my images in this post were hand held in a very low light situation. Surprisingly I was pretty happy with the outcome of most of them. I used different ISO's settings to see where I would get my best shot and for the very first time... used my manual focus as apposed to auto focus.

The Tampa Theater has been around since 1926 and is an amazing piece of architecture. The walls... the ceilings... and even the banisters are intricate pieces of theater art. Theater architect and designer, John Eberson created the Tampa Theater with Florida's atmosphere in mind... palm beaches, Italian gardens, Spanish patios, and Persian shrines were the direction of his ideas, and I honestly believe he pulled it off superbly. The Tampa Theater was named in the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, it is a city landmark, and a member of the League of Historic American Theaters.

As a photographer I urge you to visit this all inspiring landmark to get your creative juices flowing. As a person with a creative nature I urge you to take in a show, or a tour to go back in time to a place where smitten teens watched movies, held hands, and fell in love. Roam the meandering hallways, check out the dazzling views from the staircases and balconies, and take in the breathtaking collection of statuary. The Wurlitzer Organ is a story all it's own... if you would like to read more about it, please go here: http://www.tampatheatre.org/wurlitzer.php Also read about Rosa Rio, the organist for the Tampa Theater who passed away this year at age 107, http://www.tampatheatre.org/Rosa.php

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh... and for a special treat while you're there... don't forget to look up! :)

Love, Laughs, and Photographs,
Wendy

 

All images captured with the Olympus E500, on Lexar digital media, with the Zuiko 14 – 54 wide angle zoom lens.

Where's Wendy? Hanging Out With Friends!

© Spellbound Images by Wendy - All Rights Reserved

Recently I made some new friends from Israel. They were here in Florida for a few months and are now heading back home. On Monday night we got together for a BBQ and final fling before they left. I normally take my camera where ever I go, and Monday was no exception. I love to take a few candid shots during friendly gatherings that can be shared through email, and networking sites.

If you are a serious photographer you should take your camera every where. That way when people see you... they associate you with a camera. It doesn't matter if its your DSLR or a point and shoot. It's a camera, it captures images, and creates beautiful memories... for you, and your friends!

The really cool thing is that even though they are taking an 18 hour plane ride home, after they arrive they will get to see the fun we had... captured with my camera. Technology is great isn't it?

I even captured the house hold pup! :)

Love, Laughs, and Photographs,
Wendy

All images captured with the Olympus E500, on Lexar digital media, with the Zuiko 14 – 54 wide angle zoom lens.

Where's Wendy? On YouTube!

© Spellbound Images by Wendy - All Rights Reserved

As you all know from previous posts, I have recently done some High School Senior Portraits. What you may not know is that I also enjoy creating well done video slide shows for YouTube. I also love creating slide show video's for my clients, especially my wedding clients. Sometimes I'll even throw a small video in with their package for free. Good quality slide show video's are a great way to market yourself, and your business. YouTube has made it pretty easy for businesses, as well as individuals, to get the word out on products and services. When you offer a well done slide show video to your clients, they are bound to show it to everyone they know. If you add your video to YouTube, embed it on your website and in your blog, and post it on networking sites like Facebook, and Myspace, your chances of getting noticed just jumped by at least 50 percent. Video slide shows are a great way to show case your talents and abilities to your target market. For instance with the right data and tags, people searching for a Wedding Photographer in Clearwater, Florida might go to YouTube and type in a search something like this... Wedding Photographers in Clearwater, Florida... if you actually did that, you would find a few of my wedding video slide shows on the first page of YouTube. Excellent!!

I have also done video slide shows for Clearwater Beach Portrait Sessions, Maternity Sessions, Infrared Photography, and my latest... High School Senior Portraits. I am embedding my recent video here so you can also see that the possibilities are endless once you've uploaded a video to YouTube!

Enjoy!




Love, Laughs, and Photographs,
Wendy


All images captured with the Olympus E500, on Lexar digital media, with the Zuiko 14 – 54 wide angle zoom lens. All video's were created in Photodex Pro Show Gold.