Tuesday Tampa Bay Beautiful Sunset Scenery- IMRAN®

Pelicans sunning on cool & mild winter sunset at Apollo Beach tonight.

© 2026 IMRAN®

Shout It From The Rooftop(s) - IMRAN™

Hope it survives the hurricane in 24 hours.

(My 131st Flickr Explore!)

Well, actually, no need to shout. Just a different point of view of how I see my world, all around. And quietly say a prayer of gratitude. According to the phone photo GPS info, I was standing 65 feet (about 20 meters) above sea level and about 45 feet (15 m) above street level.

Handheld iPhone 13 Pro Max photos stitched into a quick and dirty 360°x360° panorama. Captured on a cloudy day at my blessed home in Apollo Beach when I used my twenty-eight feet new ladder to get up to the rooftop for these photos.

Tampa Bay is covered by clouds, with a dash of blue visible somewhere around Clearwater, I think. A boat in the water across from my home is easily visible in the view.

© 2022 IMRAN™

Terrific Tuesday Tampa Bay Breathtakingly Beautiful Serene Seaside Sunset - IMRAN™

(My 127th Flickr Explore!) Following Monday’s stunning sunset ( www.facebook.com/100063547631173/posts/pfbid0GJeEiGmvLKhZ... ), I humbly and gratefully present tonight’s terrific Tuesday Tampa Bay breathtakingly beautiful serene seaside sunset, as a very busy and blessed day of speeches, meetings, consultations, and learning sessions came to a close. How’s that for a long sentence. 😄

© 2022 IMRAN™

#Florida #TampaBay #ApolloBeach #SymphonyIsles #IMRAN #TuesdayMotivation #beachLife #beach #SunsetVibes #summer #lifestyle #seaside #gratitude #scenery #waterfront #HomeSweetHome #night #maghreb #HomeOffice#HybridWork

SPx5: Solo Pelican Soars Past Seaside Pink Sky Peaceful Scene Picture - IMRAN™

What a pretty scene I was taking a photo of when the solo pelican soared past the seaside serenity scene under a pink sky framed by silhouettes of palm trees in my Symphony Isles neighborhood on Tampa Bay in Apollo Beach, Florida.

© 2021 IMRAN™

There is an infinite variety of sunsets and dusk patterns I am blessed to see at my Apollo Beach, Florida, home. Facing St. Petersburg's skyline across the expanse of Tampa Bay, once in a while something so dramatic appears that it is hard to describe.

This cloud armada rolling across the sky was dark, deep and menacing in some parts, and sheer, seductive, and soft enough for the sunlight to give it a sexy pink glow. But it was the explosion of the sun's light going through random layers of clouds that appeared like giant fiery explosions taking on the cloud armada. They made war but I see a love of magic and sensuality of nature emerge from the hot, wet, battle.

© 2016 IMRAN™

DSC_1321

GSD^3: German Shepherd Dog Goes Seeking Ducks Gorgeous Sunset Day Tampa Bay Florida - IMRAN™

(My 104th Flickr Explore!)

K2, my German Shepherd, seems set to wade all the way to Saint Petersburg chasing two ducks swimming in the sunset light bathing tranquil Tampa Bay, Florida, waters. Kennedy was watching from nearby.

© 2021 IMRAN™

#GermanShepherdDogs #GSD #animals #sunset #IMRAN #Florida #TampaBay #ApolloBeach

Breathtaking Last Sunset Of September 2020 On Tampa Bay Florida - IMRAN™

This is what tonight's sunset - the last sunset of September 2020 - unfolded looking like. I knew I had to take some photos as I juggled two steaks on the grill, two German Shepherds playing hard drenched from being in the swimming pool, and two cameras to take photos with. What can I tell you... I am a Gemini. Two of everything. LOL.

2020 has been a surreal year for us. For all of us. Globally, as a species under attack from a pandemic. Nationally, America literally facing an existential crisis brought on by a constitutional crisis being foisted upon us by the agents of an enemy state. And even personally, by the many shocking blows I was hit with this year.

But, at the end of it all, the day, the month, the quarter, soon the year, the decade, and one day my earthly time itself, I cannot deny all the unbelievable blessings I shall forever be grateful for. That is why almost everything I am writing this year makes me refer to things with the particular year 2020 mentioned.

I hope that we all survive this year all the horrendous things that threaten us, our health, our democracy, and our nation. I pray that we grow stronger, smarter, happier, more loved, and more successful in the years to come. I dream of the times we can look back at the writings from these moments in time and be grateful to have made it into those dates in the future. I hope you will be with me then too. Amen.

© 2020 IMRAN™

Melting Gold Friday Midnight Tranquility Tampa Bay Florida - IMRAN™

My 90th photo in Flick Explore! After capturing the golden orange “dull” dramatic sunset at my neighborhood beach this evening ( www.facebook.com/134701029880230/posts/3972345389449089/ ), I was blessed to be back there for a midnight walk with the dogs. This is a vivid image long exposure HDR image showing the tranquility of Tampa Bay gently reflecting the shades of night, and luxury homes glowing with the Gold Coast feel of this wonderful part of Apollo Beach.

