Ewert Nature Photography

Northwest Florida Nature Photography Galleries

Northwest Florida Photography : Welcome to my Northwest Florida Nature Photography gallery. This gallery contains all of my featured Nortwhest Florida photos. These nature and landscape photos of Northwest Florida were taken in locations ranging from Pensacola Beach to St. Joseph's Peninsula. I have been gradually increasing my Florida nature photography portfolio after moving to Florida several years ago. Although I still take photos in Florida locations outside of Northwest Florida, most of my recent photos have been taken in Northwest Florida because I am based out of Pensacola. Some of my favorite Northwest Florida photography locations include Pensacola Beach on the Gulf of Mexico, Blackwater River State Park, St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, the Gulf Islands National Seashore, and St. Josephs Peninsula State Park. I might eventually open a separate web site for my Northwest Florida photos, but that will probably not happen for another year or so. Feel free to leave comments in my Guest Book regarding my Northwest Florida photography. For more great photos of the Pensacola area, please also visit the gallery of Brian Butler at www.panhandlin.com.

Northwest Florida Photography

Welcome to my Northwest Florida Nature Photography gallery. This gall ...

Updated: Nov 15, 2008 7:19pm PST

Pensacola Beach to Destin : In this gallery you will find my photos of Pensacola Beach, Destin, and the Gulf Islands National Seashore on the Gulf of Mexico. Pensacola Beach on the Gulf of Mexico is a low lying barrier island that is is home to sand dunes, sea oats, numerous birds, and lots of tourists in the summer time. To avoid the crowds at Pensacola Beach, drive to the end of the maintained road and then simply walk along the shore about 1 mile to the east. After a few minutes of walking you will have the beach all to yourself. You can also visit the beach at sunrise where you can enjoy the morning light over the Gulf all to yourself. Sunrises and sunsets on Pensacola Beach and on the Gulf Islands National Seashore are known for both soft pastel colors and blazing red and orange hues. You never know what kind of sunrise or sunset color you are going to get until it happens. Most of my photos are somewhat simple compositions that capture peaceful solitude of the beach and the soft colors that show up at sunrise and sunset. The Gulf Islands National Seashore is protected by the U.S. Parks Service, and is home to undeveloped coastal areas, nesting birds, and the historic Fort Pickens. Photography opportunities on the Gulf Islands National Seashore are numerous. Camping on the Gulf Islands National Seashore is available at Fort Pickens in Loop "A". Presently, the only way to get to Fort Pickens is to hike 7 miles (one way), or take a boat to the fort. You can also try biking to the fort, but you will have to walk your bike through a few miles of sand on the way where the road was completely destroyed. You can see photos of Fort Pickens in the "state parks" section of my website. Popular activites on Pensacola Beach and on the Gulf Islands National Seashore include swimming, fishing, shell collecting, photography, volleyball, and sunbathing. Bike riding on the pavement past the maintained road is also becoming a favorite destination of road bike enthusiasts. For more information on the Gulf Islands National Seashore, please visit: http://www.nps.gov/guis/ Destin beaches are fairly similar to the beaches in Pensacola, but they are generally more crowded. One of my favorite beaches in Destin is the beach at Henderson Beach State Park. A few of my photos of Henderson Beach State Park can be found in this gallery.

Pensacola Beach to Destin

In this gallery you will find my photos of Pensacola Beach, Destin, an ...

