At the Click of the Shutter (Post #4) - Four Days in Magic City
This blog is meant to be a journey, a chance for you to ride along through life with me and my camera. That journey will take a number of different forms. At times we will travel into my past, back into my memories of travel and photography, exploring the origins of my art and the life philosophies that have grown from it. Sometimes our destination will be my thoughts about photography, we will get into my mind and examine the lessons that photography has taught me. From time to time, this blog will take you on a real journey with me. This particular post is one of those posts…
This past week I attended a wedding for an old childhood friend aboard the Norwegian Sky in the Port of Miami, we then sailed for three days through the Bahamas to celebrate their big day. I had plenty of vacation time and really needed a break from life, so I took three days in Miami before the cruise left and one more after getting back. This is my time in Miami…
Tuesday afternoon I landed at Miami International Airport and took a cab to my hotel in Miami Beach. My cab driver, Ernesto, asked what brought me to Miami. First thing I told him was, of course, the wedding and the cruise. Then, I told him that I did photography and had decided to come down for a few days before the cruise to take photographs around the city. As we rode along he began pointing out some of the places around the city a first timer, with an inclination towards aesthetics, may want to check out.
“Over there is Wynnwood and the Design District, there is all kinds of art over there. The walls are all covered with murals. It is all over the Instagram.”
“That is downtown, you can probably find some good things to take pictures of, but most people care about it because that’s where the Heat play basketball. Also, the big art museum is over there. You should go see it. Maybe one day your photographs will be in there” he laughed.
As we made our way across Biscayne Bay to Miami Beach, Ernesto pointed off to the left and said, “That’s where all the stars live, on that island right there, away from all the normal folks. No need to go over there, unless you want to be one of those paparazzi photographers and their security would probably kick you out anyway.”
I asked him what I should check out in Miami Beach. He smiled, laughed, and said, “The beach, man, of course.”
As I got out at my hotel, Ernesto smiled and said, “Enjoy my beautiful city. Take many beautiful pictures.”
After checking in to my hotel, I walked the two blocks down to the beach to check things out. There were some clouds in the sky and occasional very light rainfall, but I still expected a very crowded beach. To my surprise, mid 70’s and partly cloudy is apparently not beach weather in Miami as the beach had almost nobody on it. Of course, from a photography point of view, this would allow for me to photograph the iconic lifeguard stands without having to worry about sunbathers being in the photographs. So, that is exactly what I did.
After grabbing dinner at a small Italian restaurant, La Laconda, right near my hotel, I made my way down to the famed Art Deco District to take do some night photography. South Beach is well known as a mecca for art deco architecture with numerous hotels and theaters spread throughout an 18 block stretch of Ocean Drive, Washington and Collins Avenues. The neon signs of the hotels along Ocean Drive make for some amazing opportunities for some night shooting.
My first full day in Magic City was spent wandering around Miami Beach. I started the day by walking to the Miami Beach Botanical Garden. Small, but beautiful, the Botanical Garden is a moment of serenity in the fast paced world of Miami Beach. A number of trees, 26 in total were standing with the help of wooden braces, the victims of Hurricane Irma. While walking across the Great Lawn I noticed some butterflies congregating around a small flowering bush. When I came close they all flew off to the other side of the garden. So, I sat down in the grass with my camera and waited about 20 minutes for them to come back. Sometimes you’ve got to be patient and wait for the right moment for the right shot.
On the way back from my hotel I came across a beautiful mural at the back of a parking lot. It would prove to be a small taste of the amazing artwork I would see in the Wynnwood section of the city the next day.
Later that night I decided to walk to a nearby Publix Supermarket to pick up a few things. As I generally do at night, I had my camera and my tripod with me. As I got to the store I noticed that the sky across Biscayne Bay was beginning to light up with the sunset and that the tops of the Downtown skyline could be seen across the causeway. That is when I realized that above the supermarket was a 7 story parking garage. So, I made my way up to the roof of the parking garage hoping for a better vantage point. Of course, I found one.
The next day I walked two hours across Biscayne Bay to Wynnwood neighborhood. Before leaving for Miami a few friends had recommended that I make my way to Wynnwood and do some photographing. I was told that there were a number of murals that would make great pictures. What I found when I got there was one of the most astounding displays of art I have ever seen. Building after building was covered with murals of all shapes and sizes. It seemed as if every building was a canvas for a huge masterpiece.
In the heart of Wynnwood is the Wynnwood Walls, a free open air museum that consists of series of abandoned buildings whose walls are covered with murals by some of the best artists around the world.
The whole neighborhood is filled with art galleries, restaurants and coffeeshops, all covered with incredible works of art. I spent a couple of hours wandering around the area, immersing myself in the creativity that was all around me.
Next to the Wynnwood Arts District is the Miami Design District. Wynnwood is a hipsters paradise, while the Design District is for the high end art lover. More murals and sculptures can be found at Palm Court, home to big names in fashion. Sculptor Xavier Veilhan’s Le Corbusier is the highlight of all the works at Palm Court. A huge likeness of the iconic architect, Le Corbusier dominates the second floor of Palm Court just as the man it depicts dominated the world of architecture and design for nearly 50 years.
After walking back across the bay to Miami Beach I decided to swing by the beach to see how it looked at sunset. I was met with an incredible sky and a nearly empty beach. Again, the lifeguard stands made for some great subjects.
My last day in the city was spent in the Brickell neighborhood, downtown Miami. I checked in to my hotel and then walked the three miles down to the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. The former estate of businessman John Deering, Vizcaya is an elaborate Italian villa on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. After making my way through the house I went out to the gardens and took a seat on a bench near the water to plot out my visit. While I was sitting there I was visited by a 3 foot long iguana who came wandering over, presumably in search of food. He sat at the base of the bench and attracted dozens of people to come and take pictures.
I got up and walked into the incredible gardens. Vizcaya is obviously one of the premier places in Southern Florida for portrait photography as there were 8 different groups taking Quinceanera photographs. The gardens were lined with sculptures, shockingly white against the deep greens of the foliage.
Being from Boston, I wasn't built for heat and humidity, so I could never relocate to Miami, but I am sure I will be back again to wander the streets of Wynnwood with my camera.