Here is a shot of Darryl from our get together:
Next stop was a couple days in downtown Orlando shooting some night cityscapes. Only distraction was that the best place to take Orlando shots is in Lake Eola park. The park is beautiful and you can't beat the reflections on the water but the park was packed with people as Orlando celebrated with a Gay Pride Festival. Here I was, trying to take my cityscapes while being approached by men who just saw a single male in the midst of a festival that didn't fit in with my personal preferences. It was a bit awkward but I'm loving the images I came up with. Unfortunately I don't have my best Orlando cityscape on this machine so I'll have to post it later but below is one to get us started.
Next stop was Miami. I have always thought of Miami as a huge tourist attraction but apparently that is across the bay in Miami Beach. Downtown Miami left a lot to be desired. I was determined, however, to get my cityscapes.
First stop was the Port which looked directly across Biscayne Bay at the city. I hiked a mile across the bridge but noticed when I was half way across that a squad car had pulled up at the bottom of the bridge. I kept trekking and reached the bottom only to be flagged down by the cop. He told me that I was already breaking the law by even having a camera on the Port. Cameras were forbidden and if I didn't leave immediately, he said he would arrest me. I asked him if he would give me a ride back across the bridge (it was a long bridge - couldn't hurt to try!) but he refused. He did, however, follow me the entire way to ensure I didn't stop and take any pictures from the bridge (which is also illegal apparently).
The next day I decided to give the next best spot a try. Watson Island is beside the Port but you end up with the bridge across the Port running across the bottom of your image. I scoped out the best spot which happened to be under the bridge that leads across to the Island. When I arrived I found that the locals were not the friendliest of individuals and instantly regretted my decision. I could tell most of the occupants were homeless and they didn't strike me as the nice homeless guy that greets you when you are walking out through downtown Richmond. These guys looked pretty rough and here I was standing there with thousands of dollars in camera equipment as the sun slowly retreats off the horizon.
But those of you who know me know that I am hard headed. I don't scare too easily so I set up my tripod and shot away. I was friendly to those around me and they didn't bother me. I ended up with the gem below. I returned the following morning and found the locals still there, though many were asleep. I took some more shots. As I was leaving, one of the homeless guys I had been talking with was reaching into someone's car. I think he was going for a radio. He had asked me where I parked...glad I didn't tell him!
I took a cruise around Biscayne Bay and asked the deckhands where the best place was to take some cityscapes across the water. They didn't have a good answer so I asked them about Watson Island (failed to mention I had already been there). The rather HUGE deckhand told me that whatever I did, I needed to stay off the island at night. He told me that there is no way he would step foot there. He said it is considered one of the most dangerous areas in the city and has one of the highest crime rates. Oops!!!
Last stop was Jackonsville. This was a very pleasant experience. I actually stayed right on the water. The below picture is taken from the patio of my hotel. The weather didn't cooperate as I the below shot was about the least clouds I had for one of my night shots. I prefer a nice cloudless sky. The only adventure in Jacksonville was a power outage at my hotel. The emergency generator stopped working as well so I ate dinner in the hotel's restaurant by candle light. The candles were limited so we all crowded together so I got to meet some cool old sailors there for a Navy gathering. With no power, we couldn't take the elevators back to our rooms and the stairwells were pitch black so we just sat and visited until the generators came back on. Tons of fun!
2500 miles later I arrived back in Richmond. I've added almost 80 more files to my portfolio with the goal of 100 in site. I've added 3 more cities to my ever growing collection of cityscapes and several more stories to my ever growing odd experiences. Photography sure does add some additional flavor to life!
