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Blog

From Polaroids to Pro: My Photography Journey

From Polaroids to Pro: My Photography Journey

October 10, 2025

It’s wild to think about how it all began... a few Polaroids, a handful of disposable cameras, and a lot of curiosity. Since then, I’ve used nearly twenty different cameras and taken over two million photos, documenting everything from everyday life to unforgettable adventures. Looking back, I can trace my journey not just through the images, but through the evolution of the tools I used to capture them.

Disposable Cameras

On family vacations I would also spend some of the money I had saved on disposable cameras so that I could take pictures of the amazing places we would travel to. After I picked up my first Canon point and shoot in 2004 I stopped shooting with disposable cameras.

Polaroid Instant Film Camera

My photography journey started out with a polaroid instant camera that my grandmother bought me one year for Christmas. I recall vivid memories of that day walking around my grandmother’s house in West Virginia looking for interesting candid photos to take of people in that special moment. I recall taking a picture of my great grandmother who was resting in a chair. I remember stacking presents up and taking a photo of all the boxes from dozens of gifts. I probably ended up shooting hundreds of photos with that camera over the years I used it, before the era of cell phone cameras.

Point and Shoots

Canon Power Shot SD110

My first digital point and shoot camera was a 3.2 Megapixel Canon PowerShot SD110 3MP Digital Elph with 2x Optical Zoom which I bought in 2004 after I graduated high school and moved to Florida. It was sleek, small, silver, and surprisingly durable. I took thousands of photos with this camera and took it to dozens of events in my pocket without ever getting any damage. This thing was easy to use and it got the job done.

Canon Power Shot Elph 100 HS

In the Summer of 2011 I picked up the newer version of Canon's Powershot which was one of the best selling point and shoot consumer cameras of all time. The 4x increase in megapixels was a big reason for my purchase. I would take my camera on trips and photograph my journeys for things that my iphone camera just wouldnt cut it.

I loved the Canon PowerShot so much that I bought a newer version, even though I still took most of my photos with my iphone. 

The Early Cell Phone Years

Sanyo SCP-5300

My first cell phone was a Blue Nokia 3310 that had a snake video game and the ability to text message. I got my second cell phone in 2003 when the Sanyo SCP-5300 launched as the country’s first camera phone in the USA. The Sanyo SCP-5300, released in the US by Sprint in November 2002, was the country's first camera phone, featuring a clamshell design and a 0.3MP integrated camera… The phone featured a 0.3-megapixel camera, which produced images that were considered "mediocre at best" by 2002 standards but were groundbreaking for the time. Let me tell you, I thought those .3MP photos were incredible haha. It also had two color screens and free internet at the time, before data plans existed which was crazy. I remember ordering movie tickets through my phone’s specialized browser and sending photos.

Motorola SLVR L7

My next camera phone in 2007 was the Motorola SLVR L7 which upgraded to a 1.3 MP camera. 4 times the pixels, wow!! I missed out on the slimness of the Razr since I got in early on the Sanyo SCP-5300 but when I saw the new camera on the silver, I had to have it. While most people loved the cool flip phone ability of the phone, I enjoyed the simple elegance of the silver and the ability to immediately text or use my screen when I wanted. It was so cool being able to send text messages from my pocket without looking at my phone while in class, movies, or anywhere. (The RAZR owners had to pull their phones out to read my text message, Haha)

The iphone Years

The Original iPhone

The original iphone launched in 2007 starting at $499 which was an insanely high price at the time. For comparison, the SILVR was about half the price of the new iphone. On September 5, 2007, Apple reduced the price of the 8 GB iPhone from $599 to $399 and I immediately went out and bought one with money I had saved from working. The 2mp camera was a nice little bump from previous my 1.3mp Motorola SILVR and came reasonably close to my 3.2MP point and shoot from cannon. There was no video, no flash, it had a fixed focus, and the camera worked decent in good light, but not very well in lowlight conditions.

iPhone 3G

I soon upgraded to the iPhone 3G which was a nice upgrade from the original iPhone when it came to the camera. The iPhone 3G came with auto-exposure and auto-focus which definitely helped get some better shots in low light and more keepers with proper focus overall. The iPhone 3G also had something new... the app store. 

