Sunset on the Beach – Gulf Shores, AL

A friend told me that there could be some great sunrises and sunsets along the beach at Gulf Shores.  We didn’t manage to get up early enough for a sunrise, but we did take in this lovely sunset.

Colors of Beach at Sunset

This image has to be one of my favorites of a sunset on a beach.  The play of warmth and cool, and the transition from the sand to the water just make for a wonderful, peaceful abstract type flow.

Peace at the Beach

When I turned at looked inward from the beach, I saw these two palm trees up on the sandy bluff.  They created such a calm, peaceful feeling, I knew I had to capture it.  Don’t you just want to relax against that bluff and let your senses run wild?

Solitude

Here’s another calming view from just down the beach a bit.  I converted this one to a watercolor painting effect, and I think that adds just the perfect touch to this.  I can certainly see the appeal to a life on the beach with this image.

Left by the Waves

All along the shore, there were thousands of small seashells or parts of seashells.  In this image, you can see the tiny water trails left by the waves gently streaming back into the Gulf.  I love the feel of this image.  I can see it on a wall in a beach cottage.

Group Soak

I’ll share more images of these little sandpipers (I think) later, but I loved this image of them, enjoying the birdie version of a hot tub in a sunset reflection!

Pelicans over The Pier

And, of course, the pelicans were not to be outdone in terms of a great sunset image!  Here are a number of them as they flew over The Pier just as the sun was reaching its prettiest sunset showing.

The Pier at Sunset

I shot several images of The Pier as the sun was setting, and this one is my favorite.  You can see, it’s really a very long pier, and it was a   little tricky to catch both the entire pier and the sun in one image. I really like the combination of both cool and warmth in this image.  Standing out on the beach, tho, the cool was winning out!

End of Day

One last shot as we walked back to our Jeep.  You can see the sun just starting to slip behind some clouds, and the last of the warm rays of the day as they played on the puddles of water left on the beach.  Time to go – even the sandpipers are done soaking!

Enjoy!



 

On The Pier – Gulf Shores, AL

One morning while we were at Gulf Shores, AL, we took a walk down The Pier at Gulf Shores.  Altho there were several fishermen (and a woman or two) out there, they were actually not all that social, and most went out of their way not to make eye contact with us.  If we had been in the northeast, I would have thought that it was that New England stand-off-ish-ness that I’ve read about.  It seemed pretty clear, tho, that they had us pegged as touristas, and didn’t want to have much to do with us.  However, the pelicans on The Pier were certainly accommodating to having their photo taken, and had no problem making eye contact!

Pelican Perch

This first guy was more than willing to having his photo taken, and patiently posed for me as I walked around him to get at his best angle!

Pelican Profile

This guy seemed to be a bit of a ham!  He carefully posed, moving around (but not at all skittish of me) until he presented me with what he thought was his “best side”.  And, I agree – a great pose!

Sunning on The Pier

I never really thought about pelican varieties, but clearly, there are different ones.  This guy’s head was covered in pale yellow feathers.  Or, if not a different variety, perhaps this is a young pelican, not quite an adult?  I don’t know, but he, too, was more than happy to pose with a bit of the pier in the background so we know exactly where he was at!

Enjoy!