Florida's Birding and Fotofest 2010

I'm back from St. Augustine (and have been for a week and a half), and I've finally gotten the time to sit down and get some pictures uploaded for your enjoyment. :)

I went to a number of photography and Photoshop workshops/classes with my father at the Birding and Fotofest, and we had a great time learning, and just being able to do something like that together. It was a very relaxing week, and the weather couldn't have been more perfect...sunny, and not too hot. I was also fed some of the yummiest meals I've had in a LONG time. Dad and Mimi are great cooks, and big foodies. They've inspired me to buy a lot more fresh produce, that's for sure.

Well, without further ado, I give you St. Augustine:
(and PLEASE click the ones you like so you can enlarge them...they're so much better that way!)

This is a wonderful street where the live oaks arch to make a tunnel...so cool. Dad swung me by there on our way to the airport on my last day. What a great photo-op!

I did some playing with shutter speeds after one of my classes...pretty fun!:
(This is a carousel right near Dad's place)

...water looks WAY more fun on a slower shutter speed! This was taken on our ferry ride over to Amelia Island, where we had a lovely day of shopping.

I did a vintagy look with this shot...it looks way better than the original:

The pelicans are so cool!

Below starts my pics from the Alligator Farm during an evening wine and cheese/sunset photo party. The light was incredible, and I took over 340 pics! I'll spare you the nausea, but here are some I like. These are Roseate Spoonbills (of course I had lost the light by the time I got this shot, but they were so cool up there on that dead tree!:

I could swear they were looking right at me!

Mr. Stork, checkin' me out:

Beautiful egret with feathers fanned!

I was the only person at this shin-dig with a point and shoot camera. You would not beLIEVE the sizes of lenses some of these people had. As I was standing next to a guy with a lens pointed right at those babies, I asked him if I could take a gander through his viewfinder. He was right IN the nest! You could see their downy peach fuzz! It was incredible! The best I can do is crop and zoom: :)

I really like this shot:

Spoonbill wings. :)

Aren't they so cute? I love their bills!

Oops...this is a grouper...Dad spotted him in a saltwater pond at the place where they were giving the classes. I couldn't resist:

I may post more at a later date. I may not! :) I just wanted to share some of what I shot. I had a great week (sans kid! :-O), but it's also good to be back home and back in the swing of things, even if it includes cooking, dishes, and laundry. :)