Some of the first camera apps came out for the iPhone in 2008. I used the "Pano" app in 2008 before apple later added it with the iPhone 6. "Night Camera" was another app that was great for low-light photography with the iPhone.

I was enjoying my iPhone 3g so much that I skipped over the iPhone 3Gs for 6-8 months and decided to wait for the iPhone 4 after hearing about all of the incredible features from rumors and leaks.

iPhone 4

The iPhone 4 may not have been the best "phone" with the antennae-gate scandal and people "holding their phones wrong" or "not using a case", but the camera was a massive upgrade over its predecessor. Compared to my iPhone 3G, the iPhone 4 had a 5MP camera which was almost double my 3MP previously. It also had video recording which was a big deal at the time. 

iPhone 5s

The iPhone 5s featured a 1.2 MP FaceTime HD front camera capable of 720p video that the iphone 4 did not have. This was the first time I had a selfie camera that could record HD video, making it easier for me to film myself and friends in short, shareable clips... a core part of the social media platform "Vine's" culture at the time. The addition of slow-mo videos and burst mode photos really made the camera so much more enjoyable for being creative.  

The iPhone 5s was Apple’s one of Apple's first LTE phones, so uploading a 6-second looping video felt almost instantaneous, which fed Vine’s viral momentum. I would regularly take short videos as a way to express myself creatively and post them on the Vine platform in 2013. 

iPhone 7+

My next upgrade was the iphone 7+ which had dual 12MP cameras, including a 2x optical zoom. The optical zoom was a nice feature to not have to crop my photos in post, even if they weren't the full 12MP. I loved the panorama feature, which gave me the ability to take photos of massive mountainous landscapes when I would travel and go hiking out West. 

iPhone X

The iphone X didnt really have major notable improvements to the camera over my iphone 7 at the time. The iphone X was the first phone to use Face ID, which I guess one could say used the camera feature of the phone, haha.

iPhone 12 Pro Max

The iPhone 12 Pro Max brought major leaps from the iPhone X... with larger sensors, better low-light performance, and improved stabilization which made mobile photography noticeably sharper and smoother. These upgrades fueled higher-quality content creation, transforming photo and video standards across apps and social media.

iPhone 16 Pro

I currently use both the iphone 16 pro and the iphone 12 pro max to take photos and videos while I am out in the field or traveling. The iphone 16 is nice little upgrade from the 12 pro max. The megapixels are 48MP vs the previous 12MP of my iphone 12 pro max... yet I cant say that I can tell much of a difference in just the 4x change in megapixels alone. The ability to zoom 5x instead of 2.5x optical zoom is a nice feature when trying to just get some in the field or behind the scenes footage of wildlife since wildlife is usually a decent distance away. (it lowers the megapixel count, but the quality is getting better)

Mirrorless & DSLR Cameras

Sony a6500

It was April 2018 and I was months away from a trip to go hiking in Banff, Canada which is regarded as one of the most beautiful places on the planet. I visited Banff the year before and dreamed of one day buying a camera try and capture the beauty of the glacier-fed lakes. I had just visited some private land and saw a pair of red-tailed hawks nesting and missed some incredible photographs, which made me decide that it was time... time to finally break down and buy a pair of binoculars or a camera.

I decided the Sony a6500 for $1,200 with a kit lens was a good entry point for me to get into digital photography. I was shooting everyday and quickly learning adobe lightroom, and then posting my work on social media afterwards. In a couple months my work was noticed I was invited on a free 10 day trip to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone.  (if I could cover airfare, since someone else had cancelled) During that trip I took some incredible photos with my camera, but I also fell in love the with Nikon DSLR camera and the 200-500mm which I was able to use briefly one day. Within 30 days of my trip to Wyoming I ended up going out and buying a Nikon D850. I still took landscape photos with my Sony but over time I used it less and less. (even though I had probably 600,000+ exposures on it with the digital shutter)

