Gliding with the Tide

As a college student I was lucky enough to be paid to bring other students who were around my age on different trips. It felt off being paid to do that, but this is really what kickstarted my drive and desire for photography. One of those trips took place in the Florida everglades. We would spend a week down in the lush Everglades where we would kayak to various islands, snorkel with manatees, visit natural springs, and sit by campfires telling only the scariest of camping stories while being watched by racoons just waiting for us to drop some food. After one of our kayak days, we decided to watch the sunset on the beach. We were accompanied by plenty of sea life, boaters passing by to make it to the closest marina, and the peaceful and constant crash of the waves. As most landscape photographers know, the most beautiful sunset colors come fifteen minutes before till fifteen minutes after the sunset. But it all happens so fast and sometimes you can’t even plan the perfect shot. With less than a minute before the sun set behind the horizon, I noticed a grouping of birds, out of the corner of my eye. I then quickly fired off a few shots in hopes that I caught the instant they were in my frame.