© 2020 IMRAN™

#Florida #TampaLife #TampaBay #ApolloBeach #midnight #TGIF #LaborDayWeekend #summer #night #beach

Camera Sets Sight As Ship Sets Sail While Sun Sets Itself For Sunset - IMRAN™

This was the mind-blowing red, yellow, orange, gold scene at the start of November, last year, at my blessed home in Apollo Beach, Florida. The sun had set its mind to set for a glorious sunset on Tampa Bay while a ship had set sail from the Port of Tampa, and I had set my camera to set its sight on the stunning scenery.

This is a reduced size photo from my 14-years old Nikon D300, taken handheld at a maximum zoom of 450mm eq. -1/3 eV at just 1/1600th of a second.

Despite such tight settings, the searing colors of the sky are glowing as if the photo was boosted. NO filters, no processing was done. I did level the horizon and add my name, and save the photo as a JPG to be easier to upload. Talk about photons straight from the sun for a sunset photo straight from the camera (SOOC).

© 2020-2021 IMRAN™

Mighty Osprey Flying Home With Massive Prey In Exquisite Details Against Breathtaking Tampa Bay Florida Sunset At Apollo Beach Home - IMRAN™

Few words can describe the breathtaking range and layers of colors that fill the sky during stunning sunsets over Tampa Bay, Florida. I am so blessed to be able to see and capture so many of them. Within each, there are so many extraordinarily magical moments that multiple lifetimes would be needed to see much less capture them. Sometimes I get lucky.

This mighty osprey was flying home past my blessed home carrying a massive fish. This handheld photo was taken with the 14 years old Nikon D300. It still captured so much exquisite detail on the fish, and even its fins and whatever those whisker-type things are!

Check its full detail at flickr.com/ImranAnwar as other sites do not do justice to the original uploads.

© 2021 IMRAN™

Thanksgiving Night Tranquility On Tampa Bay Florida - IMRAN™

(My 115th Flickr Explore!)

Current situation. A state of independence. A heart full of love. A soul full of gratitude.

iPhone 13 Pro Max long exposure high dynamic range photography sitting in an Adirondack chair at the beach in my beautiful neighborhood. Blessed, loved, grateful.

© 2021 IMRAN™

#Florida #TampaBay #ApolloBeach #SymphonyIsles #Thanksgiving #gratitude #tranquility #motivation #inspiration #NoLimits #IMRAN

Fabulous Friday Stunning Sunset Dramatic Dusk - IMRAN™

This is only half of the stunning sunset and dusk I captured at home this past Friday at my blessed home. About half a dozen photos with the 16-yeara old Nikon D300 still created a stunning 250MB image, which would be too big to share. So I reduced it to one-sixth the size for Flickr, while lousy quality platforms like Facebook will only get a file one-fortieth the size and quality of the original.

© 2023 IMRAN™

Layers Of Magic Layered Over Layers Of Miracles Across Layers Of Imagination - IMRAN™

(My 86th photo in Flickr Explore!) This mid-summer late afternoon scene at Tampa Bay was unfolding at Apollo Beach in Florida when I happened to look out the window. The sun was just starting to reveal itself under layers of clouds which were under layers of clouds that were in front of other layers of clouds in the distance. The steamy haze rising above the warm waters made for another surreal double vision double horizon effect more reminiscent of images of sunsets in the African wild. You have to see the image on a large screen to see the many birds flying in the distance. This more than 8100x5400 pixel image of 210MB will be rendered into some ridiculously low-resolution version on social media like FaceBook. The full-size version could not be uploaded on Flickr either so I will have to resize it even for posting there.

© 2020 IMRAN™

Spitting Image? Dolphin Statue Fountain "Holds" Setting Sun As A Marble In Its Mouth - IMRAN™

[My 94th Photo In Flickr Explore!]. The 13-years old Nikon D300 paired with the still awesome 18-200 Nikkor lens can still capture some of the most magnificent images. This in itself was one of the most spectacular gold and red painted sky sunsets I have seen at my blessed home in Apollo Beach. The dolphin statue fountain's water flow is caught in vivid detail with light reflecting off and through it in addition to refractions and other effects adding their magic. Like a trained animal the dolphin almost seems to be holding the sun like a marble in its mouth. Tampa Bay, Florida, provides the perfect backdrop for this magical scene which required no editing.

© 2020 IMRAN™

#ApolloBeach, #Boating, #Clouds, #cloudscape, #Creative, #D300, #Florida, #fountain, #IMRAN, #ImranAnwar, #Lifestyle, #Nature, #Nikon, #puns, #reflections, #refraction, #seaside, #Sunset, #Tampa, #TampaBay, #Water, #waterfall, #waterfront, #wordplay, #light, #magic, #silhouette

Spectacular Second Sunset 2020 Terrific Tampa Bay Beauty (HDR Panorama) - IMRAN™

This was the second sunset of 2020 on Tampa Bay, captured in 2 handheld photos with a Nikon D850. See in full size to experience the whole mind-blowing scene we got to experience in Apollo Beach, Florida.