Nikon D850

After picking up the Nikon D850 I quickly began increasing my shutter exposure count. I was photographing sunset timelapses and lots of wildlife. I would regularly shoot 1,500-2,000 images in just 2 hours of photographing wildlife. The amount of detail the Nikon D850 offered in 2018 with it's 46MP sensor was incredible. It was almost 2x the pixel count of my Sony a6500 and I could tell a huge difference. I also really enjoyed the rear  screen of the D850 which showed high quality detail and resolution of my captures. I really enjoyed having a high resolution camera to go with my wildlife lens which required less than 8 feet for minimum focal distance. If I was able to get close enough to my subjects, I could easily get more detail than many other photographers. Even photographers with $12,000 lenses needed 14-18 feet for the minimum focus distance at the time. My ability to capture lots of details photographs of wildlife (and especially owls) helped me get thousands and thousand of followers on Instagram and Facebook. (before I deleted my original accounts)

Nikon D500

Even though I already had the Nikon D850 and the Sony a6500 I decided to pick up the Nikon D500. I was photographing long exposure sunsets with my Nikon D850 and my Sony a6500 with my 315mm (effective) lens was just not enough to photograph birds and other wildlife I was regularly encountering on my 1/4 walk down the beach each evening for sunset. The Nikon D500 gave me 10FPS and allowed me to use my Nikkor 200-500mm F5.6 and get some nice reach. (750mm with the D500 crop sensor) I took some excellent photos with my D500 but after a year I wasn't quite using it enough, so I ended up selling it.

What's Next?

I've loved my Nikon D850 since the day I bought it. It has well over 200,000 exposures taken with the manual shutter, which is the rated exposure count for the camera's shutter. I sold my a6500 after I started using my Nikon D850 for Landscapes and eventually I sold my Nikon D500 since I wasn't using it quite as much as I thought I would. I think the next move for me is the Sony a1ii and the Sony 200-600mm 6.3 to take incredible video, get a nice FPS boost, and still keep the pixel quality I have enjoyed over the last 7 years. 

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Misty Stork Sunrise - Behind the Shot

Misty Stork Sunrise - Behind the Shot

October 02, 2025

The Winter time in Florida (yes we have a Winter, haha) brings some excellent opportunities for wildlife. On colder days, there's some great opportunities to photograph wildlife and landscapes with the morning mist as moisture starts to come up off of the ground. When air cools to the dew point, water vapor condenses into liquid as dew, fog, or clouds. It also helps when there are calm or light winds that help keep moisture close to the surface. For those weather and photography nerds out there, there's some Chat GPT calculations you can easily plug in temperature, humidity, and dew point for your location to find out when there's going to be a high chance of fog.

I spent a week photographing (or attempting to photograph) belted kingfishers at the same spot every morning in the hopes of catching them diving up close, or flying by with a fish. It was a 15-20 minute trek out to the kingfishers and I would typically get to the spot a little after sunrise. One particular morning had tons of active wildlife. My first encounter was a backlit deer in the distance just after sunrise, with not enough light to really present opportunities. Before I could get close enough for a shot, the deer was gone. I continued onward to my belted kingfishers, my desire to try and capture a magical moment up close.

Five minutes later on my trek the fog really started to show as some of the sun's light finally started to creep above some of the treetops. I happened to come upon an opening on my left, where dozens of wading birds had gathered to feast for a morning meal. There was no opportunity to get a nice tight photograph or closeup of any of the birds from how far away I was. I also happened to only be carrying my large telephoto wildlife lens, which is a 200-500mm F5.6 Nikkor. (large telephoto lenses have a very low depth of field and can "compress" foregrounds and backgrounds) It may seem like I used a landscape lens for this shot, but I did not.

I decided that I would spend maybe 1 minute trying to get a shot before continuing on to my precious kingfishers. I got down low on a berm and crept up to some taller grass surrounding the water. I focused on the birds eating up front and then took a short burst of a few photos. Then I went on about my morning to see some kingfishers.

When I got home and looked at my photo, I couldn't believe how many different species of wading birds there were in my image. Almost all of our wading birds were there except for a roseate spoonbill and a reddish egret. (and I even got a belted kingfisher perched in my photo as a bonus!) After taking a deep look into a large print of this image, my guess is that the water levels may have been too deep for the roseate spoonbills unfortunately. If you take a look at the image, you will see the smaller birds in the more shallow areas, and the larger birds (great egrets) in the deeper areas where they can take advantage of their longer legs and reach for striking.

So, how did this photo get it's name? The amount of wood storks eating breakfast combined with the one wood stork coming in for a landing through some fog to join some friends really made the picture for me. Because the wood storks made the image for me, I decided to dedicate the image to them and call it "Misty Stork Sunrise." 

