{"id":15640,"date":"2014-08-13T06:05:14","date_gmt":"2014-08-13T12:05:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=15640"},"modified":"2025-09-19T05:24:47","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T10:24:47","slug":"sunrise-skimmers-with-sandstone-texture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/08\/13\/sunrise-skimmers-with-sandstone-texture\/","title":{"rendered":"Sunrise Skimmers With Sandstone Texture"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"SunriseSunrise Skimmers with sandstone texture\u00a0– Nikon D200, handheld, f7.1, 1\/500, ISO 1000, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 80mm, natural light<\/span>, texture added in post processing<\/span><\/p>\n

On September 12, 2008 Hurricane Ike\u00a0churned up the Gulf of Mexico along the\u00a0west coast of Florida and I ventured out to Fort De Soto well before dawn to photograph.<\/p>\n

I took this Black Skimmer\u00a0image before the sun rose and there was noise in it but I loved the comp and the general feeling I felt while looking at it so I decided to add some “photo art” effects by using a sandstone texture on the sky and water and left the birds as they were.<\/p>\n

I don’t usually\u00a0add filters to\u00a0my images but I did like how this turned out and still left that pre-dawn feeling to it.<\/p>\n

\"SunriseSunrise Skimmers – Nikon D200, handheld, f7.1, 1\/500, ISO 1000, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 80mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

This shows the image with some noise reduction to the sky and water otherwise this was post processed the same as the textured version but minus the texture filter.<\/p>\n

Looking at them side by side now; years later, I am not sure which version I like best.<\/p>\n

Both versions of this frame of the sunrise Black Skimmers\u00a0bring back memories from the morning I created this photo of them in their pre-dawn flight.<\/p>\n

I\u00a0enjoyed the sea breeze, the birds, the sand\u00a0under my feet\u00a0and the sound of the crashing waves.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Black Skimmer photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Both versions of this frame of the sunrise Black Skimmers bring back memories from the morning I created this photo of them in their pre-dawn flight.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":156772,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27,253,25,704,2000],"tags":[4021,3990,4101,1030,4052,4247,4077,1808,5118,2626,4211,5117,2625],"class_list":["post-15640","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-black-skimmers","category-florida","category-fort-de-soto-county-park","category-pinellas-county-florida","tag-bird-photography","tag-black-skimmer","tag-clouds","tag-dawn","tag-flight","tag-flock","tag-gulf-of-mexico","tag-hurricane-ike-2","tag-noise-reduction","tag-photo-art","tag-rynchops-niger","tag-skimmers","tag-texture-filter"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/sunrise-skimmer-photo-art-mia-mcpherson-9984.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-44g","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":101757,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/04\/24\/black-skimmer-photo-from-13-years-ago\/","url_meta":{"origin":15640,"position":0},"title":"Black Skimmer Photo From 13 Years Ago","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 24, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"It was thirteen years ago today when I took this photo of an adult Black Skimmer flying over the Gulf of Mexico in Pinellas County, Florida.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Adult Black Skimmer flying over the Gulf of Mexico, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/black-skimmer-adult-flight-mia-mcpherson-7825.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/black-skimmer-adult-flight-mia-mcpherson-7825.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/black-skimmer-adult-flight-mia-mcpherson-7825.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/black-skimmer-adult-flight-mia-mcpherson-7825.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6098,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/09\/12\/4-years-ago-today-when-hurricane-ike-stirred-things-up-at-fort-de-soto\/","url_meta":{"origin":15640,"position":1},"title":"4 Years Ago Today When Hurricane Ike Stirred Things Up At Fort De Soto","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"September 12, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Four years ago today Hurricane Ike was out in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico and the waves that it generated made a strong splash at Fort De Soto County Park.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Reddish Egret hunting, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/reddish-egret-running-mia-mcpherson-0153.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/reddish-egret-running-mia-mcpherson-0153.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/reddish-egret-running-mia-mcpherson-0153.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/reddish-egret-running-mia-mcpherson-0153.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14837,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/04\/26\/black-skimmers-at-fort-de-soto-five-years-ago-today\/","url_meta":{"origin":15640,"position":2},"title":"Black Skimmers at Fort De Soto Five Years Ago Today","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 26, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"It is really cruddy here in Utah this morning so I thought I would go back in time to a warmer, sunnier day via the magic of some Black Skimmer images I created five years ago today.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Black Skimmer in flight close up as it flew past me at Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/black-skimmer-close-up-flight-mia-mcpherson-9063.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/black-skimmer-close-up-flight-mia-mcpherson-9063.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/black-skimmer-close-up-flight-mia-mcpherson-9063.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/black-skimmer-close-up-flight-mia-mcpherson-9063.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15748,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/09\/01\/sunrise-from-another-place-and-time\/","url_meta":{"origin":15640,"position":3},"title":"Sunrise From Another Place And Time","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"September 1, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"The reason Utah got uglier is that today Crow hunting killing season begins for the first time in the state so the day is already off on a bad start.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Multicolored sunrise with Black Skimmers at Fort De Soto, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/fort-de-soto-pastel-sunrise-mia-mcpherson-1057.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/fort-de-soto-pastel-sunrise-mia-mcpherson-1057.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/fort-de-soto-pastel-sunrise-mia-mcpherson-1057.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/fort-de-soto-pastel-sunrise-mia-mcpherson-1057.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10970,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/11\/22\/black-skimmers-in-flight\/","url_meta":{"origin":15640,"position":4},"title":"Black Skimmers In Flight","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"November 22, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"I photographed these Black Skimmers in flight at the north beach of Fort De Soto County Park in Florida one cool January morning.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Black Skimmers in flight over Fort De Soto\u2019s north beach, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/black-skimmers-flight-fort-desoto-florida-mia-mcpherson-3595.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/black-skimmers-flight-fort-desoto-florida-mia-mcpherson-3595.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/black-skimmers-flight-fort-desoto-florida-mia-mcpherson-3595.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/black-skimmers-flight-fort-desoto-florida-mia-mcpherson-3595.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15417,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/07\/18\/black-skimmers-highly-gregarious-and-unmistakable\/","url_meta":{"origin":15640,"position":5},"title":"Black Skimmers – Highly Gregarious And Unmistakable","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 18, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Black Skimmers are beautiful and unmistakable, with their long orange\/red black tipped bill, white underparts, blackish upper parts and distinctive barking call.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Black Skimmer adult on beach at Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/black-skimmer-mia-mcpherson-adult-8056.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/black-skimmer-mia-mcpherson-adult-8056.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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