Theme Day: Photo of the Year

My goodness...where did 2016 go?!  On this first day of 2017, I'm pleased to report the entire staff at Sarasota Daily Photo is healthy, whole and ready to contribute to the city daily photo blogosphere! 

It's always difficult to root through one's archives and select the best photo of the year. So, the SDP editorial board added a requirement:  the best photo of the year in the Sarasota area that hasn't been published yet. This shot of the Sunshine Sky Bridge was taken at dusk last February -- one of the best times of year for sunsets in Florida.  The Skyway connects Pinellas County and Manatee County and spans over Tampa Bay.  Great views when you're driving across! And, when conditions are right, you can capture a nice panoramic from Ft. DeSoto Park, which is where this was taken. 

Wishing everyone in the CDP community a healthy and prosperous 2017 filled with many awesome photo opps!  Happy New Year!  To see other theme day submissions click here.

Poser

This is the end of the fishing pier at Ft. DeSoto park in Tierra Verde -- and a great spot to take photos of Tampa Bay and the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.  This cormorant, basking in the late afternoon sun, didn't want to be upstaged by the beautiful bay and the bridge, though.  He was such a handsome poser, he temporarily stole the show -- all while keeping an eye on the Skyway and me (no doubt making sure I was getting his good side).

2 Ospreys & 1 Bridge

This is what the great egret in yesterday's photo was looking at: two ospreys roosting on a channel marker in Tampa Bay. Oh…and maybe that bridge back there too.  That incredible span is the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, which connects Pinellas and Manatee counties.  It was a beautiful day to shoot the bridge when I was there, so I'll have a few more pics to share in the near future. (And, perhaps by that time I will have looked up some interesting factoids about the Skyway.)