© 2020 IMRAN™

Happy Winter Blues TGIF Tampa Bay Florida Morning Panorama At Symphony Isles - IMRAN™

(My 102nd Explore!)

It was a gorgeous morning on a mid-December Friday at the end of last year when I took the dogs out for a quick walk. With very low tides, the Symphony Isles neighborhood in Apollo Beach gets an even more extended private ocean beach feel to it.

I would have preferred walking out along the shore but it was still a day of meetings. I had an 11 AM call coming up so I just went to this empty lot of my neighbor's property for a few minutes before heading back to my meetings.

This is a panorama created from about eight iPhone 11 Pro Max unedited photos, merged straight out of camera. I used the widest angle view so you can see the visual aberrations where the horizon appears to have a slight ripple.

© 2020-2021 IMRAN™

Even Storm Clouds Are A Blessing To Be Grateful For - IMRAN™

(My 112th Flickr Explore!)

At first glance it is just another magnificent Florida sunset formed by storm clouds. It is "just" a pretty cool photo captured by someone with a camera living at a beautiful home on Tampa Bay. But to me it is much more symbolic, poignant, and soul-touching than that.

As so many people struggle with their daily lives, whether financially, emotionally, psychologically, or physically, it is easy for many people to assume everyone else has it easy, or at least easier than them. The daily or even lifelong struggles, the constant stresses, the betrayals by loved ones, the difficulty in making ends meet, the responsibilities of caring for sick loved ones, or the pressures of raising kids as a single parent with exes sucking the joy out of life and sabotaging future love and happiness, injustices in society, unfair treatment or exploitation by employers, and so many are things like these are among the many challenges.

There are always storm clouds on the horizons of lives. Faced with that reality, it becomes easy to assume that others are having an easier time without their own storm clouds, just because they are smiling in a photo, or out with a group of friends, or posting a photo of something fun they did. That can make people forget to take stock of how even their terrible situation is full of blessings. But looking around at everything they can realize how much they have to be grateful for, how much what is part of even their challenge-filled life is what so many millions of others are dying wanting to have.

So, as I looked at these massive storm clouds forming, with so many challenges that surround the scenes of our lives, I bowed my head in gratitude even to have storm clouds surround the horizons of life. Think about it. Just being alive, being able to see the storm, hear the thunder, feel the rumble, smell the ozone, sense the electricity in the air ready to strike like lightning, and touch the lightest drops of rain.... how many hundreds of millions who passed before us will never have the opportunity to experience these again.

No matter what it is you are struggling with, think about it... there is someone somewhere who would gladly trade places and their situation for yours. Each and every thing in life, even the storms, when looked at with the right spiritual lens, the with the correct settings in the camera of our souls, are capturing a moment of infinite uniqueness.

No one else in the entire universe, in all of time and for all eternity, will have had the same exact moment, the same exact experience, the same exact privilege of being you in whatever situation you face. Situations change, and they change much faster when you learn to recognize that even the darkest, stormiest, photos of you life are mere dramatic highlights of a beautiful movie of your life that is entirely in your hands, heart, mind, and soul to write, rewrite, and lead to whatever direction and happy ending you choose to.

Embrace the storm, take my hand, let me guide you to turning the most difficult moments into beautiful works of art of gratitude, hope, confidence, joy, and love.

© 2021 IMRAN™

9/11 Sunset Over St. Petersburg Florida.Reflecting Passing Years Across Tampa Bay Waters - IMRAN™

It was the end of day 9/11 in 2020. A surreal scene blending serenity and ominousness spanned the sky and sea at Tampa Bay, in Apollo Beach, Florida.

This was such a dramatic sunset that it was nearly impossible to capture this panorama without the bright sun blowing out the center of the picture. But the soft textures of the clouds contrasted within themselves in reds and blues, whites and grays. They also contrasted with the seeming coarseness and smoothness of the ripples on the water, along with the red reflections and blue dark shades on the water's surface.

A magical moment stitched from around six handheld photos taken with the Nikon D850 as it was time to say another prayer of gratitude to Allah at Maghreb.

© 2020-2021 IMRAN™

Stunning Sea & Sky Fabulous Florida Flower Beautiful Blissful Boating - IMRAN™

As I saw this flower blooming right next to the beach at the empty lot near my blessed home, I also saw a boat approaching from the left. With the stunning sea & sky, the fabulous Florida flower, and the blissful beautiful boating scene all in one, I was able to capture the moment in 2D and 3D.