Updated: Nov 15, 2008 7:12pm PST

St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge Pictures : This gallery contains my St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge pictures. St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge is located near St. Marks, Florida. The 68,000 acre wetlands refuge was established in 1931 to protect wetlands habitat for migrating birds, and it is managed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The refuge includes numerous rivers, marshes, tidal islands and creeks, all of which make for great photography opportunities. A section of the Florida National Scenic Trail runs through the wildlife refuge. Fishing and hunting within the wildlife refuge are allowed, with limitations. Wildlife in the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge includes the Florida black bear, otters, raccoons, and bobcats. Hundreds of bird species can be found within the refuge. The refuge is especially known for the migrating waterfowl that seasonally visit the refuge. Birds that can be found within the refuge include pelicans, loons, grebes, heron, quail, turkeys, owls, woodpeckers, wrens, and warblers. Crabs and other aquatic life can be found in the estuary wetlands throughout the wildlife refuge. The Apalachee Bay borders the refuge to the south. This is where the famed St. Marks Lighthouse can be found. As you can seem from my pictures posted below, I have spent a substantial amount of time taking photos of the St. Marks Lighthouse. St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge is a great spot for photography and for hiking. Hiking trails include the Florida National Scenic Trail, St. Marks Unit Primitive Walking Trails, Headquarters Pond Trail, Levee Trail, Plum Orchard Pond Trail, and Tower Pond Trail. I plan to make several more photography trips to St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in the next year. I am hoping to get pictures of birds and other wildlife in the refuge on future visits. Feel free to send me an email to tell me about your own experiences at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge.

St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge Pictures

This gallery contains my St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge pictures. ...

Updated: Oct 06, 2008 7:18pm PST

St. Joseph Peninsula State Park Pictures : In this gallery you will find my pictures of the beaches and coast of St. Joseph Peninsula State Park. Although I do not yet have a lot of pictures of the park in this gallery, I expect I will add more pictures in the next year following additional photography trips into the park. St. Joseph Peninsula State Park is located near Port St. Joe, Florida. The white sandy beaches at St. Joseph Peninsula State Park are consistently rated as some of the top beaches in the country, and are a great place to take memorable photos. In my opinion, the best aspect of the beaches is that they are completely undeveloped. To obtain complete solitude in the peninsula's tropical paradise, all you need to do is start walking along the Gulf coast on the west side of the peninsula and you will soon see nothing but the Gulf of Mexico, rippling sand dunes, sea oats, and wildlife. The park itself is a spit of sand that runs out into the Gulf for about 7.5 miles. I would estimate that the park is about 1 mile wide in parts. The protected section of the peninsula within park boundaries is about 1,750 acres. Visitors to St. Joseph Peninsula State Park have numerous outdoor activities available to them, including hiking, camping, fishing, biking, canoeing, kayaking, photography, and shelling. Visitors are encouraged to only take home the empty shells. St. Joseph Peninsula is also well known for its wildlife. The peninsula is a sea turtle nesting ground. Every summer sea turtles return to the peninsula to lay their eggs and then return to the Gulf. During the nesting season, no lights are allowed on the beach at night except for those equipped with red filters. Bird watchers can look for and take photos of over 240 species of birds that have been spotted within the park, including tri-colored herons, blue herons, bald eagles, red-breasted mergansers, common loons, horned grebes, peregrine falcons and warblers. The peninsula park's habitat also supports alligators, beach mice, foxes, skunks, bobcats, and raccoons. Bottle-nosed dolphins are regularly seen offshore. There are campgrounds and a few cabins located near the entrance of the park. A boat ramp is also available at Eagle Harbor on the bay side of the peninsula. For additional information on visiting St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, please visit the Florida State Parks website of www.Floridastateparks.org.

St. Joseph Peninsula State Park Pictures

In this gallery you will find my pictures of the beaches and coast of ...

Updated: Jul 15, 2008 6:29pm PST

Blackwater River State Park : Welcome to my Blackwater River State Park photography gallery.

Blackwater River State Park

Welcome to my Blackwater River State Park photography gallery.

Updated: Oct 31, 2008 8:51pm PST

Fort Pickens : Welcome to my Fort Pickens photography gallery. Fort Pickens is locatead on Pensacola Beach, Florida. Fort Pickens once held Geronimo after his surrender to the U.S. Army.

Fort Pickens

Welcome to my Fort Pickens photography gallery. Fort Pickens is locat ...

Updated: Oct 11, 2008 9:47am PST