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.

'hazy, hot, and humid' by Joiseyshowaa (B. Katz) | Gainesville | Creative Commons

Here is a breath-taking photograph of palm trees on a summer night.   It was apparently taken in Gainesville, so the title is apt; don't let the cool, silvery color fool you.  Note how each tree is surrounded by a ghostly silver aura, but of an aura of what?---reflected moonlight?  Electromagnetic energy?  An exudation of heat from the day? A distillation of moisture from the leaves?  My imagination? 

No--they're quite distinct.   Perhaps the photographer has an unsuspected gift for photographing auras.  I never really believed they existed till I saw this.

A magnificent shot, which has deservedly received much praise at Flickr.

"hazy, hot, and humid" by joiseyshowaa (B. Katz) | To see his Flickr photostream, click here | To see the larger version of this image 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 which allows limited noncommercial use.  Do not save or download it without consulting the terms of the license (shown here).

'Karin's Patio' by Ariel Ophelia | Gainesville | Creative Commons

This is so perfectly perfect Gainesville.  The porch surrounded by trees, the plants, the furniture covered in cool fabrics.  What elevates this photo from 'someone's porch' to 'the art of the porch' for me is the platinum and grey cover on the swing and the rainbow colors of the other, both adding that eclectic feel so characteristic of this university town.  "Gainesville is so lush," observes the photographer.  I just want to be on that porch with my book and my glass of wine.  "Is that a painting or a photo?" my husband asked.  "It looks like a painting."  It does.

Karin's Patio by Ariel Ophelia |  To see her other photos, 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 restricted Creative Commons license.  Before saving or using it, consult the terms of the applicable license (shown here).

'Every once in a while' by Greg Turner | Gainesville | Creative Commons

"Every once in a while," says the photographer, "We get fall colors in Florida."  And when we do, we really do.  Scarlet against silvery grey, what colors could be more resplendent? 

'Every once in a while' by Greg Turner |  To see his other photographs, click here |  To see the full-sized 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.  Before saving or using it, consult the terms of the applicable license (shown here).

'Pluck' by Greg Turner | Gainesville | Creative Commons

It's a green...orange.   "Noticed the unripe orange out my window and liked the way it looked against the sky," the photographer says.  It looks gorgeous.

 
"Pluck"by Greg Turner |  To see his other photographs, click here |  To see the full-sized 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.  Before saving or using it, consult the terms of the applicable license (shown here).

Radiant Beach | Photographs of Pensacola by Kevin 'Elvis' King | Creative Commons

I discovered photographer Kevin 'Elvis' King while I was looking for photographs of Pensacola.  Over and over I'd find myself screaming, "WOW!" over a photo that turned up in my search, then look and----sure enough; he'd be the photographer.  I finally just wrote to him and asked straight out if I could feature some of his work.  I received a very gracious reply.  So I am going to start with these radiant, entrancing photographs of a Florida beach I once swear I saw in a dream I had about Pensacola (where I've never been).   Even the sunburst at the top of the first one, with its rainbow corona, and the silver sheen of the sand, is a perfect match.  You can see that its claim to the world's whitest sand is well founded.

'Pensacola Beach 2' by Kevin 'Elvis' King |  Website | 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 restricted Creative Commons license.  Before saving or using it, consult the terms of the applicable license (shown here).

'Pensacola--Thunder Building' by Kevin 'Elvis' King |  Website | 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 restricted Creative Commons license.  Before saving or using it, consult the terms of the applicable license (shown here).

'Pitts House East' by Don Jones | Marion County | Creative Commons

Here's another shot by photographer Don Jones----a complete contrast to the dream- city versions of Orlando here and here.  I live not too far from this very house and I've tried to photograph it myself, but I never managed to get anything this good (or even close). The dark green trees and the very blue sky---that crystalline shade I never have seen anywhere but here---give this melancholy abandoned house an almost cheerful, if endangered air.  After all: are the trees leaning in protectively in a sheltering fashion or is there an air of menace?  I'm guessing that the effect would depend in part on the time of year and the weather....

You could imagine someone returning home to it----I mean from this distance.  You can imagine someone living here. 

I share Don Jones' fascination for old buildings and he has photographed many-many-many (click the link above to see).  But this is one of my favorites.

'Pitts House East' 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 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. 

'Cape San Blas' by Judy Baxter | Creative Commons

I am indebted to Judy Baxter ('Old Shoe Woman') for some of my favorite photos of the Florida Panhandle----which as a peninsula dweller, I don't know well and have only visited a couple of times.  Her photographs have most definitely made me want to visit Florida's 'forgotten coast.'

Here is lovely winter light at Cape San Blas.

'Cape San Blas'  by Judy Baxter (Old Shoe Woman) | See other photographs here |  See larger image 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 this image without first consulting the terms of the license.  The license restrictions are shown here.

A February Scene--North Florida Spring | Melrose, FL

Here's a scene from the pretty little town of Melrose (Putnam County). This building was once a church; back when I took this---in dogwood and azalea season---it was a Homemaker's Club.  Isn't it pretty?