Sanibel Island: Sea, sand, shells

I take photos of anything that seems interesting. Visiting Sanibel Island has been good exercise for my camera obsession.

When I went in November 2017, it was my first try at taking pictures of landscapes or wildlife. I liked it more than I thought I would.

Sunset on Sanibel Island November 2019

Do you see the Ceratopogonidae in this sunset image? Of course not. Popularly known as “No-see-ums”, they can be a hazard to sunset photography. In fact, I didn’t even know what “No-see-ums” were until I was consumed by them.

There were references to “No-see-ums” around the island that didn’t really register with me. As the name implies, they’re tiny biting insects that you don’t see. Somehow, I was unaware that swarms – invisible swarms, anyway – would gleefully feast on my flesh while I went after just one more photo. It’s impossible to exaggerate the dense coverage of painful, itching little bites on my lower legs that kept me miserable for a week or so.

Of course you can apply a repellent and avoid this, but my life is full of little instances where I just didn’t think of that.

Here are some of the photos I got from the first trip, and then the during my first summer trip in June 2018.

A small selection of images taken during a stay at Sanibel Island in July 2019.

The dolphins are following the Sanibel Thriller, a speed boat that tours Sanibel and Captiva Islands. The ride is absolutely smooth and comfortable, and that’s a testimonial from someone who can’t turn in a circle twice without having motion sickness. The informative narration from the guide is casual and gives personality to this unique location.

Finally, a small selection of images taken during a stay at Sanibel Island in November 2019.

The first day was bright and sunny. I happened to pick one good morning for sunrise photos and had a sunny day for a look at the birds and a few other things. Otherwise, the weather on this trip was fairly cool and overcast; great for exploring the beach and finding shells, but nothing that made for interesting pictures.