Sanibel Island is one of the Gulf of Mexico barrier islands near Ft. Myers, FL. The island is famous for its abundant sea shells, low-density development, and co-habitation with the many native species, including the alligator. Sanibel made the national headlines a few years ago when a number of persons were killed by alligators! The island is home to the "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge, a beautiful undeveloped park that is home to hundreds of species of birds, mammals, reptiles, and yes, alligators. It made a perfect week-long vacation for my family and me, who like to select a destination with plenty to keep my family entertained while I am out shooting pictures.

Technical: The images in this gallery were shot with either the Canon Rebel 300D or the Canon 30D using either the EF 17-40 f4L or the EF 70-200 f4L plus the Tamron 1.4X teleconverter. All images were shot RAW, processed in Adobe Camera RAW in PSCS2, exported as 16-bit TIFFs, and finished in PSCS2. Master print files were saved as TIFFs and these copies were resized for the web. Comments, questions, and critiques welcome. ~ jim