DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

Florida – The Worst Place In The World To Take Good Photos?

Jul 31, 2014 by JP Danko 40 Comments

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

After coming back from a family vacation to Florida and downloading all of the images from the trip, I have come to the conclusion that Florida just might be the worst place in the world to take good photos.

florida the worst place in the world to take good pictures jp danko toronto commercial photographer

If you’re not sure where I’m going with this, I think this photo pretty much sums up the photographic opportunities Florida has to offer.

Read on and let me explain!

Now before all the native Floridians leave angry comments, I am sure that there are tons of amazing photos of Florida taken every day.

They just aren’t anywhere near Disney World or the surrounding big box stores, strip malls, counterfeit souvenir shops and chain restaurants.

I mean, is it a law that everything in Florida has to be branded?

Its probably part of the same law that says there has to be a Denny’s every two blocks.  Not that there is anything wrong with Denny’s – the Denny’s balloon guy was the highlight of the trip for our kids – I could have saved the $100 per person per day at Disney and just gone to Denny’s…

I could have also saved admission to Disney and pretty much the cost of the entire trip if I knew that the kids would just want to sit inside an build a giant Lego Cinderella castle all week…but I digress.

florida the worst place in the world to take good pictures jp danko toronto commercial photographer

Continuing with the rant…

And not just a subtle logo here and there – no – big honkin’ in your face BRANDING!

Oh, and people.  There were also crowds of people everywhere.  I am not a crowd person.  I don’t like people all that much.  I like people even less when they are messing up my shot.

So, where was I going with this…?

Well, every family vacation or interesting outing we go on, I try to make it a point to come back with at least a few sellable stock images.  The idea being that over time our library of family vacation stock photos grows to a point where future vacations are self funded.

We semi-jokingly tell the kids that it is their “job” to model for photos – and with the right incentives (like ice cream) they take their job seriously.

The goal is to one day get to a point where we go on extended family vacations for the sole purpose of coming back with amazing family experiences and the photos that go with them.

Some people make their kids work on a farm, we make our kids pose for photos.

Back to Florida.

I took a whole bunch of the usual tourist snapshots – but I found it really tough to find anything worth really photographing.  The light was generally bright and harsh all day long, there were people everywhere and I swear every single thing I pointed my camera at had a logo on it.

That, and there just seemed to be some sort of flaw with everything I tried to take a picture of.  The sides of the pool had some weird staining that is really obvious in photos, but not in person.  The water at Cocoa Beach was kind of grungy.  There was some obnoxious fat guy in every background.

florida the worst place in the world to take good pictures jp danko toronto commercial photographer

Cocoa Beach – azure blue waters and white sands it is not.

florida the worst place in the world to take good pictures jp danko toronto commercial photographer

Harry Potter Land (or World or Fake UK World or whatever) – OK, so maybe a theme park isn’t the best place in Florida to expect good photos – but there is so much wrong with this photo that it almost makes me nauseous to look at it.

But, in the end, I did manage to come back with at least a few sell-able stock photos.

In what I should have realized was a sign of things to come, my favorite photo of the trip was taken on the plane on the flight there.

 

florida the worst place in the world to take good pictures jp danko toronto commercial photographer

And if there is one thing that Florida is great for – its taking photos in a pool.  In fact, I am pretty sure that Florida is the pool capital of the world…which is actually kind of fitting if you think about it since a pool is really just an idealized fake representation of a lake (just without the gators and golf balls).

child swimming underwater in outdoor pool jp danko toronto commercial photographer

child swimming underwater in outdoor pool jp danko toronto commercial photographer

child swimming underwater in outdoor pool jp danko toronto commercial photographer

For some tips on underwater photography, check out “Natural Light Underwater Photography Tips” and “How To Edit Underwater Photography With Lightroom And Photoshop”.

Where Have You Been That Was A Photographic Challenge?

Have you been somewhere that was a challenge to get decent photos?

Have you been to Florida and came back with great photos of your trip?

Are you from Florida – any tips of where to go to escape the tourist trap?

Leave a comment and let us know!

Obligatory Photo Of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle

(*Correction – I have since been informed that this is in fact Cinderella’s Castle.  We apologize for any confusion we may have caused between Disneyland and Disney World).

child swimming underwater in outdoor pool jp danko toronto commercial photographer

You know we couldn’t leave this shot out!

And in the interest of fairness, here is my favorite shot from Universal Studios – courtesy of J. Jonah Jameson.

child swimming underwater in outdoor pool jp danko toronto commercial photographer

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

Florida_Spring_Swimming_Natural_Lazy_RiverTaking photos at Florida’s amazing springs – Swimming in a natural lazy river Florida Police Share Memo Stating Undercover Officers Can Arrest Photographers to Protect Their Identity Photographer captures the world’s worst ravaging fires Lightning photography tips I’ve learned from living in South Florida

Filed Under: Inspiration Tagged With: Florida, stock photography

JP Danko: from diyphotography.net

About JP Danko

JP Danko is a commercial photographer based in Toronto, Canada. JP
can change a lens mid-rappel, swap a memory card while treading water, or use a camel as a light stand.

To see more of his work please visit his studio website blurMEDIAphotography, or follow him on Twitter, 500px, Google Plus or YouTube.

JP’s photography is available for licensing at Stocksy United.

« How To Build A Butter-Smooth Video Slider
Award Winning Photographer Arrested (Again), Has Cameras Confiscated »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup
DIYPhotography

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Recent Posts

  • Cameraframe is a piece of wall art made from real camera parts
  • Photographer shares the story behind the iconic Columbia Pictures logo
  • Nikon releases super fast NIKKOR Z DX 24mm f/1.7 lens for their mirrorless lineup
  • Here’s a bullet time video booth you can build yourself
  • Ricoh has discontinued the HD PENTAX-DA 21mm F3.2AL Limited silver lens

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy