PICTURE PERFECT

WELL, HELLO DOLLY!

Tampa-based Jennifer Casares, owner of Jennifer Casares Photography, took this photo with a Canon 7D at Roos and Coos Farm in Plant City, Florida, in Hillsborough County. In early 2020, she began following the farm on Instagram “and fell in LOVE with all their sweet animals. They’d only just opened when the pandemic hit. I saw that the owner, Christina, was planning on reopening in December.” So Casares offered to photograph the animals and “how friendly they are, to encourage people to come out and visit with their families. On that first visit, I fell in love with Dolly Llama and decided to come back with my son’s friend, Lily, to do fun Christmas photos! We had a great time! Make sure you support your local farms and businesses!”

Majestic Beauty And Grace

Bonnie Williams Anderson, of the Lake County city of Groveland, Florida, owns Winter Haven-based Life Seized Photography. To get this shot on County Road 707 in Webster, in Sumter County, she used a Canon 80D with Sigma 60-600 Sports Lens. “As a Florida native, I love traveling the back roads,” she says. “On my travels to volunteer at Chase Animal Rescue Sanctuary [in Webster], through the hammock oaks, is a herd of Florida Longhorn cattle. Their majestic beauty and grace amaze me. This ‘sun-kissed beauty’ was peeking through the brush as if to think she was hidden.”

Fawning Over Fall

“Late August to early November, the fawns are out and about in Jackson County!” explains April Lopez, who lives in Marianna, the county seat. “I captured this beautiful fawn [with a Nikon D3300] as he and his mother were on their way to a neighboring field. He stopped for a moment, giving me this beautiful shot. I’ve been passionate about wildlife and photography for years. It brings such enjoyment. Fall is such a fun time to photograph wildlife, especially fawns. I love being able to capture beautiful moments in nature and share with others—so they, too, can enjoy!”

CRUISING (SO TO SPEAK) ALONG

Sandy Shoop, of Hillsborough County’s Balm, Florida, had her Galaxy S10 cellphone handy while visiting Egmont Key State Park in St. Petersburg, in Pinellas County. Shoop says, “Our family took a day trip on the ferry to Egmont Key to celebrate my niece’s birthday. While enjoying the beautiful beach, we also explored the remains of Fort Dade—which was built in 1898. This little guy was cruising around the top of a lookout spot. A great reminder that Florida is full of rich history and the state parks protect the lands untouched by development.”

Moment In Time

Pasco County’s Dade City, Florida, resident Madison Ayers took along a Canon 6D when she and her family visited the Taylor County town of Steinhatchee. Ayers notes, “I find myself watching and observing my husband and daughter when we’re in the woods or out on the water—and I constantly feel the need to stop the moment in time, because my biggest fear is forgetting that memory. Photography has been a creative outlet for me to capture those precious moments that I will never be able to get back again!”

THAT’S SOME SNOOK!

This is a photo of my 8-year-old son, Jacoby. I love making memories with him and seeing him catch a fish of a lifetime,” states Shane Cribbs of Eagle Lake, Florida, in Polk County. The two were fishing on the Peace River and, fortunately, Dad happened to have taken along his Galaxy S10 cellphone. “Photography is important to me because it allows the moments to be captured,” Cribbs adds.

DARLA COULDN’T RESIST

Nikki Feldman, of Indiantown, Florida, in Martin County, used a Canon 5D Mark IV to shoot this image in her back pasture. “Photography allows me to capture the inner beauty of nature and draw attention to the simple pleasures of life,” she explains. “Pictured is Darla, my Brahman-cross heifer. She couldn’t resist getting involved in my photoshoot one afternoon. Thankfully, she did, and because of her, I now have a beautiful picture of her with my grandma’s rocking chair that has been passed down from generations.”