When editing the photo I had such a hard time trying to decide on the perfect tone for the image. After spending weeks trying out different variations, I didn't like any of them. I ended up waiting another two months to come back, edit the image again... and then spend another few days going back and forth on the colors.

I loved the image so much that I ended up making multiple versions available for purchase. I offer a 2:3 ratio option, and a cropped panorama option that has a 1:2 ratio where some of the foreground has been removed to put more of the focus on the birds into the foreground. 

P.S. Another positive to moisture on the ground is that some mud or dirt will show animal tracks... especially heavier animals. I encountered bear tracks... 2 days later I would end up almost walking right by 2 bears in the woods.

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Fine art print featuring a white-tailed kite in flight with a soft cloudy background in Florida – wildlife photography by Andrew Mease

South Florida Kites

May 04, 2025

Explore South Florida’s Majestic Kites: Swallow-tailed, Snail, and White-tailed Kites
South Florida is home to some of the most captivating birds of prey in North America — the Swallow-tailed Kite, Snail Kite, and White-tailed Kite. Known for their graceful flight and unique hunting behavior, these raptors are often seen soaring over wetlands, marshes, and open fields. South Florida is one of the only regions in the United States where birdwatchers can observe all three kite species in their natural habitat. From the striking black-and-white Swallow-tailed Kite to the snail-hunting Snail Kite and the elusive White-tailed Kite, these birds make South Florida a must-visit destination for birding and wildlife photography.

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Fine art print of Lake Louise in Banff National Park, Alberta Canada – landscape photography by Andrew Mease

Mountains, Marshes, and Milestones

April 17, 2025

For many years my family has been going to Western Alberta, Canada to vacation in the Summer time. Florida tends to get very hot and humid during the Summer, so the mountains and cool air of the Canadian Rockies offer a nice escape. Getting to see expansive views from mountaintops is very exciting after spending most of the year in Florida's flat swamps and marshes.

Canmore, Alberta CA

My home base while in Alberta is Canmore, where there are tons of hiking and nature trails around town. There's 4 different mountain trails, trails leading around town, and along the bow river. The best part about Canmore is the views. The views around Canmore are just incredible. 

Fine art print of the Bow River in Canmore, Alberta Eastern Canada – landscape photography by Andrew Mease

One of my favorite views in Canmore happens to be less than a 10 minute walk. It doesn't matter if it is sunrise or sunset, if I have the time to walk over then I make the trip to what some locals call "the money shot."

The Three Sisters can be seen from all over Canmore and create a nice backdrop for photos from just about anywhere.

Fine art print of flowers on the 18th hole at Silvertip Golf Club with the three sister mountains in the background in Canmore, Alberta Canada – landscape photography by Andrew Mease

Sunshine Meadows

The most expansive views I have yet to see can be found at Sunshine Meadows just outside Banff National Park. This lesser known spot is known as one of the top day hikes out there, with mountains in all directions. It is a 3 1/2 hour hike up, and another 3 1/2 hours down, or travelers can take 2 gondolas up to the top to explore Sunshine Meadows expansive and panoramic views. I think Sunshine Meadows may be one of the most underrated locations when it comes to photo opportunities and excellent hiking. 

Fine art print of Sunshine Meadows in Alberta, Canada – landscape photography by Andrew Mease

 

Banff National Park

Peyto Lake

Some of the most highly photographed places in the world are located in Canada's Banff National Park. Canada's third most popular photograph location is Peyto Lake.

Me overlooking Peyto Lake in Banff National Park Alberta, Canada – landscape photography by Andrew Mease

Moraine Lake

Canada's 2nd most popular location for photos is almost a tie. Only accessible by road for up to 5 months out of the year, Moraine Lake is arguably the most photographed lake in Banff... especially at sunrise. I've spent days at Moraine Lake and watching the sunrise and first two hours of the day is second to none. Make sure you bring some warm socks and a jacket though, condensation can come up off of the ground and make a cool morning become chilly and cold. 

Fine art print of a sunrise at Moraine Lake in Banff National Park Canada – landscape photography by Andrew Mease

Lake Louise and Plain of the Six Glaciers

Coming in at the number 1 spot for most photographed location in Banff National Park is Lake Louise. Known for it's perfect turquoise water, rugged peaks, and Victoria Glacier, Lake Louise offers dream compositions year round.

