Lake Apopka

Lake Apopka

April 20, 2012. Lake Apopka.

Once a vibrant fishing destination, Lake Apopka was so polluted through most of my childhood that nobody wanted to go near it.

Now, after a decade and a half of cleanup efforts, this lake just west of Orlando is beginning to look like its old self again.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/250. f/11. ISO 100. LR 2.

Outside

Outside

April 8, 2012. Outside.

Springtime at the Orlando Farmer's Market in Lake Eola. Happy weekend, and find some time to get outside!

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/125. f/16. ISO 400. LR 2.

Shades and Swan

Shades and Swan

April 8, 2012. Shades and Swan.

A man walks his dog by one of dozens of swans resting at Orlando's Lake Eola park downtown.

Description. Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/1000. f/8.0. ISO 200. LR 2.

Sugar Free Strawberry Shortcake

Sugar Free Strawberry Shortcake

April 21, 2012. (Sugar Free) Strawberry Shortcake. You know you want to +1 it.

Yes, it's not a street photo, but bending the rules is the benefit of blog ownership. As good as this cake looked, it tasted even better.

"Sugar Free," by the way, means that you can eat the whole thing and pretend that it had no calories.

Besides, has anyone really found a better use for macro photography than food? Insects? Flower stamens? I have to go with the Food Networkesque fruit laden cake bathed in daylight shot.

When you think Orlando, you probably think oranges. Just west on I-4, though, are huge strawberry farms in Plant City, between Orlando and Tampa.

The culinary scene in Orlando may not be what you'd expect, either. This ridiculously gorgeous cake was made by Annie's Euro American Bakery, known for some of the best desserts in the country.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/30. f/2.8. ISO 400. LR 2.

Low Hanging Fruit

Low Hanging Fruit

April 20, 2012. Low Hanging Fruit.

A little Florida sunshine to brighten your Monday morning with a little barnyard chicken bokeh thrown in.

Taken this past weekend, an Orange tree loaded with fruit bends just above the ground.

The shores of Lake Apopka, where this shot was taken, were home to some of the very first Florida orange groves planted in the 19th century.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/250. f/2.8. ISO 100. LR 2.

Lambretta Mod

Lambretta Mod

October 15, 2011. Lambretta Mod.

A Quadrophenia inspired Mod style Lambretta scooter at the 2011 Orlando Scooter Society Rally.

I switched to commuting almost exclusively by scooter about a year ago. It's very therapeutic, and it is great for getting a feel for neighborhoods that you just don't get in a car.

It sounds strange, but you smell more on a scooter. As you go down the road, you can smell bread baking, chicken frying, burgers on the grill, and which flowers are in season and blooming behind some unseen fence.

My daily ride is this 2007 Vespa GTV 250 purchased used from Vespa of Orlando. As I was purchasing it, a lady whose scooter was in for service said, "It'll put a smile on your face." And it does. More importantly, it puts a smile on other people's faces as you go by and as you pull up next to them at our omnipresent traffic lights.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/250. f/4.0. ISO 400. LR 2.

99 Bottles

99 Bottles

April 7, 2012. 99 Bottles.

Bottles recycled as candle holders for sale at the Orlando Farmer's Market on Lake Eola.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/1000. f/8.0. ISO 400. LR 2.

Bobbles

Bobbles

April 7, 2012. Bobbles.

Glass and beadwork jewelry for sale by a merchant at Orlando Farmer's Market on Lake Eola.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/500. f/2.8. ISO 100. LR 2.

Happy Weekend

Happy Weekend

April 8, 2012. Happy Weekend.
Lake Eola, Orlando, Florida.

Time to stretch your wings, feel the warm spring breeze on your face, and enjoy your weekend.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/500. f/8.0. ISO 200. LR 2.

A Sunday Afternoon on the Shore of Lake Eola

A Sunday Afternoon on the Shore of Lake Eola

April 8, 2012. A Sunday Afternoon on the Shore of Lake Eola.

