Photographing the Islands
Sanibel and Captiva Islands are a special place on Florida’s west coast. Just a short drive across the Causeway Road from the mainland and suddenly you are in a completely different world – a nature wonderland! You will wonder at the island’s lush green tropical foliage and the assortment of different nature habitats and local creatures ripe for the camera lens.
From seaside to the depths of Ding Darling’s Nature Preserve you will be surrounded by Sanibel & Captiva photo op’s whether high up in the trees or even under water. Your endless assortment of models will vary from the feather clad to the glistening smooth silver skin of a bottle-nosed dolphin. Even tourists are good targets as they come in every size and shape and wear wild tropical colors while on vacation.
The images gathered here for our gallery were created by one of the area’s resident photographers, Roberta Schuldenfrei. She has been capturing the area’s tranquil beauty for over a decade.
Please take a moment to relax, and browse through her gallery of photographs.
About Roberta Schuldenfrei
A Florida native who has spent most of her adult life both in front of, and behind the camera. In the early ’70s, Roberta had the pleasure of being one of Flipper’s Trainer/Handlers, which quickly developed into a successful modeling career. She also graced the cover of Newsweek Magazine July of 1976.
Living and working in Sanibel/Captiva’s resort industry has perfected her camera skills, and provided generous amounts of nature and wildlife subject matter.
Roberta’s Tips & Tricks
Well here’s a few words to the wise to ward off some common problems while trying to get the perfect shot:
- Early bird catches the worm? Early morning time is great for wildlife photography. The lighting is great, there is less chance of rain clouds, and there are many species of birds and other animals that hide out in the late afternoon heat.
- Tread as quietly as possible as to not scare away your subjects. Wildlife is very timid. Especially be conscious on wooden boardwalks as heavy footsteps will scare everyone away.
- Snap now – Crop later. Think quick and hit the shutter as soon as you see a good shot because wildlife does not ever sit still very long and they always seem to have somewhere to go. One out of 10 pictures will be the gem (if you’re lucky!). Almost as bad as taking baby pictures.
- Remember that the climate here promises late afternoon showers in the summer season, so don’t get caught in the rain.
- Our climate tends to be higher in humidity, esp. in the summer, so I keep a lot of zip lock bags handy to keep film and other equipment dry.
- Don’t leave camera, equipment or film in cars. They get incredibly hot locked up in there resulting in all kinds of damage.
- Conveniently, there are several film processing places on Sanibel including Arundel’s, CVS, and Bailey’s Center amongst others.
Favorite Photo Taking Spots
It wont be hard to find subjects on Sanibel or Captiva Island. One of the absolute favorites is our fantastic sunsets. The sun goes down over the water here in all kinds of amazing colors. Every day is a new experience. The following are a few great sites I particularly love:
- Lighthouse Beach: view of causeway and gulf with a lot of great water sport activity.
- Blind Pass: unique for shore birds and sea shells along sea wall.
- Ding Darling Nature Preserve: Has walking, biking and driving trails with nature lookout points. Plenty of gators!
- Causeway bridge: Water water everywhere! (Sorry about the bridge construction this year)
- Catch a boat tour out of Captiva to Usepa Island: great for dolphin shots and sometimes also manatees.
- Have you noticed how great beach shots look if you make sure to get some of the sea oats in the foreground? Try on any beach on the island.
- Lighthouse Pier: great for fishing shots both the human and pelican kind.
- Try the beach in front of ‘Tween Waters for the “long stretch of beach that never seems to end” type picture.
- Bowman’s Beach: I love the driftwood and cormorants.
Nature Trails & Parks
Click here to view some of Roberta’s favorite Sanibel & Captvia photography spots.