Floridiana Gloriana

'An Eye' by Etrusia UK | Tampa | Creative Commons

I was mesmerized by the golden eye of this snowy egret set against the blue-green background.  Look at the luminousness and delicacy of its feathers, and the streaks of paler blue against the slate-colored bill.  Taken in Tampa, it's just an awesome capture and has deservedly won all sorts of Flickr awards and honors.  Gorgeous.

'An Eye' by Etrusia UK  | To see his Flickr photostream, click here |  Website:  WhyDon'tYou; also Etrusia--British History  To see the largest version of this photograph at Flickr, 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.

'Tram stop (HDR)' by Yevgen Pogoryelov | Tampa | Creative Commons

Here's a color fantasia of a view of a Tampa street car terminal.  It looks like a futuristic toy train set.  I love the colors of this---the sunset pinks and purple in the background, the saturated spring-green of the trees and grass, that ice-blue glass like a giant aquamarine, and the glossy little orange train....

"The photographer writes:  "Finally I set my foot on the land of the North American continent :-)) I came here for a few days to attend the scientific conference in Tampa, Florida.  On the photo a fragment of the view from my room on the 22nd floor of the Marriott hotel.  It's a terminal stop of the tram, or as it is called here - street car."

'Tram Stop (HDR)' by Yevgen Pogoryelov  | To see other other photographs in his Flickr photostream, click here | other: See the collection of photographs he has selected as 'most interesting'  here |  Website:  Country of the Rising Sun     | 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.

'Subtropical Noir' by Caleb | St. Petersburg | Creative Commons

Here's another richly colored, intricately textured photograph from Caleb's 'Subtropical Noir' collection of St. Petersburg scenes.  I am fascinated by the golden shimmer of the bricks.  The mortar appears to be made of gold.  The bricks vary in color from chocolate brown to maroon to burgundy.  You can see the slate blue of the sky reflected in the windows.  Really an amazing use of Florida's late afternoon light.

'St. Pete' 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.

'St. Pete' by Caleb | St. Petersburg | Creative Commons

More of Caleb's St. Petersburg magic with late afternoon light and color.  This is my favorite time to photograph in Florida:  the colors are so saturated and so intense in that slanting golden light.  I love the contrasting textures here:  the rough apricot-colored stucco with its red roof; the light on the trunk of the palm tree, and behind it all, the beautiful blue of the sky and those delicate silvery-grey clouds.  Very painterly, but do painters know about afternoon light and color?

'St. Pete' 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.  It is subject to a restricted Creative Commons license, permitting certain limited noncommercial uses.  Before using or downloading it, consult the terms of the applicable license.  You may view it here.

'Downtown St. Pete' by Artanis Knarf (Kurt) | St. Petersburg | Creative Commons

Here is a gorgeous photograph of downtown St. Pete just after sunset.  I love the contrast between the jewel-like effect of the lights along the causeway and the high-rise buildings against that very soft pinkish-violet and the clear blue of the sky.  The red and yellow boat (where is it heading??) adds as a touch of warm color to the icy diamond-like lighting effects along the causeway. 

'Downtown St. Pete' by Kurt (Artanis Knarf)  | To see his Flickr photostream, click here | Website:  Artanis Knarf.com | To see the largest version of this photograph at Flickr, click here

I do not own the rights to this photograph, but am using it in compliance with a restricted Creative Commons license.  Please do not save or use it without first checking the terms of the license here.