Photo Of The Day

Ft. Jefferson is located about 70 miles west of Key West Florida in the Dry Tortugas National Park. The fort was started before the civil war and was one of the largest coastal forts ever built. Due to continued improvement in modernizing artillery, the fort was obsolete before it was even completed. A must see place if you ever go to Key West Florida.

Ft. Jefferson, Dry Tortugas National Park

Welcome to Margaritaville

You cannot come to Key West without doing the famous "Duval Crawl". Now for you first timers, that is a pub crawl down Duval Street. Think of Bourbon Street in New Orleans, or Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas. Duval Street is the main attraction that is lined with bars, shops, bars, restaurants, and more bars. If you start at the intersection of Front St. and Duval St. you can walk and drink all night and not begin to hit all the bars that are on Duval St. or within a block or two.  During the day it is a pretty laid back atmosphere with many families enjoying the sights, restaurants, and shops along the street. At night, this becomes party central and it can get pretty wild. There are several famous bars in Key West, and probably the most famous is Sloppy Joes. This was Ernest Hemmingway's favorite bar that he hung out at while he lived in Key West.

I took numerous photos of some of the places we visited to sample their adult beverages. I did a composite piece here to save space and show you a sliver of the many establishments you may choose to visit. I didn't do much night photography on this last trip, as I was enjoying the night life to much. The night shot of Sloppy Joe's Bar was from my last trip in November of 2005. Luckily I was staying at the Westin right down on the dock area. This made for a nice short walk back to my hotel room after a night of trying to recapture my more youthful days. Let me tell you that headache feels worse as you squint at the morning sunrise while you are trying to photograph it and down your third large coffee from the Waffle House.  

If you have never visited Key West, I highly recommend it. There are many sites and attractions for all ages. The Island is steeped in fascinating history. But my favorite part of the trip will be tomorrows post.

Photographers Paradise

Key West is truly a photographer's paradise. After you take the obligatory family photos, you can find so much to photograph that will allow you to unleash your creativity. The family would sleep in late every morning after a night on the town. But like all good photographers, I am up before sunrise. I would drive to take sunrise photos on the Northeast side of the Island and then come back and walk the streets looking for the interesting and unusual to photograph. Walking the streets one morning a rain shower forced me onto a residential front porch for cover. Since it is a tropical climate, the flowers are everywhere, and the colors just incredible. I took this handheld macro flower shot waiting out that storm .

Mallory Square is a complex of shops, restaurants, and open air markets. While walking through there a short light macro or close focusing lens can allow you to create some really great photographs. By tightly composing and using good camera techniques, you can come up with some really useful photos. I shot some of these photos either inside in a store or outside on a kiosk cart in the open air market. The great thing about digital cameras is the instant feedback in seeing the photo on the back of the camera. While I was doing some of these types of shots I had several people ask me what I was doing. When I showed them the shot on the back of my camera they loved it. When I walked away there were about 15 people trying to copy what I was doing. That is the fun part of photography. Helping others learn how to use their camera better and see more creatively. 

These types of photos look great in my notecards, and they make amazing large canvas prints if you want to decorate with that type of theme in mind. I take it as a compliment when everybody asks to see my vacation photos. I usually come back with things that do not resemble  typical family vacation photos. I am always trying to find a creative and artistic shots that would be useful for a variety of projects. 

                   Here is another interesting fact and photo to go along with the Key West week theme. Wild chickens are everywhere on the island. Many years ago domesticated chickens escaped from pens and started breeding in the wild.  Even though the island is now densely populated, the chickens are allowed to roam free. They are everywhere, and I even found this male and female strutting along the edge of the dock one morning. If you are sleeping with the windows open, those roosters can be annoying with that early morning crowing.               

The Southen Most Point

Key West is the southern most city in the Continental Unites States. You are only about 90 miles from Cuba at the end of the island. So it is absolutely necessary to have your photo taken at this marker. I did the photo here of my son and daughter-inlaw, and then they took one with the wife and myself. It is just one of those things you have to do to prove you were there. Key West also has the Southernmost House. This house is a historic home that has been converted into a luxurious B&B Inn. It sits right on the ocean by the southern most point. I have not been inside, but I checked out their website, a pretty cool place. 

http://www.southernmosthouse.com/

The historic lighthouse on Key West is a nice attraction to visit. Everyone loves lighthouses,  and I love to photograph them. Originally built in to 65 feet 1825 ,it was destroyed in a hurricane in 1846. In 1894 the tower was raised to 100 feet. It is difficult to get good photos of it due to the building and trees surrounding it. The view from the top is worth the climb though.  

The big reddish brick building is the old post office and customs house. It aso housed the federal courthouse for the southern district of Florida. It is now the Key West Museum of Art and History. This was right next to the Westin Hotel where I stayed, conviently located next to Mallory Square.  There are many attractions and a vast amount of history to learn about Key West. I spent 5 days there and did not begin to see it all. so I am already planning  when I may return. Certainly when it is cold and dreary up north.

You can visit Key West on a cruise, but I would not reccomend it. The ships dock early in the morning, and like most port stops you have all day to explore. But, the ships have to pull out before sunset so they do not block the view of the sunset for the people down at the docks. You do not get to experience the Key West night life. Photography is pretty easy here. Have a wide angle to short telephoto zoom and that will be all you need for most of your shots. The sunlight is extremely bright, so low ISO  settings and high f stop settings lead to some great  photos with a lot of depth and vibrant colors. Everyone won't mind looking at your vacation photos if you do them right and be a little creative.

A Week of Key West

Key West Florida is a favorite destination spot for many people who enjoy sun, watersports, and partying.  I took my family on a trip there in June of 2008. I had not been there for many, many moons, so it was good to get back. This was a first time visit for the rest of my family. I do not fly into Key West, as it is cheaper to fly into Miami or Ft. Lauderdale. Besides, driving U.S. 1 down to the keys is one of those great drives everyone should do at least once. The funny thing is U.S. 1 does not end at the beach. It stops abruptly about two blocks away in town. Key West is famous for quite a few things, but the sunsets have to be at the top of the list. The famous nightly ritual is to head down to Mallory Square and watch all the street preformers and the world famous sunsets. As a photogrpaher, this presents an amazing amount of things to photograph. Mimes, Magicians, Musicians, Jugglers, and Artists are everywhere. The crowds pack in shoulder to shoulder to enjoy this nightly free open air circus atmosphere. Alcohol is fairly cheap, available everywhere, and consumed in large quantities.

It would be impossible to cover Key West in a day, so I will devote this entire week to the sights and attractions of Key West. Although famous for it's sunsets, their sunrises are pretty awesome too. I am sure alot of people don't see the sun come up unless they are the way home from the bars, or up to go fishing.The photo on the left is a sunset from the Mallory Square Dock looking out to Sunset Key. The photo on the right is an early morning sunrise off the northeast side of the island.  

The nightlife in Key West is definitely geared to adults, but there are plenty of kid friendly things to do during the day.

Simply a great place to relax, soak up the sunshine, and get some great photographs.