An Environmental Portrait

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Kim

Taking an “environmental portrait” was our next project in my photography class, and I couldn’t resist grabbing my camera and heading to downtown Orlando An environmental portrait is typically of a person or a few people in their environment. Sometimes you can depict exactly where they are, and sometimes it’s a little more vague. These types of portraits tend to “freeze” people in time, allowing you to look back at the photo years later and see the differences from that time period.

What I enjoyed most about the three photos I chose below is that they all depict different kinds of people, all within the same place and time. They’re very different and yet all connected, which speaks volumes about the diverse nature of the city.

I have to explain the below photo, because Ricky would want me to. I was walking around Lake Eola when a man shouted to me to take his photo. I turned and saw the man in the photo below sitting on the ledge. He asked again if I’d take his picture, so I said “sure!” I looked down at my camera to get the settings straight, and by the time I looked up, this motley crew of friends had come together, ready for their close-up. After I took the photo and looked at the playback feature on my camera and saw how great it was to have captured this group of friends. I actually ended up seeing Ricky later too, walking around the lake, and he said he hoped to see that photo in the newspaper. This was the best I could do.

Meditation Dedication

Posted on July 24, 2011 by Kim

I took a walk in downtown Orlando this morning and came across a group of people meditating next to Lake Eola. It’s the first time I’ve seen them there, but every time I take a walk downtown I find something I haven’t seen before. They had music playing and were probably there for at least an hour, which is pretty impressive with the heat reaching the upper 90′s by then. It takes some real concentration to meditate in Orlando’s humidity, so I have to give props to these people and their dedication.

Where There’s One, There’s Two

Posted on July 15, 2010 by Kim

As I take photos, I tend to walk around haphazardly, shooting whatever comes my way. At first I may take photos of the obvious (what I also call the “tourist shot”), and if it’s something I find interesting, I’ll stop and take a closer look around. Here’s what I found at Lake Eola in downtown Orlando.

I saw this guy perched on a wood post and thought where there’s one…

…there’s two! These two black birds (not sure of their names) were a little tricky to find because of how their body shape and dark coloring kept them hidden on these tree roots.

I saw this turtle floating along, staring at me like I had something tasty to throw at him.

And then I looked down at my feet, and through the railing were two more turtles perched on a drain sunning themselves.

I caught one of these guys crossing a bridge, but by the looks of the brick, speckled in white…

I knew there were more close by.

The more I sat there taking photos, the more they flocked to me, completely unafraid.

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The Swans of Lake Eola

Posted on July 13, 2010 by Kim

I’ve been to Lake Eola Park in downtown Orlando many times, but I don’t think I ever stopped to just see the swans. I was surprised to see how many of them were actually living in the lake, and how many cygnets (baby swan) were there as well. I sat on a park bench and watched as they would take their turns coming up to the shore, unafraid and curious. It reminded me that as a child I used to love to draw swans, too. So as I photographed them I focused on the parts of the swan that I’ve always found amazingly beautiful, being their beaks, neck, ruffled feathers and the unique reflection they cast from the natural elegance they possess.