Floridiana Gloriana

Late Afternoon Light by Caleb | St. Petersburg | Creative Commons

Another subtly glorious shot from Caleb's 'subtropical noir' series;  a portrait of the power of the late afternoon light to steep everything it touches in mystery.  I love the shadows on the house and the reflection in the forward limb of the tree and on the roof of the vermilion-tinted afternoon light. 

House by Caleb | To see other photographs in his Flickr photostream, click here | website:  calebism; subtropicalnoir.com | To see the full-sized version of this photograph, click here

I do not own the rights to this photograph, but am using it pursuant to a restricted Creative Commons license.  Please do not save or use it without first consulting the terms of the applicable license.  The license can be viewed here.

'Sunset in Key Biscayne' by Ralph Orona | Used by Permission

Ralph Orona has kindly permitted to use this beautiful sunset shot from Key Biscayne,  I love the gorgeous, serene radiance of it.  If you look at it for a moment, you feel as if you're standing right there.....

Sunset in Key Biscayne by Ralph Orona | To see other photographs in his Flickr photostream, click here | Website:  Ralph Orona Photography | To see the largest version of this photograph at Flickr, click here

Used by permission.  This image should not be reproduced, published, transmitted in any forum (even via e-mails) or in print or in any other physical or electronic forum either in part or in whole without the explicit written consent from the copyright owner.

'I'm so hungry I can eat a tree' by Ralph Orona | Miami | Used by Permission

"Num, num, num.....What?"

This little cutie has his little black claws wrapped around that nice, juicy leaf.   Isn't he so ferocious with his tiger stripes and his fierce black horns?  This is one of my favorites of all the wildlife photographs I've posted so far. 

The photographer took this adorable portrait at Miami's Fairchild Gardens. 

'I'm so hungry I can eat a tree' by Ralph Orona | To see other photographs in his Flickr photostream, click here | Website:  Ralph Orona Photography | To see the largest version of this photograph at Flickr, click here

This photograph is used with the express written permission of its owner.  Please do not save or download it without first obtaining his permission.  You can write to him here.

'Orchids at the Mount Dora Plant Fair' by Judy Malley | Mount Dora | Creative Commons

More splendor from the Mount Dora Plant and Garden Fair....

Photograph by Judy Malley | To see her other Flickr photographs, click here |  | To see the largest version of this photograph on Flickr, click here

I do not own the rights to this photograph, but am using it pursuant to a restricted Creative Commons license.  Do not save or download it without first consulting the terms of the license.  The license is shown here. 

'Downtown Fog' by Don Jones| Orlando| Used by Permission

Don Jones is another of the Florida photographers whose work mirrors some of my own preoccupations, e.g., a love for old abandoned buildings and Florida's weird and entrancing blend of the old and nearly forgotten with not only the new but also the strange and futuristic.  This collection of Florida imagery needs that blend.  It's what Florida really IS.

Here's Orlando---the ultimate generic city if you don't know where to look---looking anything but.  "Downtown Orlando at 4:30AM on a foggy night," said the photographer.  That's right:  4:30 am.  Another thing about photographers who create art that mirrors life is that they know you have to be there at the right moment and that the right moment chooses itself. 

 

Downtown Fog by Don Jones |  To see his other photographs, click here |  To see the full-sized version of this photograph at Flickr, click here

I do not own the rights to this photograph, but am using it with the permission of the photographer.  Do NOT save or use it without first requesting his permission. 

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park | Cross Creek

  This is a photograph from a visit to Cross Creek, Florida, the location of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park.

Rawlings, the author of The Yearling and Cross Creek, wrote beautifully about North Florida, her (and now my) "land of enchantment."

I think this photograph gets across a little (though only a little) of the mystique of the place. It shows the area outside the entrance to the house and grounds that belong to the museum. The creek leads out into the lake.

If you're a Floridian, you really should make a visit to the park and the museum. Here is some further information from the state park website, just to encourage you to click on the link: