Floridiana Gloriana

'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.   

>
'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.

'After Hours' by Don Jones | Orlando | Used By Permission

Here's a companion piece to Don Jones' 'Downtown Fog.' This is a city made out of gold and strung with stars. This piece, like all the work I admire, perfectly illustrates the principle of 'the transfiguration of the commonplace' (a phrase I am borrowing from Muriel Sparks.)  The one thing that no amount of training or equipment can give a person is the ability to see that perfect moment.



After Hours by Don Jones | To see his other photographs, click here | To see the full-sized image 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.

'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. 

Baby Alligator (Creative Commons)

And I thought my baby alligator photo was cute!

"Alli Baby" by Stefano | To see more of his photographs, click here | To see the full-sized version of this photograph at Flickr, click here

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

Christmas 1---Sometimes It Really Does Seem Like Magic: Cinderella's Castle by Day & Night (Creative Commons)

I looked at a million photographs of Christmas at the various Florida theme parks.  These are the two that I thought really were magical and that could make me forget (for about five seconds) that these are commercial enterprises (for whom some of my friends and family work).  Disney has little mystery for me now, but these beautiful and amazing photographs reminded me that at one time, it did.

So here we go.  Wonder-ous Place, take one:

It's not just the sunburst---used here in a way that makes perfect sense--- and the purple streaks in the clear blue sky, but the wonderful rose tint of the central tower created by the sunburst effect.  This is what you wish it would be like.  Since the license didn't prohibit it, I crossed off the very bottom, where all the heads of the crowd could be seen (reminding you that it really is a theme park).  I thought it better promoted the illusion.

 

"Cinderella Castle, Magic Kingdom, Disney World," an amazing and magical submission by  Daniel Jeffries  |  Daniel Jeffries' Homepage & Photography) | click here to see his other photographs | click here to see a larger version of this picture at Flickr.

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

There are a million photos of Cinderella's Castle.  But this is the only other one I've seen that really brought back the magic I felt when I saw it during childhood, before I realized that there were no rooms and no magical princess inside.  (Oh, I'm sorry.  Did you still think there might be?  Sigh.)

"Merry Christmas from the Mouse's House" by Merrin Donahue | blog | click here to see her other photographs | click here to see the larger version of this photograph at Flickr

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

"Kissimmee Sunset" by Travis Church | Kissimmee | Creative Commons

I lived for years in Kissimmee, but I haven't posted any of my beautiful photographs because I thought initially that I would limit myself to North Central Florida.  Kissimmee isn't exactly unspoiled----it's right in the midst of Theme Park World---but off the main highways and bypasses and expressways that take you to and from hotels and tourist attractions, there is still plenty of naked nature for those who are looking for it. 

I thought I'd start with this beautiful sunset.  This IS a Florida sunset:  blue, gold, and apricot, deepening to violet.  Not so much red as I was used to before I moved here----but sublime.  You can see why people believed in ancient times that God lived up behind the sky.  It really looks that way here.

He writes:  "Taken between the engine shutdown checklist and the securing aircraft checklist. Sometimes moments like this don't wait until the gear pins are installed."

"Kissimmee Sunset" by Travis Church (Kaptain Krispy Kreme).   "I fly airplanes & sometimes I take pictures.  Not always concurrently." | Website:  TravisChurch.net | Click here to see his other photographs | click here to see a larger version of this photograph (at Flickr)

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