The Wandering Disciple

2020 has been a challenging year.  COVID-19 pandemic, active tropical season, a Presidential election that won't end.  It has been one for history.  But despite all the negative in the world this past year, we managed to find some comfort through photography.  While the travel restrictions and closures caused by the pandemic limited what we could do, we still found a way to get out their and enjoy ourselves through photography while keeping socially distanced and safe. So while 2020 goes out with a midnight fireworks show, let's see what 2021 has in store. (Photo: October 13, 2017)

The Seminole Indian Casino hot air balloon lights up the night sky during the 2018 Florida International Air Show at the Punta Gorda Airport. The annual air show event features a night show that includes aerial aerobatics, fireworks and more under the Florida night sky. (Photo: October 19, 2018)

Classic airplanes and warbirds are meant to be enjoyed in the skies not just in a museum. That is one of the main missions of air shows around the globe to show the power and engineering marvel of these aircraft from classic warbirds through the high tech fighters of today. One of these performers, Randy Ball, flies the Soviet MiG for Fighterjets Inc. Ball has flown over 1,00 shows in North America and is rated in over forty aircraft. He has showcased his flying in air shows and on film and is the only MiG-17 pilot to fly an aggressor flight for the US Air Force's F-4 Phantoms. (Photo: October 9, 2018)

Goyang looks out from under a blanket on a cool December day at ZooTampa at Lowry Park. At 21 years old, Goyang has developed the large cheek pads that are symbolic to male orangutans. He is the lone adult male in the group and father to the four young orangutans in the family. (Photo : December 28, 2020)

Tampa, Florida: Just one day after setting a single day record for passengers served, Tampa International Airport was busy once again during our visit to Tampa. There was a steady flow of traffic coming and going in the time we spent spotting from the garage. We were there for a little over an hour and were able to shoot over fifty movements. Runway 1 was in use, so we photographed from the eighth floor of the short-term parking garage.  Here is a look at what we saw today at TPA:  C-GJWN - Airbus A321 (Air Canada)  N194UW - Airbus A321 (American Airlines)  N285WN - Boeing 737-700 (Southwest Airlines)  N348NW - Airbus A320 (Delta Air Lines)  N352DN - Airbus A321 (Delta Air Lines)  N354JB - Embraer 190 (JetBlue Airways)  N361DN - Airbus A321 (Delta Air Lines)  N365EG - Cessna Citation Excel  N370DN - Airbus A321 (Delta Air Lines)  N403RW - Embraer 130  N403SV - ATR 42-600 (Silver Airways)  N416UA - Airbus A320 (United A...

 A firefighter from the Englewood Fire Department demonstrates a high angle rescue during their open house event in 2018.  Firefighters possess a vast skill set that help them protect the citizens from their district.  At the sound of the alarm, firefighters can do anything from provide medical care, stop a gas leak, rescue a victim from the water, put out a house fire and so much more.  To stay proficient in these skills, they train regularly at their training center seen here during this public performance.  (Photo: October 6, 2018) 

Christmas 2020 brought an upgrade to the arsenal as we added a Canon T7i to the camera bag.  What better way to try it out than a trip through Myakka River State Park for some wildlife photography.  It was a blustery day for Florida and not too many animals were out playing but we did manage to see a bunch of deer, some wading birds and this red-shouldered hawk.  (Photo: December 25, 2020)