Fine art print of Lake Louise in Banff National Park, Alberta Canada – landscape photography by Andrew Mease

Before starting my hike out to Plain of the Six Glaciers, I enjoyed a morning breakfast at the Fairmont. The weather was cool, it was a little windy, and the clouds in the sky looked like it was going to rain at some point throughout my 14km+ hike. 

Me at Lake Louise in Banff National Park, Alberta Canada – landscape photography by Andrew Mease

Lake Agnes

I usually hike up to Lake Agnes and stop by the tea house there for a quick break and some warm tea. There can be a waiting line to get seated at the tea house, so I usually spend that time taking some extra photographs of Lake Agnes and some of the nearby views.

Fine art print of Lake Agnes in Banff National Park, Alberta Canada – landscape photography by Andrew Mease

Plain of the Six Glaciers Trail

Plain of the Six Glaciers trail is about 14 km (8.7 miles) round trip, taking 4 – 6 hours, depending on pace and stops. It pairs well with the nearby Lake Agnes Tea House hike for a full-day loop.

The trail starts from the Lake Louise Lakeshore, one of the most photographed lakes in the world. You walk along the lake’s edge, away from the crowds, toward the back of the valley. Once the shoreline ends, you start climbing into the glacier-carved valley surrounded by towering peaks. 

The reward: panoramic views of Victoria Glacier, Lefroy Glacier, and other glaciers that give the trail its name. There’s a charming tea house near the end, the historic Plain of Six Glaciers Tea House where you can grab tea, snacks, and fresh baked goods. I usual

Bring layers because the weather can shift from sunny to chilly fast... I've also experienced unexpected rainstorms on the hike, so have a rain jacket ready!

me at plain of the six glaciers

Hiking in Southwest Florida

When I got back from hiking in Canada, I decided to start researching which hiking trails were in my area of Southwest Florida. I found the Alltrails app which was a huge help researching trails and reading reviews from people. Understanding the difficulty and trail conditions really helps in Florida when water levels change drastically throughout the year. It was very different hiking in a flat environment without the expansive views I was used to seeing while hiking in Canada.

Local Trails

I started spending most of my time hiking CREW Land & Water Trusts three existing trails. (Bird Rookery Swamp, Marsh Trails, Cypress Dome Trails) After seeing many volunteers while out on the trails, people started telling me I should become a volunteer... which I happily obliged. While volunteering I learned all about our local species of animals, plants, and insects which further fed my passion for the outdoors, wildlife and nature. I spent so much time in my life learning about imaginary animals and media that I missed developing a true appreciation for real wildlife and nature. 

Fine art print of a sunrise in the swamp at Flint Pen Strand in Bonita Springs, Florida – landscape photography by Andrew Mease

Designing & Building Trails

After hiking in a half-dozen states and exploring countless trails, I grew curious about what makes a trail enjoyable, and how they're designed. I became fascinated with the angles at trail intersections, the logic behind signage placement, and the overall trail experience.

Flint Pen Strand - Red Trail

That curiosity led to a hands-on opportunity when CREW Land & Water Trust began building a new trail in Bonita Springs, Florida: the Flint Pen Strand Red Trail, a 1.5-mile path. I helped carry and install large, waterlogged 8-foot wooden posts with some weighing 40–50 pounds. Once in place, each post was dug 2 feet into the ground, standing about 6 feet tall. We positioned the markers so hikers could always see the next one from their current location, helping create an intuitive and enjoyable hiking experience.

Fine art print of a sunrise in the swamp with slash pine trees reflecting over the water at Flint Pen Strand in Bonita Springs, Florida – landscape photography by Andrew Mease

 

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Fine art print featuring a young american alligator snapping at a roseate spoonbill at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctary in Naples, Florida – wildlife photography by Andrew Mease

The Rarest Moments in my Photo Career

April 10, 2025

 

Fine art print featuring a young american alligator snapping at a roseate spoonbill at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctary in Naples, Florida – wildlife photography by Andrew Mease

Some of the rarest and most unforgettable moments of my photography career came within the first few weeks of buying my first mirrorless camera. It was April 2018. After missing countless incredible moments while volunteering with environmental organizations, I finally decided it was time to start capturing them. I picked up a Sony a6500 mirrorless crop sensor camera paired with a 55-210mm lens, giving me an effective focal length of 82.5mm to 315mm.

