~Shebee Life~ 2024 Travel Adventures: Exploring St. Augustine, Atlanta, & D.C.-A Photographer's Travel Diary

There’s nothing like traveling to spark creativity, and this year, we hit the road (and skies) to explore some amazing places! From the historic streets of St. Augustine to the vibrant energy of Atlanta and the iconic landmarks of Washington, D.C., each stop gave us fresh inspiration behind the lens. We wandered, we captured, and we found new ways to see the world through our cameras. In this blog, we’re sharing our favorite moments, the hidden gems we discovered, and how these travels are shaping our photography. So, come along—let’s take a trip!

We’ll start off at our first mini trip of the year, with a quick journey to the beaches of St. George Island. We love the short-distance travel to reach the beach, which always gives us an opportunity to relax, reconnect with ourselves, and just have fun with the camera. We enjoyed the early spring day on the beach; observing the wildlife, floating in the ocean, and absorbing the sun’s warm rays. I spent some time taking photos of a nearby bird, and worked on taking some landscapes from interesting angles. Ausbee preferred to try his hand at the macro lens, taking some unique photos of the composition of sand. This was a short but fun trip, with a little creativity mixed in.

Next up, we headed to St. Augustine, Florida, to celebrate our anniversary and take in the historic scenery. We started off at a local park, to give me the opportunity to try out my new binoculars and field guide for bird watching! 😊🦅🦢🦆

While strolling the park, we stumbled upon a neat little maze, which provided a neat perspective for the lens. The maze was not shaped typically and was formed by these lush bushes with small flowers. The bushes were an apparent haven for bumblebees, and Ausbee and I were delighted to find groups of them either gently floating around the bush or settled in to their branches. Ausbee tried his hand at macro photography again, and was able to capture some captivating photos of the busy little bees! You can see the delicate lines on their fragile little wings, along with a visual of how bees carry pollen from flower to flower!

We then ventured further into the city, to stroll the historic parts of town with cobblestoned streets. There were so many cool things to look at, including this gorgeous church we passed as we parked our car to get out and stroll. I loved the symmetry of the columns and ornate archways, and the simple yet elegant color scheme. We stopped to grab a few photos of the church before continuing to head up the street to sight-see.

We found a delightful group of eclectic shops and restaurants, with one in particular catching our eye! The Tipsy Duck Parlor seemed like a fun spot to check out, and it sure did not disappoint when Ausbee and I made our way in! 😁🦆

We unfortunately arrived too late to peruse the shop side of the establishment, where they sold various bath and body care essentials. The store’s wares gave some context to the delightful chaos of the small bar attached, which was rubber duck-themed. 😄 There were ducks GALORE, in every direction we looked! The bar itself was this neat glass contraption that held bubbled water that sped by as we sat (in our duck bottom stools!😅) and reviewed the menu. The little bar was the cutest, and the staff were so sweet, helping us to select a beverage for both of us. Each drink came with a tiny rubber duck that we were allowed to take with us when we’d finished. We gave our duckies a quick float on the cool bar top, and were off once again to the street, to check out a few more shops.