jardin de lumière

jardin de lumière

June 4, 2012. jardin de lumière. EPCOT. Walt Disney World. Near Orlando, FL.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 4 seconds. f/8. ISO 100. LR 2.

It's Not Easy Being Green

It's Not Easy Being Green 

June 2, 2012. "It's Not Easy Being Green." Giant Kermit the Frog statue at Disney's Hollywood Studios near Orlando, Florida.

A Monday reminder in some difficult times of Kermit's greatest words of wisdom, as sung by the incomparable Sophie Milman:

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/2000. f/2.8. ISO 100. LR 2.

Minnie

Minnie

June 1, 2012. Minnie. Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom, Lake Buena Vista (near Orlando), Florida.

In a world saturated with primary colors and pastels, a monochrome Minnie Mouse ties the rest of her kingdom back to its 1928 roots.

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

Mirror Mirror - Color

Mirror Mirror - Color

June 1, 2012. Mirror Mirror - Color. Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom, Lake Buena Vista (near Orlando) Florida.

Color version of yesterday's Monochrome Monday post of Cinderella's Castle, taken from the bridge at Frontierland.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/4. f/2.8. ISO 400. LR 2.

Mirror Mirror - Monochrome

Mirror Mirror - Monochrome

June 1, 2012. Mirror Mirror - Monochrome. Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. Lake Buena Vista (near Orlando) Florida.

For #MonochromeMonday on Google+, a shot of Cinderella's Castle reflected in the waters from the Frontierland bridge, shot at 1/4 second handheld, using the bridge to help stabilize the shot.

Check back tomorrow to see the color version!

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/4. f/2.8. ISO 400. LR 2.

Vitalogy - Toronto, Canada

Vitalogy - Toronto, Canada

May 26, 2012. Vitalogy. Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Perhaps it was the phrenology bust or the general warehouse district steampunk superstore nature of this closed shop in Toronto's Distillery District, but something about it reminded me of the album artwork for Pearl Jam's "Vitalogy."

It was also a good excuse to try out my new travel tripod.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1 second. f/8. ISO 400. LR 2.

Urban Sterility - Toronto, Canada

Urban Sterility - Toronto, Canada

May 24, 2012. Urban Sterility. Warden Subway Station, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/15. f/8.0. ISO 400. LR 2.

Change - Toronto, Canada

Change.

May 24, 2012. Change. Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

When I started this photo blog a few months ago, I mentioned that I may diverge at times from street photography posts or from posts specific to the Orlando, Florida area. This isn't really a change.

I spent this past week in Toronto, Canada, visiting my in-laws. Toronto is a very photogenic city, going through a rapid wave of change and immigration that makes me think of what New York must have been like 100 years ago, only with more hipsters. The next several posts will feature photos that I felt captured something special about Toronto and Torontonians.

The "change" photo is appropriate though, because there are changes in how the other pages of this blog are organized. This is, and will continue to be, "Orlando Street Photography." For shots where I digress and explore other places that I want to share, separate sub-gallery pages will be created.

The photo above was taken in the Scarborough area of Toronto at a Roots store. For those who have never been to Canada, "Roots" is a Canadian athletic clothing brand similar to American Eagle Outfitters or The Gap. Canadian tourists in Europe are particularly fond of Roots clothing because it helps identify them as being Canadian.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that being Canadian makes one much more likeable than being American.

Personally, I've found that the manner in which you treat people when visiting another land has a much greater bearing on how affable they find you than the country printed on your passport.

That said, the vast majority of Torontonians are genuinely friendly, affable folks with a strong sense of both individualism and community. Hopefully that will shine through in the photo posts that follow.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/60. f/2.8. ISO 200. LR 2.

The Thinker

The Thinker

April 29, 2012. The Thinker.

Even Mickey Mouse daydreams about the weekend on Fridays.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/60. f/2.8. ISO 100. LR 2.

How Orlando, Florida got its name

How Orlando, Florida got its name

April 8, 2012. How Orlando, Florida got its name...

I have posted about the legends of how Orlando, Florida got its beautiful and unique name several months ago.

I've found that a lot of this blog's visitors, particularly locals, were curious about this story. I am reposting some of the details of both versions from my post mentioned above, along with a previously unpublished picture of the "Orlando Reeves" memorial on the shores of Lake Eola.
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Originally, Orlando was known as Jernigan after a prominent cattle family in the area. It became Orlando in 1857. There are two versions to the story. I'll relate the official version endorsed by the city first, followed by what I consider the more likely story.

According to the city, Orlando got its name from a soldier named Orlando Reeves in the Seminole War who was killed on the banks of what is now Lake Eola in 1835. The problem is that there are absolutely no records that a soldier named Orlando Reeves ever existed. Some have tried to explain around this fact by pointing out that it may have been a landowner in the area called Orlando Rees, an associate of John James Audubon, but the dates of death are all wrong to fit with the legend.

Another version of the story is that the name was chosen by Judge T. G. Speer, who arranged for Orlando to become the county seat through some creative vote manipulation. Judge Speer was a huge Shakespeare fan and named the city after his favorite character in "As You Like It." This version is very well documented by his descendants, and it also helps explain the naming of Rosalind Avenue.

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Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/125. f/8.0. ISO 200. LR 2.

Tinkertoys

Tinkertoys

April 29, 2012. Tinkertoys. Downtown Disney, Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

Happy weekend. Now go play!

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/30. f/2.8. ISO 1600. LR 2.

Deadmau5 Invasion

Deadmau5 Invasion

April 30, 2012. Deadmau5 Invasion.

Downtown Disney. Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/500. f/3.5. ISO 400. LR 2.

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.

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.