To get started, I headed to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. I figured it was the perfect place to practice wildlife photography since I could get relatively close to the animals while taking advantage of my lens’s reach. One of the biggest challenges I faced early on was learning how to approach wildlife without scaring them off.

In Florida, water levels play a huge role in where birds and alligators choose to hunt. Around April, as water levels drop at Corkscrew, only two lettuce lakes often remain. These ponds become packed with thousands of trapped fish, easy prey for opportunistic alligators and wading birds that gather for a feeding frenzy. Large alligators will even come up to the boardwalk and gape if the weather and conditions are right.

Fine art print featuring an American Alligator with its mouth gaping wide open at Audubon's Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Naples, Florida – wildlife photography by Andrew Mease

On one particular visit, I witnessed something I’d never seen before. A group of roseate spoonbills; those striking pink birds with spoon-shaped bills were pinching the tails of young alligators, likely one to two years old (Florida gators typically grow 12 to 24 inches in those early years). Each time a spoonbill pinched a tail, the startled gator would dart through the muck, kicking up crustaceans in the process. The spoonbills would then sweep in and feast, saving themselves the effort of digging through the thick swamp.

Roseate Spoonbills Pinching Alligators Tails - Video

One of the smallest baby alligators got upset after a spoonbill repeatedly pinched it's tail, and the alligator whipped around and snapped at the spoonbill. Luckily, the spoonbill was much faster than the alligator and simply popped up into the air with a quick flap of it's rosy wings. 

I captured that moment in a photo I titled “Tail Pinch,” taken at 82.5mm and later cropped about 20% in post. Ironically, if I had been using my Nikon D850 with a 200-500mm f/5.6 lens, I never would have gotten that shot. Sometimes, the gear you least expect delivers the perfect frame.

Little did I know just how rare those moments would be. In 2019, I didn’t witness another feeding frenzy. In 2020, COVID hit and Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary was closed. And now, in 2025, I still haven’t had another chance to photograph or film that unique interaction between two ancient species.

Maybe one day, with the skills I’ve developed, I’ll finally get that shot I’ve been chasing.

Check out the video below to hear about my Origin Story.

 

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Fine art print of Lightning Bolts, rain clouds, and the old pilings in Naples, Florida – landscape photography by Andrew Mease

Pilings Light Show - Behind the Shot

March 16, 2025

March 16th, 2025

"Pilings Light Show" has been one of my most popular and well received works in 2025, so I thought I would share more behind what it took to get the final image I really wanted to achieve. 

Fine art print of Lightning Bolts, rain clouds, and the old pilings in Naples, Florida – landscape photography by Andrew Measedlife photography by Andrew Mease

Florida's Rainy Season

Florida Summers bring lots of much needed rain to replenish our groundwater, slow wildfires, and water our plants/food. These Summer storms also bring along lots of lightning, making Florida the lightning capital of the United States.

Vision

From 2019-2020 I spent about 40 nights at these old pilings, which used to be the original Naples Pier location from back in 1888. Typically I do not publish man-made objects, however "Pilings Light Show" was one of my exceptions because of the message I wanted to convey with my work.

Message

My goal with "Pilings Light Show" was to convey nature's strength and to be a reminder that even though man has come far in with technology, mother natures has her own plans. 

The Process, preparation, and tools

In preparation of my process for this image, I had to watch the weather and lightning radars every afternoon and if there was any chance of storms being over the gulf around the Naples Pilings, then I would start driving to location and be there before sunset. Once on location, I would setup my tripod and point to where the lightning bolts might be moving next, set up my focus and start my intervalometer. I would use the Lightning Pro iphone app to send me notifications where lightning strikes were so I can try and stay out of harm's way. Luckily a lot of these storms move slowly and typically move from over land, out East over the Gulf of Mexico which helps a little bit when figuring out which direction the lightning bolts may be moving to next. Luckily there is a parking lot to take cover in nearby, so I would run to my car if another section of the storm was still over land, heading out to sea. Sometimes I would need to go check my camera and lens to see if it needed to be wiped down once the rain stopped and double check my focus. 

