¶I watched this angler for an hour or so as I sat in one of my favorite positions in St. Pete Beach for photographing pelicans. There’s a rusted out old sea wall that sits next to a relatively short rocky pier with plenty of nooks and crannies, perfect for taking a bit of cover as pelicans come and go. It’s a great place to watch the sunset, too, as this photo shows.
¶The angler got a bit more serious as the sun set, grabbing the second pole you see in the photograph. He managed to work both for a bit, but didn’t seem to have much luck with either. I captured a few great shots of pelicans coming and going but, as I look back on the outing, this photograph stands out to me. I identified with this guy, and still do. He worked at his hobby as I worked at mine, both of us patiently cranking away under the beautiful glow of a St. Pete Beach sunset.
Technical Notes
¶This was one of my first outings with the 100-500mm Canon lens. I took this photograph at the full 500mm focal length, and was still getting used to locating subjects at that length. Even today I feel like that’s still the case.
¶I feel the boat is a bit of a distraction, but I generally don’t like removing objects from photographs. My goal in making a photograph is to represent a scene I witnessed, bringing creative tools – composition, gear, angle, light – to that representation. The boat was there, and I want to remember that aspect of the scene, distraction and all. I don’t mind others removing objects from their photographs, it’s just something I choose not to do. Dust spots excluded, of course.
¶Perhaps ironically, the boat left just as I decided to pack it in for the evening. The angler remained, but the last bit of light left with the boat.