© 2021 IMRAN™

#Flowers #Florida #TampaBay #ApolloBeach #beach #boats #boating #IMRAN

Magnificent Gold, Pink, Violet Hues Paint Tampa Sunset Sky Behind Saint Petersburg Florida Skyline - IMRAN™

The magic of Florida sunsets is so unlimited that I have not even gotten around to posting all of the ones I have captured even from just this one blessed spot of my home in Apollo Beach at Tampa Bay. This is a sunset I captured in the early summer of 2016, but have not gotten to post until tonight, almost 5 years later. The breathtakingly soft layers and tones of colors blending in the sky take my breath away.

© 2016-2021 IMRAN™

#ApolloBeach, #Architecture, #Beach, #Beach #Life, #Boating, #Clouds, #D300, #Florida, #Home, #horizon, #IMRAN, #ImranAnwar, #Lifestyle, #Nature, #Night, #Nikon, #Ocean, #Orange, #Outdoors, #Panorama, #Red, #seaside, #Sky, #Sun, #Sunset, #Tampa, #TampaBay, #Waves

(My 100th Explore!)

Drone Drops, I Rise, Eyes Rise To See Sea-Level Green Lights On Sea Green Seaside Scene For Selfie With Dogs At Home At Sunset - IMRAN™

I had not used the DJI Phantom 4 drone since the boat parade around the holidays in mid-December. Today I decided to do a quick flight with it while the dogs, Kennedy and K2, were on deck chilling on the dock on the bay.

A gorgeous Tampa Bay Florida sunset was happening as I managed to get it all on video. This moment was the start of a really cool segment of the drone rising up rapidly and keeping focus on us, then coming back in for a zippy landing on the dock.

The coolest part of that was how chill both Kennedy and K2 were as the drone landed literally a few feet away from them. But, due to some DJI bug, that video failed to record and the dreaded "Disconnected" error showed up on the phone screen while the drone was in flight.

I was able to land it safely and easily purely from line of sight control. But it is a bummer to lose the cool video segment at the end. Enjoy the moment I took this photo, with the drone literally a few feet above the water, capturing the green fish lights underwater at my dock. As I stood on the railing, Kennedy literally acted bored. K2, as you can see from his expression, is still trying to figure out the white bird hovering in front of him, but remained fearless even as the technology bird came in to land.

© 2021 IMRAN™

#aerial, #ApolloBeach, #Beach, #blessed, #Boating, #DJI, #dock, #dogs, #fishing, #Florida, #Flying, #German #Shepherd #Dogs, #gratitude, #Green #Light, #Home, #IMRAN, #ImranAnwar, #JetSki, #Lifestyle, #Nature, #Phantom4, #seaside, #Sunset, #Tampa, #TampaBay, #WaveRunner, #Yamaha

Kennedy & K2 Savor Golden Hour On The Beach At Tampa Bay - IMRAN™

I love how my German Shepherds, Kennedy and K2, love being at the beach. Every day, every chance they get.

Kennedy, who was afraid of being touched by the bay water when I got him 3.5 years ago, now MUST wade in it belly deep. He does that EVERY time we go there.

K2, who got in the bay within one hour of us getting home 2.5 years ago, goes in only to keep Kennedy company. Otherwise, he likes to run around the sand. He also likes to clean up the water band beach, by pulling out and taking ashore any ocean trash he finds.

In this magnificent moment both dogs were just savoring the golden hour light and reflections at the Apollo Beach neighborhood beach on Tampa Bay, as was I. What a beautiful moment of tranquility and gratitude to say Maghreb prayers to the Almighty.

© 2022 IMRAN™

#ApolloBeach, #beachfront, #boardwalk, #Clouds, #dock, #GermanShepherdDogs, #GermanShepherds, #goldenhour, #goldenlight, #goldensky, #gratitude, #GSD, #IMRAN, #iPhonePhotography, #maghreb, #Nature, #oceanfront, #realestate, #reflections, #sea, #seascape, #seaside, #Sunset, #TampaBay

Beautiful Colors Of Second Sunset Of 2020 Across Tampa Bay Florida Skies - IMRAN™ (SOOC)

This gorgeous sunset on Tampa Bay tonight was captured with no filters, and no color editing for any kind. I had to straighten the image about 2°. The dozen years old 300mm Nikkor lens paired with the new Nikon D850 catches such great details, even in a handheld shot with minimal fuss. If you look closer, you can see birds floating on the calm water, and channel markers and boats, miles away.

I took some more photos before this one, which I will post soon, because they deserve even more worthy a description based on what I captured in those photos. Straight Out Of Camera photo colors are my goal in general. Ironically, this photo reminds me of a long overdue To Do, check what causes the two dark spots near the top left of the frame from this lens for years. New year resolution number 7656. LOL. But I hope you will enjoy this photo too, and share your thoughts, and click Share!

© 2020 IMRAN™

Brunette & Blonde On Orange Kayak Soak In Blue & Red Sunset And Golden Dusk Tampa Bay - IMRAN™

These two ladies were going past my blessed home in Apollo Beach on a kayak. I was soaking in a dramatic dusk across the horizon over Tampa Bay. A sliver of red Florida sunset was sinking into the sea to the right. As the ladies captured the magical moment, they too were captured in this image of the magical moment.