Compositions

I tried about 3 different compositions with the pilings throughout my first dozen or so nights photographing, where I would usually line up where I thought the next potential bolts would be. I decided that having an image of the old pilings up the middle with lighting directly across, and off to one side was what I was going for. I also wanted lightning bolts somewhere between 4 and 10 miles off shore so I could have some nice cloud depth, ideally 5-7 miles offshore so that I could still get some more width to the lightning bolts. 

Feelings

The feeling of sitting on the beach and watching one of natures greatest light shows is almost second to none. This image to me was an energizing and enjoyable part of my long exposure journey as a photographer... at least until one night where a single anomaly bolt of lightning hit nearby me which caused me to be slightly dazed while I started to run towards my car in case more lightning bolts were coming. To this day, Pilings Light Show was one of the riskiest photos I have taken throughout my photographic journey. I will always remember the calmness of seeing lightning bolts over the Gulf and the thunder that followed.

Photo Gear and EXIF.

"Pilings Light Show" is a long exposure image was shot with a Nikon D850 (46MP) and a Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 lens on a tripod, with a Lenscoat rain sleeve to protect my equipment. The image was taken at f/11, ISO 64, and a 10 second shutter speed taken at 30mm. 

Early Digital Version

In 2021 I minted an early edit of "Pilings Light Show" as a digital collectable (NFT) on the Ethereum Blockchain with 10 total editions created.

URL Link: https://opensea.io/item/ethereum/0x495f947276749ce646f68ac8c248420045cb7b5e/61388369343041840821240560365995321325052672404780121964962146523366285115402

Lightning Warning

*PLEASE be careful when outdoors during thunderstorms. Lightning can travel miles before striking the ground.

Typical Cloud-to-Ground Lightning: Can travel 5-10 miles (8-16 km) from the storm.
"Bolts from the Blue": These rare lightning bolts originate in the anvil of a thunderstorm and can strike as far as 25 miles (40 km) away from the storm.
Positive Lightning: A powerful type of lightning that can travel even farther than standard negative strikes, sometimes exceeding 30 miles (48 km) from the storm.
Because of this, it's possible to be struck by lightning even when the sky above you appears clear.

Always follow the 30-30 rule: If you hear thunder within 30 seconds of seeing lightning, take cover and wait at least 30 minutes after the last thunder before going outside.

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Fine art print featuring an American Bald Eagle delivering a massive branch to the nest in North Fort Myers, Florida – wildlife photography by Andrew Mease

Eagle nesting season is here!

October 20, 2024

October 20th, 2024

The famous Fort Myers eagles M15 and F23 have been busy with their nest repairs after hurricane Helen and hurricane Milton.

Fine art print featuring an American Bald Eagle delivering a massive branch to the nest in North Fort Myers, Florida – wildlife photography by Andrew Mease

The eagle pair can be seen dive bombing branches to break off nesting material, in addition to scouring the ground for nearby pine tree sticks and branches that may have fallen. 

Fine art print featuring an American Bald Eagle looking for branches to add to the nest in North Fort Myers, Florida – wildlife photography by Andrew Mease

Hurricanes haven't been the only struggle for the eagle pair this season, as one of the neighborhood great horned owls made an appearance in the duo's nest early one morning. (Great horned owls do not build their own nests, they usually take over existing nests made by eagles, osprey, and hawks.)

Photo featuring a great horned owl resting in a palm tree in Port Charlotte, Florida – wildlife photography by Andrew Mease

The pair has been busy showing their affection for each other and we should have some eggs on the way sometime in the next month or so if things go well. It takes roughly 35 days for eagle eggs to hatch, which would bring some babies in mid to late December.

 

Photo featuring 2 American Bald Eagles above the nest in North Fort Myers, Florida – wildlife photography by Andrew Mease

It then takes the newborn eagles 11 weeks to learn to fly and fully fledge so that they can start to make their own journey away from the nest.

Photo featuring 2 American Bald Eaglets strengthening their wings in the nest in Marco Island, Florida – wildlife photography by Andrew Mease

The fledgling eagles may be the biggest birds in the sky here in Southwest Florida, but that doesn't stop smaller birds from attacking them. Crows, grackles, and a variety of smaller birds will mob the young eagles while they learn to fly. This can be especially dangerous around power lines if an eagle gets distracted. 

