Great photos!

Us old people enjoy our square. Sorry

Beautiful! You are very talented!

I look SO forward to your photos. MAGNIFICENT !!! THANK YOU

These are just gorgeous!

I love all of these.

From a quick Google search
"The Squares are open to the public and not supported by resident's amenity fees. The live entertainment is funded by the Developer, local merchants, and, in part, a tourism development grant from Sumter County."
You should be able to take pictures if you want.

Great shots!

Beautiful Photos

You are so talented. Thanks for sharing.

Great pics! Thanks. The B&W light house is my fav.

And thanks for your humility & respect too, re: what the law says you can do & how you handled that. We need a bit more humility in TV, I hope others follow your logic. It reminds of the Prayer of St. Francis which always makes me feel calm.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me bring love.
Where there is offence, let me bring pardon.
Where there is discord, let me bring union.
Where there is error, let me bring truth.
Where there is doubt, let me bring faith.
Where there is despair, let me bring hope.
Where there is darkness, let me bring your light.
Where there is sadness, let me bring joy.
O Master, let me not seek as much
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love,
for it is in giving that one receives,
it is in self-forgetting that one finds,
it is in pardoning that one is pardoned,
it is in dying that one is raised to eternal life.

Great pics
Thanks for sharing

Just because I can do something doesn't mean I should. But, thank you.

Your photos are all beautiful thanks for sharing

Nice shots - The anhinga's are real hams...

Very nice!

WOW! You have some serious talent! Assuming you're not using an iPhone camera - LOL! Love them all -- lighthouse is great, but the shots you got of the birds are really amazing. Great job.

This could use some further explanation. I shoot a band on the squares and have zero issues.

What exactly were you shooting and where exactly were you?

I can totally understand being shut down by a business like if you were taking pics on their patio or inside but "on the square?"

Great photos, especially of the wildlife. Thanks for sharing.

Good stuff! Lots of keepers!

I’m surprised with the apparent new policy limiting photography. I’ve taken lots of photographs at LSL during “happy hour performances”, even more video which I’ve uploaded to YouTube. I was never approached to stop photography or video, even though in several cases I was actually standing on the stairs to the gazebo to get an elevated view of the crowd and closeups of the performers. Obviously, there must be new language in the contracts with the performers prohibiting photography, much like the pre-show announcements at Savannah Center or The Sharon. What would the world be like without lawyers?

My winner is the Lighthouse, but I love them all.

Award winning photos
 

All of the photos you share with us are gorgeous. While you may have preferred the Hibiscus stamen to be more in focus, the beauty of the texture of the Hibiscus is exquisite. We all wish our photos were as good as yours. When you are photographing the wildlife, you always capture eyes that are in focus, which to me is the soul of the animal! Thanks for sharing your pics.

First, businesses, especially small businesses, seldom mind having their stores photographed. They will sometimes ask that their customers not be photographed.

To clarify this, first, the Square is a business - it is owned and operated by TV

The law from state to state varies, but in Florida is boils down to if you are on private property, you must have the permission of the owner of the property to take photos. PERIOD. If you are on public property, you can take pictures of anything you can see.

It is up to the owner of the property to enforce the restrictions.

I used a Nikon camera and used my "long lens" (Nikkor 200-500). The 200-500mm is a semi-serious birding lens about 18 inches long and weighs about 5lbs. It looks professional. That combined with I shoot candid street photography with it at times, and in the Square, I was shooting people - holding their dogs, dancing, laughing, living. Imagine a stranger kneeling and pointing a massive lens at you while laughing and enjoying your friends. Trust me, with a lens that big, there is NO doubt you are the subject. And from 50 feet away, the photo with that lens will show every pore on the skin of your nose.

If I were on a public right of way it, would be perfectly legal and not anything anyone could say about it.

I was not aware the squares were private property -= I thought they were public, but that makes sense now.

I can understand how some people are intimidated by a stranger with a massive camera kit taking their photos in public places. I always pay attention to people's reactions when they see me taking their picture, and if they appear angry or distressed, I walk over and politely ask permission, and if they prefer me not to take the photos, I show them as I delete them.

I firmly believe in not abusing the law.

Technically, if you walk down a public street and see someone undressed in their living room through an open window, you can take their photo. Publishing it is a different subject altogether, but you can take it. Courts have ruled anyone seen from a public location cannot expect privacy. If you want privacy in your home, close the blinds.

If you were taking photos of a band with a phone camera, I doubt anyone will say anything. The bands appreciate having their pictures taken.

For years, I went into clubs at night and photographed the live bands performing. (A way to learn how to shoot in the dark with fast-moving subjects) I ALWAYS asked the club owner and the band for permission first - clubs are private property. I was never refused permission and always gave the bands copies of the photos.

So, to summarize. I could have walked out onto the street, and with my long lens, I could easily get all the same shots. But, I felt the TV employee intended to be polite and let me know they prefer I NOT photograph people who were there to have fun and possibly be made uncomfortable by my imposing camera.

Also, as I said, the fact I could do something doesn't mean I should.

I have been shooting candid street photography all my life. I love photographing people in the act of living. And having photographed people in public for decades, I have learned it's more important to be considerate than it is to be right.

There, you asked for some further explanation, I hope that explanation is adequate and answers your questions.

The Hibiscus is okay, but I see what you are saying. The B&W of the lighthouse is great: good contrast and sharp edges.

All of your pictures are exquisite! The 2nd of the three egret pictures is my favorite. It shows two factors that are goals for which I strive - the soul of the animal via its eyes and motion. Don't edit out the Hibiscus! While you may have wished the stamen to be more in focus, the focus on the petals captures its gorgeous texture with the stamen. Anxiously waiting for more of your work!

It is not a "new policy", read my extended explanation above.

Thank you very much.

Here is an example of hibiscus in my backyard. This is closer to what I want, but still not quite perfect - :) I need to get the depth of field a little bit deeper to get the base of the stamen in focus.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...97c80555_b.jpg

Wonderful pics!!!

Beautiful photos
 

We have photos of our up north place at our home in The Villages. We would love photos of The Villages in our up north place. Are your photos available to buy?

Hey Grumpy, I enjoyed the pictures a lot but it would have been fun to also see the "old coots" that you had to delete! :)

you r correct but there is nothing wrong with exercising your 1st amendment right,freedom of speech, press,etc..you know what happens if we dont use our rights they will and are slowly dissappearing....:bigbow:

I think I see Rodan

These pictures are wonderful! I love them all. That squirrel picture is adorable.

Thank you

I love the squirrel💕 part of the fun of having too much to drink and hitting the dance floor is knowing somebody is recording you and they're going to put it on YouTube! 😂

I can't spell the name of the black bird . The only thing they do is eat fish. In Minnesota if you're in a boat you have a license to kill them because they destroy all of the fry as it's growing up so you it can literally ruin a lake. Just FYI