© 2021 IMRAN™

Purple, Green & White Glow In Dark Night - IMRAN™

I took some photos of these flowers on one of my neighbor's bushes a few weeks ago. The 13-years old Nikon D300 did a decent job with the built-in flash. This seemed like a good one to post in 3D on FaceBook and regular 2D on Flickr etc.

© 2020-2021 IMRAN™

#ApolloBeach, #bokeh, #D300, #Florida, #flowers, #green, #IMRAN, #ImranAnwar, #Lifestyle, #Nature, #Night, #Nikon, #purple, #TampaBay,

Breathtaking Dusk Over Tampa Bay Florida, Aerial Drone Flying View At Apollo Beach - IMRAN™ (360° Interactive Virtual Reality) (My 78th Explore!)

It was literally 6:10 PM when I looked out the window and realized that conditions were ideal for a stunning dusk.

There were low clouds over the horizon across Tampa Bay, which was extremely calm. And the sky above was completely covered by a layer of clouds that would provide perfect reflecting conditions for the setting sun's light, which would come through the sweet slit the sun was shafting with its beams, right over where the Sunshine Bridge and St. Pete's Beach areas are.

Within the 15 minutes between that realization and sunset time of about 6:25 PM Eastern, I managed to shoot several sunset photos with the Nikon D300, do a timelapse with the Nikon KeyMission 360 which I had to mount above the umbrella on the dock, an iPhone 6S+ timelapse from the wall of the pool deck, AND managed to change batteries, insert a memory card and get the DJI Phantom 4 drone to the dock in time for one of the most breathtaking live-streams I have ever broadcast. It left viewers, and me, gasping.

This composite imapge was created in PhotoShop from the unedited photos I took with the drone flying 120 feet above me. The color as well as lights & shadows variations were so intense you can notice how much trouble the camera had in setting exposure as the drone rotated above me to capture the 360° view.

That is why the colors in this photo are not even as stunning (and I mean gasping in amazement stunning) that you will see in the 4K video the drone also captured. I will post all of these in time, God willing.

I hope you love this scene as much as I did experiencing and sharing it.

© 2017 IMRAN™

German Shepherd Dogs Kennedy & K2 On Dock Enjoying Full Spherical View Of Vivid Sunset On Tampa Bay Florida - IMRAN™

[My 99th Explore!] What a delight to see a sunset by the sea like this. What a pain not to be able to get it in deep detail.

One of the shortcomings of capturing sunsets with a smartphone camera is that one cannot zoom in on the sunset as much as with a DSLR with a real large telephoto lens. On a day like this one, when I was out on the dock with my German Shepherd Dog and puppy, Kennedy and K2 respectively, it made more sense to try to capture the whole scene in a spherical 360°x360° panorama with the cell phone than waste time going inside to get the larger camera.

The equirectangular image can be seen as a flat 2x1 depiction of the whole scene. Or it can be viewed as an interactive panorama by swiping around or moving around your device.

The next challenge, besides not being able to zoom in on the sunset colors, is accurately staying in one spot while turning and taking 2 dozen photos -- while holding the phone as level as possible. Then the additional challenge is taking all the photos in one sequence where TWO very energetic dogs not only sit still for overlapping images to be captured without movement but that they also happen to be sitting in good poses!

I think I managed to capture that in this photo. You can see the artifacts where PhotoShop had to fill in parts of the spot I was standing at or the edges of the light bulb, etc. But, the blessed and magical moment of gratitude and peace was one I think you will appreciate. Like, Love, Comment, and of course, click Share!

© 2021 IMRAN™

#360x360, #animals, #ApolloBeach, #beachfront, #boardwalk, #Clouds, #dock, #dogs, #Dusk, #equirectangular, #Florida, #GermanShepherdDogs, #gratitude, #HomeSweetHome, #IMRAN, #ImranAnwar, #iPhone, #JetSki, #Lifestyle, #luxuryhomes, #Maghreb, #Panorama, #puppy, #seaside, #Sunset, #TampaBay

As I figured a workaround for my ailing computer (use gfxCardStatus to bypass a defective video card) I am loading some images from my Florida trip.

Breathtaking Cloud Reflections At Stunning Tampa Bay Sunset Under Florida Storm Clouds - IMRAN™

Almost every photo I took of this "usual" gorgeous Florida sunset at my home in Apollo Beach became "mind-blowing" because of the way steamy low cloud layers swirled under several additional higher layers of clouds. All of the interactions of lights and shadows, darks and brights, peril and promise, menace and magic, merged into a visual symphony at Symphony Isles.

NO editing was done to change a bit of color or tone on this photo. I found it intriguing how two concentric circles, almost like embossed rainbows, appear in the photo. I was outdoors so it was not even possible that the camera lens was reflected in a window. Love to figure out what caused that.

You can see my dolphins statues in the foreground spouting water into the swimming pool. The water streams reflect and refract the light in their own ever-changing ways every second.

