September 2022 – Stephen Shelley Photography

I was recently commissioned by a friend to try and capture a captivating photo of the Anhinga Trail. She had a relative whose father had helped to build the Anhinga Trail back it the 1960’s but unfortunately, had recently passed away. She wanted me to capture a photo that she could then have printed in large format and present to her relative as a memento to remember her father by. I spent a couple days scouting the location and taking some test photos from different angles and different times of day to see what I thought would best accomplish the goal. I ended up capturing three (3) good images. One was a sunrise, one a sunset and one late afternoon thunderstorms. My favorite was the sunset with a sunburst. Turns out it was her favorite one as well and the one that got printed and presented as a present. I really enjoy commissioned work as it forces you to think creatively and capture images or location you might not otherwise attempt. I have walked the Anhinga Trail hundreds of times but never saw it as a good landscape location. However, because it was the location she wanted, I made the attempt and ultimately got one of my all time favorite images.

I had to travel to Amelia Island for a work related conference recently. I of course brought my camera in case I had some time to do some exploring. One area I wanted to try and capture was a place called boneyard beach. It is part of a state park and consists of a stretch of shoreline that is littered with large, old, dead trees. This shoreline is only accessible during low tides. At high tide the water covers most of the trees and you can access the beach. The conditions weren’t great while I was there but I still managed to capture some fun shots. I found the conditions were more suited to black and white images vs. color.

Another fun place I spent an hour or so at the Fort Clinch State Park. It is an old civil war era fort made from bricks and sitting right on the water way separating Georgia from Florida. I tried to capture some unique images while also learning a little history.

Lastly, visited downtown Amelia Island after my meetings had concluded one evening and played around a little with some moving light photography.