Photo featuring an American Bald Eagle being mobbed by a crow while learning how to fly in Marco Island, Florida – wildlife photography by Andrew Mease

Want to follow along the nesting season journey this year? Check out the SWFL eagle cams for 24/7 access to 4 different live cams: http://www.swfleaglecam.com

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A snowy plover mother meets her newborn baby that just hatched for the first time.

Snowy Plover Hatching

May 31, 2020 1 Comment

May 28th, 2020

On May 27th there were 3 Snowy Plover Eggs were present in the nest. On the morning of May 28th, only 1 egg was to found in the nest. 2 Snowy Plovers hatched overnight or earlier in the morning on May 28th prior to our arrival at the nest. 

7:07am - Walking to 1st photo spot

I photographed a Wilson’s Plover carrying part of an eggshell while enroute to my first photo spot. (I did not see the eggshell until after I got home to review my photos) The eggshell looks to me like it was a Snowy Plover eggshell piece from and egg that had recently hatched. It may have been an eggshell from one of the 2 Snowy Plovers that hatched overnight. 

Wilsons Plover with Snowy Plover eggshell

7:17am - Least Tern nesting area

Least Terns were feeding and watching their babies

Least Tern Feeding

Other Least Terns were sitting on eggs

Least Tern Chick on mom

7:37am - Black Skimmer Colony

A colony of Black Skimmers was also present. Many of the skimmers were preening on the ground, with some flying and running around with fish.

Photo featuring a colony of black skimmers near Marco Island, Florida – wildlife photography by Andrew Mease

8:13am - Snowy Plover Nest

Moved on to the Snowy Plover nest where a single egg was located... Approached low and slow as to not disturb nearby wildlife.

Snowy Plover on Nest

8:18am - The snowy plover mother joins the father 30-40 feet away for a quick break from the nest, watching the two hatched babies. 

Snowy Plover family

Luckily the egg blends in with the sand and the nest was well located.

Snowy Plover Egg

8:34am - Mom starts acting odd and making calls while on the nest. She appeared to twitch a few times and I thought maybe she was warming up the egg.

8:39am - Mom leaves the nest again to watch over the two babies with Dad.

8:42am - The Egg starts to Hatch

A small hole started on the backside of the egg at first... then more cracks started to show on top of the egg

Snowy Plover Egg 1

8:48am - The baby has made a major crack towards the middle of the egg.

8:54am - The baby finally pushes through and breaks the egg open, falling forward.

9:02am - Mom comes back to the nest to see that her baby has hatched. 

A snowy plover mother meets her newborn baby that just hatched for the first time - wildlife fine art photography by Andrew Mease

 She begins to sit on the nest with her newborn chick.

9:20am Mom starts removing egg shell pieces and takes them away from the nest.

 9:23am - The newborn Snowy Plover takes its first steps

9:42am - Mom walks off and calls to the baby, trying to get it to come to her. The newborn looks at Mom.

Newborn looking at Mama

9:46am - The newborn baby attempts to walk towards mom but falls and can’t make it yet. She tries a few times to motivate the baby to walk towards her with no luck. 

9:48am - The newest hatchling and one of its older siblings both seek shelter under Mom.

9:54am - Mom leaves again to try and get the newborn to walk towards her. The baby makes some progress, and makes it a couple feet to the next patch of grass before taking a rest. 

9:55am - Mom is back, and leaves again. No progress

10:00am - Baby takes shelter under Mom again.

2nd rest

10:08am - Baby follows mom to a small patch of grass much farther away. Mom covers baby again for a minute before walking off again.

10:09am - Baby moves to a larger patch of grass a foot or two away from where it was.

10:12am - Mom comforts baby again.

10:14am - Mom leaves again. The newborn baby starts walking towards Mom and makes it over a long distance.

10:17am - The newborn meets its two siblings and Dad for the first time. 

10:24am - The newborn Snowy Plover is walking faster, and much longer distances.

Final Notes:

What an incredible day out on the beach with friends and memories that will not be forgotten. Watching a Snowy Plover from Egg, to hatching, to the first steps, and running around within 90 minutes of being born was quite an amazing experience.  I am currently working on a video compilation including the Snowy Plover hatching, its first steps, and more.

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