© 2020-2021 IMRAN™

Am I The “Underdogs” In This Midnight “DogFight”? - IMRAN™

(My 111th Flickr Explore!)

Some of my biggest achievements in life have been while, and from, being the underdog. But in this exactly-midnight “dogfight” photo, taken on the TV lounge floor at home last night, it would appear that I am the “underdogS”! Kennedy is chilling on my left and K2 is waiting for the Late Show to be over so we can go out for a regular midnight walk.

© 2021 IMRAN™

#Florida #IMRAN #TampaBay #ApolloBeach #home #dogs #humor #puns #wordplay #dogfight #underdogs #dogs #GermanShepherdDogs #GSD

Stunning Sun, Dramatic Dusk, Blissful Blues, Total Tranquility, Bayfront Blessed Home Here - IMRAN™

What an incredible blessing to be able to see so many contrasts not just in colors but tones and moods. Dramatic Dusk. Stunning sunset. Blissful blues. Total Tranquility.

Can you see Kennedy and K2 were just entering the frame as I captured the 12 photos with a 16 years old Nikon D300 to create this panorama.

© 2023 IMRAN™

Stunning Sky, Serene Seaside, Subtle Sunset, Soft Sand, Spectacular Scene (360°x360°) - IMRAN™

(My 103rd Flickr Explore!)

Sometimes the individual elements of a picture can be quite ordinary. For example, a picnic table at a secluded private beach, some interesting cloud patterns, soft nothing special sunset, and dusk colors, etc. But the combined effect can be quite striking.

That was the case when I was at the private beach of my Symphony Isles neighborhood in Apollo Beach, Florida, at the start of last December. It was not even 6 PM yet, but the sun had already set. Dusk was fading in the distance. But the magic of the scene was just coming alive.

I stood in one spot to take 36 photos with the handheld iPhone 11 Pro Max. I later merged them into this spherical panorama. You can see how the different exposure levels of individual photos lead to some blending issues. For example, one side of a rock or bush is more yellow than the other side of it. But it was still worth doing.

Of course, there are always some who do not care how great a work of art is being created. They will piss all over the scene. Literally. I mean literally! If you look closely, you will see that my then 10-months old German Shepherd puppy, K2, was caught in one of the frames "watering" one of the palm trees. We may not win a photography contest but maybe he can win a pissing contest. LOL.

All kidding aside, the idea is to share with you the magical moment, for you to savor with me, as if you were right next to me, maybe preparing to unpack a light picnic dinner by the seaside at sunset. Come back soon!

© 2020-2021 IMRAN™

My Door Is Always Open... But It's Not A Good Idea To Walk In UnAnnounced - IMRAN™

(My 141st Flickr Explore!)

Sure my door is always open. Well, almost always. But, something in this photo may suggest that even when it is open, it is probably best not to show up unannounced. LOL

Actually, Kennedy and K2 also keep an eye on people visiting my neighbors. Neighborhood / Watch / Dog(s).

© 2023 IMRAN™

Absolutely Perfect Tampa Bay Florida Sunset Sky At Blessed Home During Birthday Week - IMRAN™ (SOOC)

It was early summer, the week of my birthday this year, when I captured this breathtaking sunset photo at my blessed home in Apollo Beach, Florida. A near-perfect sunset sky showed every magical shade of red, yellow, gold, and orange, from edge to edge. I am sharing this with you without a single bit of editing or any processing or any filter of any kind at all. SOOC (straight out of camera) from the handheld 14-years old Nikon D300, with my name added and shared here. Another of a million moments of gratitude.

© 2021 IMRAN™

Kennedy, K2, On Dock And Aerial Drone Selfie With Stunning Sunset Tampa Bay At Apollo Beach Home - IMRAN™

What a blessing to experience this magical sunset and dusk at home on Tampa Bay, Florida. My super-chill German Shepherd Dogs are not fazed by the DJI Phantom 4 drone flying just about 12 feet away.

Kennedy is watching the sunset and looking out for dolphins on the left, while K2 is looking at me perched on the dock railing, waiting for me to step down safely.

I took a few drone photos to create this HDR panorama. I did remove the tied-down dock umbrella from the white wood using Photoshop in a quick selection and clone overwrite of the space. I did that because, in the long run, the memory of the moment will be what you see in this photo.

Gratitude more than I can describe for all that Almighty Allah, the One God, blessed me with in my life. And so much more to come. Prayers and love from you all my precious ones is what keeps it all going. A prayer of thanks, as Maghreb surrounded me on all sides.

© 2021 IMRAN™

Forever Exploring New Oceans, Forever Seeking New Horizons My GSD Kennedy Early February 2022. Best Dog Ever – IMRAN®

From his very first encounter with the sandy shores of his forever home, Kennedy’s boundless love for the seaside was undeniable. On this particularly calm and beautiful morning around 11 a.m., Kennedy trotted gracefully across the bright beige sand, his smile radiating joy. Shadows of palm trees danced gently on the sand, while the shallow waters of Tampa Bay stretched peacefully in the backdrop.

