When I moved to Florida in 1984, I had a plan. I was going to the beach every weekend; I was going to learn to scuba-dive; I would go salt-water fishing as often as possible; I would play tennis every day; I planned to travel extensively through my new home state.
Well, I actually only make it to the beach occasionally, I never learned to scuba-dive, I gave up fishing, and sports injuries gradually kept me from playing tennis. But, I started to travel through Florida for work and pleasure and continue to do so. The state has much to offer the resident traveler from history to nature.
Being from Illinois, we hunkered down quite a bit during the winter months. My cabin fever started in January. Obviously, living in Florida offers year-round travel possibilities. As I traveled the state, I noticed the light and color in the subjects I photographed was "different" than in Illinois. More than the tropical pastels associated with Florida, there was a different quality to the photographs I made — more vibrant and intense colors and the southern light seemed to be more dramatic.
Curious.
When I was completing an assignment for clients, I would photograph in whatever style was demanded, usually color. But in my personal work, I photographed in black and white (Illinois coal miners, farmers, landscapes, etc). But the color and light of Florida was appealing and I was curious to see how my personal work would reflect my photography choices. I found subjects that were all about light and color. There are probably better explanations from experts and professionals about why I found Florida's light and color so engaging — but I was just fascinated in this new direction in my personal work.
During those first couple of years in Florida, my curiosity led me to new photo opportunities and experiences from Ybor City to neon. I eventually returned to black and white photography for my personal work and my curiosity is leading me to new discoveries.
Everything starts with curiosity.
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