One of my favorite paintings of all time is George Seurat's "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte." This scene, taken this past Sunday on the northeast corner of Lake Eola, reminds me of what that painting might look like if it were set in Orlando and in the present day. There is something about water that calls us to it.

A swan takes a waterside nap as a homeless vet strikes up a conversation and a child runs ahead of his parents on his way to the playground.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/1000. f/8.0. ISO 200. LR 2.

It's not a monkey. It's a lemur.

It's not a monkey. It's a lemur.

April 8, 2012. "It's not a monkey. It's a lemur." Orlando, Florida, at the Orlando Farmer's Market on Sunday by Lake Eola.

It's pretty common to see someone walking a dog through the Farmer's Market. Sometimes, you'll see a parrot. Lemurs, however, are fairly rare.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/500. f/11. ISO 400. LR 2.

Mad Hatter

March 8, 2012. Mad Hatter.

There are few better places in Orlando to see strange things and interesting people than the weekly Orlando Farmer's Market every Sunday at Lake Eola.

I am pretty sure that this gentleman's t-shirt is a reference to Stetson University's Hatter Harvest Farmer's Market up the road in Deland, Florida. Still, the shirt and the photo's caption seemed to fit.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/500. f/11. ISO 400. LR 2.

Cheers

March 30, 2012. Cheers.

Something about the crowd gathered at Orlando Brewing in this shot reminded me of a scene out of Cheers.

Photo was taken using a wall mirror and then inverted.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/15. f/2.8. ISO 1600. LR 2.

Orange Grove Stand

Orange Grove Stand

December 26, 2011. Orange Grove Stand. Near Saint Augustine, Florida.

There's something about a highway orange grove stand that just feels right in Florida.

Tacky. Touristy. Yet something about it captures the bright, laid-back spirit essential to being a Floridian. Stopping at an orange grove stand feels like traveling back in time to pay respects to where you came from.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/25. f/8.0. ISO 100. LR 2.

1926 Orlando Train Station

1926 Orlando Train Station

March 30, 2012. 1926 Orlando Train Station.

Orlando's historical Spanish Mission Style train station built in 1926 still welcomes passengers to the City Beautiful.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/60. f/16. ISO 200. LR 2.

C&S Brisket Bus

C&S Brisket Bus

March 30, 2012. C&S Brisket Bus. Taken in Orlando, Florida.

Oh Brisket Bus. Why did you have to come into my life with your bacon swag goodness; your beef brisket with exotic sauces; your foot long hotdogs wrapped in bacon; your BLTs?

Orlando is now home to a thriving gourmet food truck culture roaming about town. C&S Brisket Bus is one of the finest examples.

Note: The Brisket Bus was featured as the backdrop for one of this blog's first photos, taken in Apopka, Florida.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/125. f/4.0. ISO 800. LR 2.

Street Portraits With Permission - Al from Ravalia's Pasta Bar

Street Portraits With Permission - Al from Ravalia's Pasta

March 31, 2012. Street Portraits With Permission - Al from Ravalia's Pasta Bar in Casselberry, Florida

I decided to start a "Street Portraits With Permission" series, and Al from Ravalia's Pasta Bar in Casselberry, Florida, was gracious enough to be my first subject.

When I was growing up, I had an Italian great uncle named Carl who owned an Italian bread bakery in Clearwater. One of my favorite childhood memories was going to visit Uncle Carl and having him teach me how to roll hoagies in flour before they went into the oven. He exuded southern Italian hospitality, vibrance, and charm.

When I met Al this past weekend on my first trip into his restaurant, he reminded me of my Uncle Carl as he patiently talked to my wife about how he makes the pasta every day and which tomatoes he uses in different sauces.

The pasta, by the way, was excellent and extremely reasonably priced! They serve a real Neapolitan thin-crust pizza that I will be back next week to try.

Some people just brighten your day without meaning to. Hopefully this is the first in what will be a long series of capturing that.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/125. f/2.8. ISO 400. LR 2.