Dante_Stella
Rex canum cattorumque
What am I photographing in Key West next week? Is it interesting?
Dante
Dante
airfrogusmc
Veteran
Yes it is. I have bee there many times and I always have a blast shooting there.
jwnash1
Well-known
In my opinion, the most interesting thing to do in Key West is people watching or in our case people photograhing. The place is a gold mine of interesting people/characters. Also, be sure to catch the Butterfly Conservatory. Have fun!
John
John
airfrogusmc
Veteran
Yep the streets are wild at times.
NY_Dan
Well-known
I went to Key West in 2007. I think it's a good place for some people photography. However, I didn't like the place anywhere near as much as some of the other Keys like Marathon -- in terms of a nature.
airfrogusmc
Veteran
True Dan but ya just can't beat the wild life in Key West
Dwig
Well-known
Key West proper doesn't have much in the way of long distance scenics. It is a small place and tightly packed. Its charm, if you will, is largely in the Old Town neighborhoods and the harbor. The Keys, as a whole, do offer a lot of varied opportunities for interesting images.
Note that Key West is a walking town, or perhaps a bicycle town. It's not a place where you drive from location to location very much. Parking is a royal pain in Old Town. It's only a mile to a mile and a half coast-to-coast (the harbor opens out to the Gulf of Mexico and the opposite end of Duval is at the Atlantic) in most of Old Town.
Most of Duval St. targets the average tourist; bars, shops, galleries (I work in one), ...). One block either side and your in residential neighborhoods for the most part.
If you are going to be here several days or more, taking a drive up the Keys would be recommended. The full length would likely be too much for a round trip as it's 3-3.5 hours from FW to Key Largo, making it easily an 8-12 hour trip with stops and meals.
Marathon, as recommended by NY_Dan, is about an hour's drive and there is a very nice little beach, Sombrero Beach, that you get to by turning left at the light at MM50 (locations along the Keys are usually indicated by their Mile Marker, which counts from US1's start in KW). More "natural" locations exist at many places up and down the Keys, though often you have to experiment with small roads branching off of US1.
On Duval St KW, the Butterfly Conservatory (also mentioned by jwnash1, above) is a nice venue and offers some good opportunities. The best viewing their is early in the day, well before noon, when the butterflies are the most active.
@Dante - I'm an occasional visitor to you site and have enjoyed your technical "editorials" along with your images. If you happen to be on Upper Duval (the Atlantic end) durning the day next Sunday through Wednesday, drop into the Alan Maltz Gallery (1210 Duval) and ask for "Dave". I'd much like to get a chance to say "hello". Alan has quite a number of interesting photographs you might enjoy as well; his work is primarily FL Keys and S. Florida orientated. I work as his image tech doing his scanning, image processing and printing.
@Dante -
Note that Key West is a walking town, or perhaps a bicycle town. It's not a place where you drive from location to location very much. Parking is a royal pain in Old Town. It's only a mile to a mile and a half coast-to-coast (the harbor opens out to the Gulf of Mexico and the opposite end of Duval is at the Atlantic) in most of Old Town.
Most of Duval St. targets the average tourist; bars, shops, galleries (I work in one), ...). One block either side and your in residential neighborhoods for the most part.
If you are going to be here several days or more, taking a drive up the Keys would be recommended. The full length would likely be too much for a round trip as it's 3-3.5 hours from FW to Key Largo, making it easily an 8-12 hour trip with stops and meals.
Marathon, as recommended by NY_Dan, is about an hour's drive and there is a very nice little beach, Sombrero Beach, that you get to by turning left at the light at MM50 (locations along the Keys are usually indicated by their Mile Marker, which counts from US1's start in KW). More "natural" locations exist at many places up and down the Keys, though often you have to experiment with small roads branching off of US1.
On Duval St KW, the Butterfly Conservatory (also mentioned by jwnash1, above) is a nice venue and offers some good opportunities. The best viewing their is early in the day, well before noon, when the butterflies are the most active.
@Dante - I'm an occasional visitor to you site and have enjoyed your technical "editorials" along with your images. If you happen to be on Upper Duval (the Atlantic end) durning the day next Sunday through Wednesday, drop into the Alan Maltz Gallery (1210 Duval) and ask for "Dave". I'd much like to get a chance to say "hello". Alan has quite a number of interesting photographs you might enjoy as well; his work is primarily FL Keys and S. Florida orientated. I work as his image tech doing his scanning, image processing and printing.
@Dante -
Dante_Stella
Rex canum cattorumque
Thanks guys! This gives me a lot of good ideas.
I think it would be a good guess that I have not been paying much attention to the planning of this trip - except that it is not 14º F there!
Dwig, I'm pretty sure we're driving down on Monday and heading back up to Miami later in the week, so unless I find that things have been over programmed (I have two little gremlins), I'll try to make it down to your gallery during some down time. I'm kind of a gallery whore. And if photos, all the better; they tend to get short shrift in a lot of galleries.
Now the real question is whether it is Rollei, Leica or Fujica territory.
D
I think it would be a good guess that I have not been paying much attention to the planning of this trip - except that it is not 14º F there!
Dwig, I'm pretty sure we're driving down on Monday and heading back up to Miami later in the week, so unless I find that things have been over programmed (I have two little gremlins), I'll try to make it down to your gallery during some down time. I'm kind of a gallery whore. And if photos, all the better; they tend to get short shrift in a lot of galleries.
Now the real question is whether it is Rollei, Leica or Fujica territory.
D
Moto-Uno
Moto-Uno
^ Fujica of course ! Peter
R
rpsawin
Guest
The streets of KW can get really interesting. I found it to be like New Orleans without rules.
pete hogan
Well-known
Hemingway house, 6-toed cats, urinal from a bar for watering them.
airfrogusmc
Veteran
Thanks guys! This gives me a lot of good ideas.
I think it would be a good guess that I have not been paying much attention to the planning of this trip - except that it is not 14º F there!
Dwig, I'm pretty sure we're driving down on Monday and heading back up to Miami later in the week, so unless I find that things have been over programmed (I have two little gremlins), I'll try to make it down to your gallery during some down time. I'm kind of a gallery whore. And if photos, all the better; they tend to get short shrift in a lot of galleries.
Now the real question is whether it is Rollei, Leica or Fujica territory.
D
Leica M would be my vote. I would recommend taking Card Sound Road and stopping at Alabama Jacks on the way down.
Its a great drive down.
ray*j*gun
Veteran
The drive from Miami is worth the whole trip..... my shoots always went well and often the people were the most interesting part.
Dwig
Well-known
airfrogusmc
Veteran
I was in that gallery this past Nov. Not really my cup of tea. A lot of big photos of dead center compositions.
The past couple of times I've been to the Keys it has just been an M9 or MM and a 35mm lens.
Maybe stop and check out the key deer on the way down.
We usually fly into Lauderdale and stop for the night at Key Largo. Islamorada or one of the other keys. Drive into Key West the next day.
Key West also has some of my fav restaurants.
I really love the SOS here
The past couple of times I've been to the Keys it has just been an M9 or MM and a 35mm lens.
Maybe stop and check out the key deer on the way down.
We usually fly into Lauderdale and stop for the night at Key Largo. Islamorada or one of the other keys. Drive into Key West the next day.
Key West also has some of my fav restaurants.
I really love the SOS here