Chrome City

Tampa has a really great riverwalk snaking around downtown. It's not very built up yet but you can tell it's on its way!

This photograph was edited in Adobe Lightroom.  

Oyster Reef

We spent an afternoon out on the water fishing with my dad when we made our last trip to Florida. One of his regular spots turned out really hot. We spent more time pulling hooks out of fish and replacing stolen bait than we did fishing. An Osprey even swooped down and stole a shrimp off one of our hooks while we were all pre-occupied removing the hook from a sting ray that my son caught!

If you zoom in on this photo, you can see a bunch of orange puffer fish really close to the surface. They were really neat to watch chasing down the bait. They had to work really hard with those tiny fins but they made it work!

This photograph was captured with a DJI Phantom 3 Professional drone and edited in Adobe Lightroom. 

Piazza

Italy or Orlando? The Italy World Showcase transports you straight to Venice's Piazza San Marco. The iconic buildings and bell tower are scaled down a bit but are otherwise spot on. Epcot wins again!

This photograph was captured with a Sony NEX-7.

Hog's Head

I had great expectations of the Hog's Head at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and it did not disappoint! They even had a house ale! Every once in a while, the head on the wall would start moving, bringing you deeper into the world of Harry Potter.

Despite the massive crowds outside, they did a good job of making it feel like a legit tavern. You could even stand at the bar and order a drink without waiting in a long queue or having to buy a ticket somewhere else. 

This photograph was captured with a Sony NEX-7 and edited with Adobe Lightroom.

The Left Bank

The Golden Hour in Paris is a photographer's dream. There's not much to say about this photograph of the Left Bank other than it's a really nice way to remember Paris. 

This photograph was captured with a Canon PowerShot SD780 IS and edited in Adobe Lightroom.

Krustyland

I'm pretty sure the premise to Krustyland at Universal Studios is to be the world's worst amusement park. You've got to give them props, too.  They really did try. However, it's Universal Studios, which means it's still top-notch. Even though you know your kid is never going to win that Bart Simpson doll on the pretty-much-completely-rigged "Swing Batter" game, there's still something special about aiming a baseball bat-like cannon at a picture of Krusty the Clown on the back of a carnival operator. Any place with a real-world Moe's Tavern and Duff beer is good enough for me! 

This photograph was captured with a Sony NEX-7 and edited in Adobe Lightroom. Any resemblance to any character in the Simpsons is entirely intentional.

Happy Mother's Day

This is Jean. Jean is the mother of one of my best friends and I just happened to get a great photograph of her while we were at the beach a couple of months ago. Please join me in wishing Jean — and all of the other mothers out there — a happy Mother's Day!

This photograph was captured with a DJI Phantom 3 Professional drone and edited in Adobe Lightroom.

Figure Eight Island Marina

I wish I could tell you more about the quaint marina on Figure Eight Island. Something tells me that it is a bit busier in the middle of the summer rather than the winter (when this was taken). I think I need to make it a mission to find out! 

This photograph was captured with a DJI Phantom 3 Professional drone and edited in Adobe Lightroom.

Temple of Heaven

This is a beautiful replica of the Temple of Heaven, which was constructed in the 15th century in Beijing, China. The main interior room is called the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and it is as brightly adorned as the exterior. 

I have not yet seen the original but it has now been added to my bucket list. I wish I had more time to photograph the temple but we were rushing to find a good spot for the Epcot fireworks show, along with everybody else... which is why this photograph is conspicuously lacking strollers and fanny-pack wearing families. 

This photograph was captured with a Sony NEX-7 and edited in Adobe Lightroom.

Buzzing the Key

There's nothing like a day at the beach! This was my first trip to Siesta Key Beach in Florida and it was great! The sand was cool and the waves were as still as a bathtub. Not so good for catching a wave but perfect for a family. When we visit the beaches in the Carolinas, we're always worried one of our kids is going to get caught in the rip but you could probably walk out 100 yards into the water at Siesta Key and the water would still be calm and shallow. 

This photograph was captured with a DJI Phantom 3 Professional and edited in Adobe Lightroom.