Kennedy’s spirit of adventure and happiness was contagious—his love for exploration inspiring everyone around him. Best Dog Ever.

© 2022–2025 IMRAN®

Symphony Isles Apollo Beach Florida Neighborhood Holiday Decorations - IMRAN™

(My 116th Flickr Explore!)

© 2021 IMRAN™

#IMRAN #Florida #Tampa #ApolloBeach #neighborhood #streetscene #xmas #holidays #lights #Panorama #nightphotography #iphoneonly #Christmas #Christmas

Greatly Grateful Magical Monday Delightful Dusk Spanning Sky Tranquil Tampa Bay Blissful Pretty Panorama- IMRAN™

Another moment of endless blessings of life. Walking home with my dogs after a post-sunset walk, I went to the right side of my blessed home to soak in this moment. Greatly grateful for this magical Monday dramatic dusk spanning the sky over tranquil Tampa Bay. A beautiful and blissful moment to say some prayers of gratitude after capturing this pretty panorama. HDR image from an iPhone 13 Pro Max panorama capture.

© 2021 IMRAN™

#Florida #TampaBay #ApolloBeach #sunset #dusk #panorama #grateful #gratitude #beach #IMRAN #HDR #alliteration

(Bath)Room With A View - IMRAN™

It sounds silly but I was going to the bathroom when I saw this scene unfolding outside the window overlooking Tampa Bay. I knew it was more important to go grab the camera and capture this moment before the light, wind, boat in bokeh, and position of the palm tree frond changed and the moment would be gone forever.

© 2020 IMRAN™

Mind-Blowing TGIF Sunset Drone Selfie With GSDs Chilling At Blessed Tampa Bay Florida Home Dock Last Night (HDR/SOOC) - IMRAN™

What a mind-blowing sunset it was again at Apollo Beach in Florida last night. It is best experienced on a laptop or larger screen! Tampa Bay was covered by explosive colors in the sky and reflections on the water.

I managed to take two very quick photos from the DJI Phantom 4 drone which this HDR (high dynamic range) image was created from. It is amazing how all three of us, me, and my super cool German Shepherd Dogs Kennedy and K2, barely moved enabling this incredible photo to be formed. The dogs are so chill even with a drone hovering in the air a few feet away.

You can see a slight edge around K2 on the left and on his open mouth gaping at something else in the sky, as well as on Kennedy's right ear caused by the two photos blending. But there was absolutely NO color editing or tweaking done to the photo at all! Those red, pink, gold, blue, black, colors are SOOC, straight out of camera, exactly as they were captured by the drone in each of the separate photos.

I had to crop out a bit of the stunning sunset to the far right of the picture. The light pole on the dock of my blessed home, and the power cables hanging on the lower right were taking attention away from the stunning perfection of the moment.

© 2021 IMRAN™

Black And (A Single) White (Rose) - IMRAN™

I don’t post too many black and white photos. But this bush of white roses planted next to the walls of my blessed White House home in Apollo Beach, Florida, made a good subject for B/W presentation. iPhone 13 Pro Max photo edited in the phone’s basic app.

© 2021 IMRAN™

#Florida #TampaBay #ApolloBeach #HomeSweetHome #nature #roses #flowers #BlackAndWhite #IMRAN #iPhone

Dark Clouds Can't Hide Brilliant Tampa Bay Florida Summer Sunset Painting The Skies At Apollo Beach Home - IMRAN™

This magnificent Florida summer sunset over Tampa Bay filled the skies as I soaked it in with wonder and gratitude. I took about 8 handheld photos with the 14 years old Nikon D300 and stitched them into this panorama. It is so noticeable how much to the north towards Tampa the sunset occurs in summer instead of to the south of Saint Petersburg. What can one do other than bow one's head in gratitude and prayer at Maghreb?

© 2021 IMRAN™

Brilliant Yellow Rose In Bright Florida Winter's Morning Sunlight - IMRAN™

I took this photo with the iPhone 7 Plus I had back Christmas week in 2017. Morning dew was still on the glowing petals although it was a few minutes before Noon. The vivid yellow and gold shades of the unfurling petals are magical.

© 2021 IMRAN™

Magnificent Massive Magical Melting Metal Sunset Shades Stroke Seaside Sky - IMRAN™

The sun, burning hydrogen, a gas, almost 100 million miles away, seems to be a massive ball of molten metal falling into the steaming sea, while the godly colors of the frozen universe interspersed with fiery stars are painted by god's universal brushstrokes on the canvas of the sky. Yet here the sun is seeming to melt into the sea just 10 miles away. And in all that known matter which exists and anti-matter we cannot even understand, we may well be the only living creations that can both make love and make war, pass on passion or inflict pain, create life or disperse death. We may be the only beings that can both understand the science of it and yet bow our head in gratitude at Maghreb prayers to an invisible unknown Almighty for giving us our time before it is the sunset of our lives. Here it was all in one moment. A moment both magnificently profound and profoundly magnificent. I was everything and nothing at all. A painter with vision beyond the limits of imagination and yet merely an insignificant pigment on an infinite painting on the fabric of space and time. May I, and we all, be blessed to shine bright and paint on the canvas of our timeline on earth our own memorable works, using all the God-given paints of life, heart, mind, body, soul, imagination, creativity, and love that we are given. Amen.

