
Full Moon, September 1, 2020. Sarsaota, Florida

Full Moon, September 1, 2020. Sarsaota, Florida

This time of year Sarasota has dramatic skies. Beyond the the beauty of nature there is an opportunity to experience in an elemental way the energy of connection between heaven and earth. Sometimes the clouds are dark and foreboding and even then behind the darkness there is light. Taking time to be present and take in the moment can be a teaching. Nature is the source.

Skies of SARASOTA
July through September in Sarasota, Florida produces a showcase of skyscapes and cloud dramas.

Photographer Wayne Eastep installing prints at Eastep Gallery
Photographer Wayne Eastep installing prints for the collection “The Living Seas” at Eastep Photography Gallery.
The exhibit of images will be on display December 22nd 11 am to 4 pm at 1338 Central Avenue Sarasota, Florida 34236.
The images are being offered to lift our spirits after the depressing experience with “red tide” along the coast of Sarasota in recent months. These beautiful underwater images were photographed in the Carribean, the Florida Keys and the Gulf of Mexico. They show what a healthy marine environment looks like.
Underwater photographs on display at Eastep Photography Gallery December 22nd, 1338 Central Avenue, Sarasota Florida 34236
Al-Hijr / Madain Saleh

Al-Hijr, Madain Saleh the first UNESCO World Heritage Site in Saudi Arabia.
The entrance to a sacred area within the complex at Al-Hijir. The archeological site of Al-Hijr (Madain Saleh) is the first UNESCO World Heritage Site in Saudi Arabia. It is a major center of the Nabataen civilization. It is the largest Nabataen site south of Petra in Jordan. It bears testimony to the Nabataen civilization between the 2nd and 3rd centuries BC and pre-Islamic period in the 1st century AD.
Part of the collection “Art Within Architecture” on exhibit at Eastep Photography gallery 1338 Central Avenue, Sarasota, Florida 34236

Serene night on the Gulf of Mexico
My friend and fellow photographer, Peter Silvia made an astute observation about a recently curated collection of my images showcasing water.
“You know Wayne these images of water are really about serenity”.
Images can be more about feeling than the fact of the subject.
This is particularly the case when when we are in a state of union with the subject we are observing.
I hope when you look at the images I’ll share in the coming days you find that they give you a moment of serenity.
While photographing the 2017 eclipse on Lido beach in Sarasota, Florida a gentleman from Ireland came up to show me his watch and asked, what do you think is going on”? The minute and hour hands were moving on their own spinning freely on the face of his watch.
Two women walked along the beach each with a Cheerios cereal box with two holes cut into the narrow end of the box making it a pinhole viewing device for safe viewing of the eclipse.
A woman from Argentina wanted to know if that was a fisheye lens. “Yes”, I answered. “I thought so, I learned about that in a photography class I took”, she said.
Two women from South America sat down on a towel beside me. After awhile they asked, “has it started or is it finished”. I answered, “it’s about 75% complete”.
A man who had been walking in the surf came up and asked, “Can I take a look”? “No, I am working” I answered. “I see, ok” he replied and walked back into the surf.
Having seen images of other total eclipse’s I was eager to see the corona around the sun. Lesson one in photography, often what you think you’ll photograph won’t happen. So it was with this eclipse, no corona. The second lesson of photography, stay put and accept what’s before you, move beyond looking and SEE. I realized I was standing at the water’s edge with the sky above and within this stage set a celestial drama was playing out. The poetry of earth, ocean, sky, sun, and moon seemed good enough to me. So I made the images you see here.

2017 Solar Eclipse, Sarasota, Florida

2017 Solar Eclipse, Sarasota, Florida

2017 Solar Eclipse, Sarasota, Florida

2017 Solar Eclipse, Sarasota, Florida
I remember the feeling of peace and calm when I made this image at dawn. The quiet was accompanied by the chirps and songs of birds nearby and far away.

So it felt right when this image was selected by Jerri Menaul of Art Vitae for installation at the new cancer center, Florida Cancer Specialist & Research Institute in north Fort Meyers, Florida.
The interior space was a long wall between the administrative offices and exam rooms. While documenting the installation a number of staff and patients stopped to say how positive it was for them to have this beautiful and peaceful image in a place of medical treatment and healing. As an artist, knowing that the energy I put into creating an image has capability to connect with others and enhance their lives is a reward in and of itself.
To see other examples of how my images have enriched corporate and residential spaces visit the gallery, Art Decor Installations on my website: https://www.WayneEastep.com




Meteoric light abstraction.
Light is to photography what paint is to the painter. I made this image with colors contained in light. In the studio I used prisms to break up the spectrum of light and create this meteor of color and light.
You can buy a print of this image at my store: eastepstore.wayneeastep.com