Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Lighthouse- Key West, Florida

One of the tough things about getting good lighthouse photos is perspective.  Most of the time, our only position to photograph them is from the ground and without a perspective correction lens, lighthouses (and other buildings) appear to fall away from us, distorting the image.

In this situation, I looked for, and found, a vantage point about half as high as the lighthouse thus giving me a more pleasing angle to shoot from.  This vantage point was the second floor porch of the Hemingway House Museum.  I must admit, in all honesty, that this was a deciding factor in my decision to purchase a ticket.  I think it was worth it.  I positioned myself so that palm trees would frame my subject adding more interest to the shot.

Land's End- Key West, Florida

This image is of the southern most point in the United States which lies approximately 90 miles north of communist Cuba.

The weather was beautiful while I was in Key West but turned bitter cold the day after I returned to Ft. Lauderdale.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Hemingway's Cat

As one of the decendants of Ernest Hemingway's cats, Ivan has no worries as he is well taken care of , along with the other feline inhabitants of the Hemingway House in Key West, Florida.  Ivan was named after the hurricane that blew through south florida the month he was born. 

There are approximately 60 cats on the property all related to Snowball, the first cat owned by Hemingway and his then wife, Pauline.  The cat was a gift from a visiting sea captain.  Snowball had six toes.  Several cats currently on the property have six toes as the trait has been passed down with each generation.

I processed this image with Nik Silver Efx Pro and used the Holga preset.  This is one of my favorite images from the trip.

Little White House- Key West, Florida

Long after his passing, Harry S. Truman continues to be one of the most popular presidents in U.S. history.  During his presidency, Truman accomplished quite a bit including establishing the Everglades National Park. 

Truman spent a lot of time in Florida and created the Little White House as a winter office of the presidency.

A Few Hours in Key West

This year, I am "wintering" in the Ft. Lauderdale area after fleeing Denver, Colorado before the first snowfall of the season.  To celebrate high temperatures in the low 80's, I spent an afternoon driving down thru the Florida Keys.

I made this image late in the day after parking in a nearby apartment complex.  I was attracted by the stunning light reaching the buildings beyond the palm trees and the plants rooted in the shallow water below.  This image was made on tripod using the camera's timer to assure a steady shot.