Five Faves : The Florida Keys

Key West lies 150 miles from Miami, but the drive along the route is an unforgettable experience; one of the world’s classic road trips. Making the drive off the mainland and along the long and winding ‘ocean highway’ all the way to mile marker zero is a real Florida pleasure. It’s a classic because, like all great trips it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey and what happens along...

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Florida Birds : An Osprey’s Catch

The beach here in Florida that I walk daily tends to be pretty quiet, birdwise. The coastline here is smooth and clear, with unfettered lines and shallow shores. It’s a big city beach, where the A1A coastal highway runs right alongside the ocean. The backshore dunes are shallow here, and there are few patches of wilderness to speak of.  These quiet beaches support an unseen wildlife including worms, bivalves and crustaceans,...

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iPhone Photography 101 – Silhouettes and Sunshine

iPhone Photography 101 – Silhouettes and Sunshine. As a beach photographer I find that I’m constantly looking for new ways to make my sunrise shots memorable. I take photographs every day, regardless of the weather, and I try to find different ways of capturing the moment. Silhouettes have become an important part of my workflow and have played a part in creating some very dramatic photographs. Here in Florida a bright sun...

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Pic of the Week – The Golden Hind

Photograph of the Week: The Golden Hind. Regular beachgoers along the coast of south Florida may have met one of these first hand. Our beaches lie just west of the Atlantic Gulf stream and after sustained easterly winds, the fleet sometimes comes ashore. I’m talking about an ancient creature from the deep – scourge of swimmers and beachgoers, with a fearsome reputation. I’m talking about the Portuguese Man...

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Pic of the Week: Clouds

Photograph of the Week: What the Clouds are Saying. Have you noticed that every morning on the homepage here at JAQUO there’s a new photograph taken from the beach? Here is one taken today. This image was captured on Fort Lauderdale beach just as the sun was beginning to rise. Isn’t it amazing how nature provides us with such fabulous artwork? Andy Royston has been taking photographs of the beach for six years – you...

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The Battle for the Everglades

It doesn’t look like a battle, does it? The Everglades seems to be much the same as always, with the slow, shallow stream of water – what Majorie Stoneman Douglas famously called the River of Grass – flowing slowly south. I recently visited the Miccosukee Tamiami Trail Reservation Area – a beautiful lily-pad dotted expanse of water alongside U.S. 41, known as the Shark River Slough. Experts consider this one of...

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A Sea Turtle’s Soliloquy

I arrived at the shore at the usual time, around a half hour before sunrise, crossed over towards the dunes and headed for the shore. It it wasn’t for the presence of that morning’s Sea Turtle patrol, who had spotted her tracks I might have missed her completely. Moma green was selecting a spot for her nest and the light was growing. I watched and wondered what she was going through. Seaturtles of all kinds like to lay...

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The Art of the Location

Since summer 2009 I have developed an extraordinary photographic habit. I’ve been capturing images at what I sometimes call “the same old beach” each and every morning, arriving unfailingly at the same parking spot on Sunrise Lane and walking out onto the sands to watch – and photograph- the sunrise. Today marks a run of over 400 consecutive days pounding the sands here in Fort Lauderdale, which amounts to many...

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Art: The Beauty of Birds

Seabird artwork by Andy Royston Even ancient man was fascinated by birds.  Prehistoric cave paintings often feature birds and other winged creatures and since ancient times,they have been used symbolically in many cultures. And we still continue that fascination to this day. It’s hardly surprising – birds represent a freedom that we don’t have; the ability to soar into the air, go anywhere, fly to their dreams (or...

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Photography : The Art of Location

One very important aspect of building a photography portfolio is to make the best of your surroundings, and this means getting to know your locality, its beauty spots and vantage points. I live mid way between downtown Fort Lauderdale and the beach, so I know all the picturesque spots, from little-known waterside parks to tall parking garages. I’ve photographed them many times from many different vantage points, and its been fun...

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iPhone Photography 101 : Low Angles

Every day I take a walk along Fort Lauderdale’s North Beach. I’ll be there rain or shine as I have been for many years. The reason I like this stretch of shore is that in the early hours it is quite deserted. The width of the sands there is quite narrow, so it is quite easy to step away from the shoreline should the skies become photogenic. I like to frame the sunrise with silhouettes of palm trees if I can, and the palms...

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Five Faves : On a Florida Beach

The Atlantic coast of Florida boast so many wonderful beaches it is hard put a finger on why I love Fort Lauderdale’s so much. Official images of South Florida fights shy of the deep gold sands – always cleaner and whiter in the brochures – and of the moody Atlantic ocean -always bluer and greener on the posters. Yet visitors here know that the shores here are a little more likely to be directly effected by the...

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Instagram 247 / 365

Instagram is the go-to app for millions of mobile users globally. A social network built entirely around the sharing of photographs Instagram has captured the imagination of so many. Yet the quality and variety of images shared on the network varies so widely it’s hard to find a reason why so many find the app compelling. How did this happen? I thought that I’d share my own journey to Instagram to see if I can throw a...

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Cuban Immigrants or Robinson Crusoe?

Homemade boat found on Fort Lauderdale beach On 2nd January, 2015, just at the break of day, Fort Lauderdale photographer Andy Royston was enjoying his everyday morning routine -walking on the beach. He has been doing this for several years now,capturing the beauty of the  dawn as the sunrises over the ocean. That Friday morning though, it was an unfamiliar sight that greeted him.   Yes, a battered and abandoned homemade boat....

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Sunrise artwork: Style and serenity

How does the artwork you have in your home or office affect your mood? To a very great extent, according to experts. For psychologists to Feng Shui consultants,  they all agree that surrounding yourself with positive images has an equally positive effect on our mood. What could be more uplifting than daybreak? Here we have the start of a new day, full of promise and potential. The dawning day is artwork provided by Mother Nature...

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