Floridiana Gloriana

'Sunset' by Don Jones | Bunnell | Creative Commons

As I've mentioned before, photographer Don Jones has a real eye for the contrasts and contradictions that constitute the real 'Old Florida' that people who stick to the expressways and attractions never see.   The reality of Florida is complex, involving strange juxtapositions of old and new, beautiful and derelict.  The recognition of this is one reason I'm so drawn to Don Jones' dreamlike photographs of abandoned houses and lost or abandoned objects.  I've tried myself to photograph similar scenes, but had little luck with it.  I think you have to have a special gift to make those shots transform all that chaos into order. 

Here's a well-ordered domestic scene from Bunnell in Flagler County, caught at one of those Florida moments.  This photograph struck me because of the sheer over-the-top magnificence of this sunset in contrast to the sheer matter of fact day-to-dayness of the scene it illuminates. It's a perfect example of the power of photography to capture these momentary transformations of reality----those moments when ordinary things seem fraught with some mystical significance.  If you look carefully at the photograph, you can see each tin-roofed structure reflecting the apricot tint of the sun.  Even the leaves are reflecting it.

'Sunset' 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.

Florida Oranges (Creative Commons)

You'd be surprised at how few Florida oranges I've eaten since moving here---you don't really get them in the grocery store.  Most of them are too tasty and too full of juice, I guess, not to be bought up for manufacturing into juice.  The orange groves of central and south Florida are beautiful and smell delicious in orange blossom season (though they make me sneeze my head off).  Here are some fabulous photographs.

Bright, shining oranges glowing like clusters of little suns:  

 

"Oranges" (Deland, Florida) by Doophy Xian |  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 in compliance with a Creative Commons license.  Please do not save or use it without first consulting the terms of the applicable license.  The license is shown here.

Pastel oranges against a soft sky:

"Orange Tree" (Ocoee, Florida) by  Peter Dutton  | Joe Shlabotnik Is My Hero |  To see his other photographs, click here |  To see the large version of this image, click here |

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

One of my family members eats the peel right along with the orange....Just looking at these makes my mouth water; after you've eaten an orange, the juice stays around in the air. 

 

Photograph ("Winter snacking.  Thank God for Florida oranges") by Heidi |  To see her 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 in compliance with a Creative Commons license.  Please do not save or use it without first consulting the terms of the applicable license.  The license is shown here.

Barn at Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park | Cross Creek

I visited Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings State Park for the first time late one winter afternoon. The shadows were already very long and very dense. The effect was very appropriate to the place; there were alternating patches of deep shadow and very warm golden sunlight. Though I'd read The Yearling, I had never read Cross Creek. It is a beautiful book and powerfully evocative.

Flower Wagon | Melrose

When people picture Florida, they usually don't have the verdant tree-covered lands in the north in mind. This is an excellent example of a typical scene from rural North Florida. Based on my notes, I am pretty sure that the place where this was taken was the tiny exquisite town of Melrose, where we once walked around for hours, taking photographs. That town is surrounded by gorgeous lakes and has many beautiful old houses.