Photoshopping Flamingos

It’s coming up on two years since two beautiful wild flamingos flew into town, and I was lucky enough to see them on the beach! The event was really cool, and you can read the original story here.

For the quick version, we had Tropical Storm Cindy come through, which landed right near Alabama. When the storm cleared, two flamingos were spotted on Orange Beach. I saw it in the news, and contemplated driving over that way… but what are the chances I’d even see them? A couple days later, I read that a local photographer saw them at Deer Lake State Park. We were sitting in the Whole Foods parking lot in Destin, and I told my husband we were going to look for the Flamingos. He thought I was crazy, but decided to appease me.

We swung by the apartment, I grabbed my camera, and we headed to the park. We really just wandered around for a few hours until sunset, and it was time to leave. Just then I saw two large birds ahead, and I instantly knew they were not herons. I ran down the beach as fast as I could, and although it was quite dark, got a few shots in. Then I just sat there and watched them. They hung around for about 20 minutes, and then left. I went back the following evening, and they flew overhead. They looked amazing flying, btw! And that was it. I never saw them again.

So why am I reliving this story? Because I shared a photo on Instagram over the weekend, and that photo was reshared by Coastal Living. Most people love the story, and images, but I received several messages accusing me of photoshopping the images… that I made the whole thing up!

My first reaction is to defend myself. I want everyone to believe me, but I’ve realized, maybe I have to just let go of what other’s think. I’m no longer going to defend my story. If someone wants to believe that I sit around with all of my free time creating fake flamingo photos, then that is okay.

No matter how confident I walk around feeling, it’s strange to be criticized on the internet. When I really think about it though, it’s actually good for me. I’m no stranger to criticism or being made fun of, and every experience I’ve ever had has made me a tougher person, and strengthened who I am. So I’ll take it, because I think I still have work to be done.

As always, thank you for being here.

With love,

Lindsay

P.S. If you love the flamingos as much as I do, you can find both of these prints available in the print shop! :)