© 2020 IMRAN™

#ApolloBeach, #Architecture, #art, #artists, #Beach, #BeachLife,, #Creative, #creativity, #D850, #death, #divine, #Florida, #God, #Home, #Imagination, #IMRAN, #ImranAnwar, #Inspiration, #landscape, #lessons, #life, #lifecoach, #Lifestyle, #literature, #love, #magic, #motivation, #Nikon, #painting, #philosophy, #prose, #religion, #science, #seaside, #Sky, #Sun, #Sunset, #TampaBay

Steamy Seaside Sunset Serenity Sofa Scene Seen - IMRAN™

It was late autumn when I plopped down on a sofa in the drawing room to soak in this scene of seaside serenity at sunset at home on Tampa Bay, Florida. It was looking like another magical moment.

I generally avoid taking photos through windows unless it is something casual or random, or something that would be missed if I was to walk outside. In this case, taking two sunset photos with the old Nikon D300 to create this panorama was an experiment.

The magic of some misty or cloudy days at sunset sometimes creates unusually purple and pink shades. I am glad that the colors came out as they did.

© 2020-2021 IMRAN™

#ApolloBeach, #autumn, #boardwalk, #Boating, #Clouds, #D300, #dock, #Florida, #horizon, #IMRAN, #ImranAnwar, #JetSki, #Lifestyle, #Nature, #Nikon, #palmtrees, #Panorama, #reflections, #seaside, #Sunset, #Tampa, #TampaBay, #WaveRunner, #Yamaha

As I figured a workaround for my ailing computer (use gfxCardStatus to bypass a defective video card) I am loading some images from my Florida trip.

Note the little "tooth" on the beak- and the overbite- similar to falcons, but a songbird. Interestingly, DNA sequencing reveled that falcons were related to parrots, not t other raptors, so maybe if we live another million years or so the shrike tribe will be competing with falcons...

Brilliant Evening Star At Breathtaking Dusk On Tampa Bay Florida At Blessed Home - IMRAN™ (SOOC)

My 85th photo in Explore! What a mind-blowing moment of gratitude for the blessed moment at Maghreb prayers time, back home in Apollo Beach, to look out over the expanse of the magical waters of Tampa Bay, with these mind-blowing colors of dusk fill the sky. Panorama auto-stitched from a few handheld straight out of camera (SOOC) photos taken with the Nikon D850, with NO editing or tweaking or filters of ANY kind. The sago palm to the left had to be filled in where the stitching left a blur.

© 2019 IMRAN™

Giant Spikes Atop Single Tiny Stigma Of Hibiscus Flower - IMRAN™

It is amazing to see the worlds within worlds around us even in the tiniest objects. Take this close-up view of a single tiny stigma that we often see at the top of a common hibiscus. Look at how sharp and shiny those filaments appear protruding from it.

This is a SOOC (straight out of camera) no-edit no-filter handheld photo I took with my Nikon D850 just using the zoom lens since I have never invested in an actual fancy macro lens. I only added my name to the bottom right and saved it at a reduced size to upload compared to the 50MB original.

Even the background colors look like a computer-generated screensaver-type pattern. Nature, the most powerful painter and screensaver.

© 2021 IMRAN™

Surreal Sunset, Dramatic Dusk Colorful Clouds, Almost 3D Tampa Bay Florida Scene At Apollo Beach Home - IMRAN

These colorful clouds, at a surreal sunset, and dramatic dusk, almost give a 3D effect when I look at the many, many layers, of clouds at multiple distances, altitudes, and types. I do not exaggerate when I say I am blessed to see the most stunning sunsets in the world at my blessed home.

Every dusk is Maghreb prayers time for Muslims. Visions like this make me bow my head in gratitude to the Almighty Allah, the One God, creator of the Universe, even deeper, and longer.

© 2021 IMRAN™

Sun Bursting Through Clouds Splitting Sky Over Tampa Bay Into Reds & Blues - IMRAN™

There is an almost 45° angle, or maybe even more, between where the sun sets over Tampa Bay in autumn, as in this November photo, and how far to the right of Saint Petersburg, Florida, in the distance you will see it in my summer photos especially taken from the same spot poolside at my blessed home in Apollo Beach.

In this photo, taken with the Nikon D850, the relatively low, fairly thick, but mostly flat cloud layers over Tampa Bay waters make the setting sun appear to be bursting through. The grey clouds sharply split the sky into bright blues above and golden yellows and reds beneath.

The deep blue not so deep water is a picture of tranquility, as the light waves on it reflect the magical sunset light. Another moment of gratitude at Maghreb.

© 2020-2021 IMRAN™