Floridiana Gloriana

'The Florida Theater' by Craig O'Neal | Jacksonville | Creative Commons

Here is a beautiful night shot by Jacksonville photographer Craig O'Neal.

 

The Florida Theater by Craig O'Neal | Craig O'Neal does photography for Jacksonville.com.  To see more fabulous photographs, click here or take a look at his albums at Jacksonville.com! |  To see the full-sized version of this photograph, click here |

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

'Miami Vice' by Ralph Orona | Miami | Used by Permission

Here's a breathtaking shot of Miami by Ralph Orona:  "A wide shot of the MacArthur Causeway in Miami Florida...it reminds me of Miami Vice. All it needs is a White Ferrari Testarossa with Crockett & Tubbs standing next to it."

 Miami Vice 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.

 

'Lake Eola' by Don Jones | Orlando | Creative Commons

I realize that many people find cityscapes a bit monotonous.  But imagine the amazement of someone from the Victorian age:  they'd see nothing but fairy-tale palaces, and fairy-tale lights.  I'm not sure what it says about us that we prefer to build our cities out of steel and glass towers and are satisfied to have them all look rather similar to one another.  I'm just asking you to focus on this one scene, with its silver, platinum, and celadon reflected in Lake Eola, its satiny dark blue backdrop, and its glass towers dwarfing the trees.

By the way, this is the same photographer who does such wondrous photographs of derelict houses, rusting tin, and lost and abandoned property decaying gently into Florida's rural landscape.   

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'Lake Eola' 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.  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.

'Downtown Miami' by James Good | Creative Commons

"A view of downtown Miami, from underneath the MacArthur Causeway bridge," the photographer explains.  I love everything about this photograph, especially the magenta and violet tinted light on the arch and the glittering toy city in the background.

'Downtown Miami' by James Good |To see his other photos, click here | To see the full-sized version of the 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. 

'Biscayne Bay in the Mist' by James Good | Miami | Creative Commons

To be honest, I have grown tired of looking at sun-over-water photographs.  There are so many of them and they are all so similar.  I have already found some of Flickr's best, but how many photographs of rolling waves or serene Gulf with the sun behind them does one site need?

But then I saw this, illustrating how in Florida nature regularly transforms even the most workaday commercial landscape.  I love the watery effect of the sun behind the mist and the even waterier (well, naturally) effect of the reflection.  I love the pastel tints infusing the urban landscape.  Look how you can see the city's towers in the distance.

What you have to remember about Florida is that everything single thing here is beautiful at the right time of day.  You just have to find that right time.  Is that true everywhere else?  Maybe.  It's only since moving here that I've noticed it.

'Biscayne Bay in the Mist' by James Good | To see his other photos, click here | To see the full-sized version of the 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 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. 

Light on the St. Johns | Jacksonville

This photograph was taken---I think by my late husband, Don, meaning pre-2000) from a water taxi on the St. Johns (<correct spelling!) River in Jacksonville in Duval County (along Jacksonville Landing).  I don't think there is a photograph in my personal collection that is more illustrative of how ordinary sights---the rather standardized urban landscape of the 21st century---can be transformed by the fall of the light.

Miami Beach Light Show: Photograph by Courtland | Creative Commons

One of those pictures you wish you could just step into....To see a larger version of this much-admired photograph, click here.   

"Miami Beach" by Courtland (click to see other photos)  (website: I Dream in Infrared)

I do not own the rights to this photograph, but am using it in compliance with a Creative Commons license.  Before saving or using it, please consult the terms of the applicable license.  The license can be viewed here.

More Fabulous Jax: Photograph by Tim Vo | Used by Permission

You know I love the bright lights along Jacksonville Landing....You see a million photographs of Miami, but what about this night-time waterfront scene on the beautiful St. John's River?

 

"Jacksonville, Florida" by Tim Vo | To see his other photos, click here | website:  Patterns of Nature | To see the full-sized version of this photo, click here

I do not own the rights to this photograph, but am using it in compliance with a Creative Commons license.  Before saving or using it, please consult the terms of the applicable license.  The license is here.