Birds NOT of a Feather

Birds NOT of a Feather

March 2, 2012. Birds NOT of a Feather.

Some real, live members of Lake Eola's flock of black and white swans blend into a background of swan-shaped paddle boats for rent by local romantics to visit the fountain in the middle of Orlando, Florida's iconic lake.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/500. f/16. ISO 800. LR 2.

Black Swan

Black Swan

March 2, 2012. Black Swan.

A black swan casts a silhouette on the banks of Lake Eola in Orlando, Florida.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/250. f/16. ISO 800. LR 2.

Naptime

Naptime

March 2, 2012. Naptime.

A white swan takes an afternoon nap on the shores of Orlando's Lake Eola while her lover stands guard.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/500. f/16. ISO 800. LR 2.

Lake Eola

Lake Eola

March 2, 2012. Lake Eola.

For those who live in Orlando, there is probably no more iconic spot than the fountain in Lake Eola.

At Lake Eola, you'll see farmers' markets, Shakespearean theatre, weddings, funerals, joggers, dogs, lawyers, bicyclists, the homeless and the downtrodden, and a large population of city supported black and white swans that will be the subject of my next three posts. Lake Eola is our Central Park; our English Gardens; our Borghese Gardens; our National Mall; our wide open space where the city comes together in all its disjointed pieces.

According to local legend, it is also the place where Orlando got its name.

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.

In either case, the remnants of both legends live side by side in Lake Eola Park. The road in the background of this shot is Rosalind. The teal Walt Disney Amphitheater to the left in the picture is the original home of the Orlando Shakespeare Festival, overlooking a bird sanctuary lake that would have made Audubon and his friend Orlando Rees proud.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/250. f/8.0. ISO 100. LR 2.

Tea Break

Tea Break

March 2, 2012. Tea Break.

Loved how the light played off of the three groups of people in this photo, each in their own world.

This shot was taken at Pom Pom's Tea House in Orlando's Bohemian Milk District near Bumby and Robinson. (It's called "The Milk District" due to its proximity to a milk processing warehouse near the Executive Airport).

This was the first stop on a Vespa-powered photo walk across town. The rest of the week will feature pictures from Orlando's iconic Lake Eola fountain and its fine feathered residents.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/25. f/8.0. ISO 800. LR 2.

Egret at Night

Egret at Night

February 16, 2012. Egret at Night.

Taken just outside the Castillo de San Marcos park boundaries along with waterfront in Saint Augustine, Florida. A lone egret fishes along the retaining wall late at night.

This long-exposure shot was taken in the pitch black, using the retaining wall by the water to keep the camera steady. Thankfully, I got 8 seconds of the bird staring at a fish! Not a second after the shutter closed on this shot, a Rodent of Unusual Size scurried along the seawall, almost running up my arm.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 8 seconds. f/8.0. ISO 1600. LR 2.

Castillo

Castillo

February 16, 2012. Castillo.

The Castillo de San Marco in Saint Augustine, Florida, is the United States' oldest masonry fort. It was built just down from where Pedro Menendez de Aviles founded the city in 1565.

After the city was attacked by British pirate Sir Francis Drake in 1586, the first fortified structure was built on this site. In 1668, the city was attacked by another pirate, Robert Searle, and work began on upgrading the fortifications to the current masonry structure in 1672.

This long-exposure shot was done hand-held, but steadied against a retaining wall outside the fort's moat.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 2 seconds. f/8.0. ISO 800. LR 2.