Shoot’n Hot & Wet on Brickell
Sunday and Monday were photo-filled days. Sunday saw a small contingent of photographers from Shoot Miami converge on Brickell Avenue. We met in front of Gordon Biersch Brewery and Restaurant located a little south of the famed Brickell Avenue Bridge and Miami Circle. The small group that I was with wandered a for a while before finding ourselves at a Miami Metromover station – Elevated transportation stations are a great place to get photographs from in Miami or any other metropolitan area that has them. After getting off the Metromover we got stuck under a pavilion waiting for a rain storm to pass until it was time to return to Gordon Biersch for some food and good conversation
Monday evening was the monthly Shoot Miami general meeting. The photography theme was “architecture.” I saw some really nice HDR images that were not over processed – an all too common abuse of Photoshop’s power. Some of the photos that come from that group are amazing!
Shoot Miami’s next schedule event is October 3 and 4 at the Dragon Boat races in Miami, but there is rumor of a Halloween shoot in the works. Details on the group can be found here.
Monster Jam Summer Heat “…Be There!”
What weighs 5-tons, has four 5’6” tires, an ethanol fueled 1500 horsepower engine, and has wrestling aggression and showmanship? MONSTER JAM! Monster Jam Summer Heat rolled into the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida, and Shoot Miami was there for the ride.
The day started off with the camera club meeting in front of the arena. I guess the ticket takers were a little intimidated by the size of the lenses carried by some of our members, because at first they were reluctant to let us in. After a little finagling by the group’s organizer we were allowed access – sans tripods.
The pit party was fun. This is where spectators are admitted onto the show floor prior to the event to see these behemoth machines up close and personal. Fans get the chance to meet their favorite drivers and take pictures with them in front of the trucks. Driver George Balhan even set up a black leather couch in front of his truck, An Escalade, for fans to meet him. For our crew it allotted the chance to document every conceivable angle of an MTRA monster truck – I’ll admit to climbing under El Toro Loco for some shooting.
Post party, the arena floor was cleared and set up for the show allowing some down time for lunch and people watching. At 2 p.m. the main event started with national anthem and a salute to our armed forces. The first competition was the sky wheelie contest, which was won by Gunslinger (middle left photo at the top of this article); then An Escalade defeated Madusa in the race category. In the donut competition George Balhan put on a good show, holding his steering wheel outside of the spinning truck during competition, but Grave Digger pulled away with the win. Grave Digger piloted by Randy Brown proved triumphant again in the Freestyle round.
Between monster truck competitions there was a highflying motocross show with riders performing mid-air stunts like the Superman, Cordova, and Christ (center photo). To help anticipate the arrival of the stunt bikes, the arena was introduced to two robotic vehicles, Gallactron and Reptar, “from outer space.” The skit was corny, but there were pyrotechnics involved and the kids seemed to like it – and the show really is for the kids, right?
It was a fun day. There were a lot of photos taken, and we got a great show. The only thing missing was a truck flipping over or loosing pieces, and the old radio and TV ads saying “Sunday! Sunday! Sunday! ….Be There!”
Social Butterflies – Free Sundays at Fairchild Gardens
The Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Coral Gables, Florida is “one of the world’s preeminent botanic gardens, with extensive collections of rare tropical plants…” The 83-acre garden has been accredited by the American Association of Museums since 1981, and now you get to experience it for free. Yes, FREE admission on Sundays for the month of August!
Almost 70 photographers from Shoot Miami descended on the historic gardens this morning. It was my first time visiting the gardens, and the mix of horticulture was quite striking – exhibits range from rainforest to arid, there is a sunken garden, butterfly garden, and even works by Chihuly are spread throughout many areas of the site.
After a few hours of wandering on our own, or in small groups, everyone met back at the Garden Café for some much needed rehydration and shade while we discussed our findings and different camera techniques. Overall it was a great day – hot, but fun.
Drive By Shooting
August 1st and 2nd was the Formula & Automobile Racing Association (FARA) race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. As part of Shoot Miami I was awarded an all-access press pass, allowing me full admission to pit row and past most of the safety fences.
FARAUSA was established in Florida to allow amateur and beginning drivers to compete with more experienced drivers. August 2nd included not only racing for MP1 – MP4 and F01 & F02 class cars, but also a demonstration by a top-fuel dragster, racing bike, drifting competition, and even the Tour de FARA – their charity bicycle race.
After 6 hours in the sun and taking over 750 pictures I was ready to head home. The event was fun. The event was fun! FARAUSA’s next event is September 26th and 27th, and their endurance race, 24 HRS OF MIAMI, is scheduled for November 6th through 8th. If you enjoy racing, you’ll enjoy this event…just bring sunscreen and ear protection.
Photo Walk’n – South Beach Winner
Sorry for the procrastination, but I am happy to announce the winner of the Scott Kelby Worldwide Photo Walk, South Beach edition. The winning photo was taken by Michelle Brecher:
The competition was stiff! Other photographs of note are shown here:
All the entries can be viewed on the Photo Walk page, and all the photos from the walk are available for viewing on our Flickr page. Thanks to everyone who participated in the photo walk, it was a lot of fun!
Photo Walk’n – End Game
Scott Kelby’s Second-Annual Worldwide Photo Walk finally arrived. The South Beach, Miami Beach, Florida, walk was awesome! We had more than 35 photographers show up with all kinds of photo-taking apparatuses. I stayed with a small group for most of the walk. We covered Ocean Drive and Collins Avenue before meeting up with the rest of the group at Jerry’s Famous Deli.
While at Jerry’s we had the opportunity to get some lunch, re-energize in a little air conditioning, and show each other what photographic finds we acquired while we socialized. From what I saw both the talent base and humor of the group were very strong. Everyone I talked to had a good time.
After lunch a group of us continued our shooting excursion for a few more hours until we were all exhausted from the heat. My small group headed over to Washington Avenue and stopped in for a visit at the Wolfsonian Museum, their current exhibition, Sun Stroke Stimulus, seemed to be a fitting theme for the day – a future post will cover our findings there.
Having shot South Beach several times I shied away from shooting my normal architectural subjects and concentrated more ephemeral topics like graffiti, modes of transportation, etc. Viewing South Beach at a more intimate scale is quite different than shooting whole buildings and panoramas like what I’m used to. It was a fun challenge to broaden my horizons by narrowing my view.
Overall I think the day was a success. A few photo walkers continued on to more photo walks in other areas, or to explore on their own hitting areas like Wynwood, the Holocaust Memorial, and Lincoln Road. I look forward to the next one, whenever it may be.
(For all the information regarding this photo walk and it’s contests click here)
Photo Walk’n – Final Countdown
The Scott Kelby Second Annual Worldwide Photo Walk is tomorrow morning. This event is so big it got covered by USA Today!
Here are some final updates for the South Beach group:
Make sure you can log in to the site as soon as possible (you received your username & password when you signed up) . This is where you will upload the photos for a chance to win some prizes.
Before the walk
- Get directions to South Beach if you’re not familiar with the area
- Make sure your batteries are charged, memory sticks are cleared, etc.
- Drink plenty of water before the walk
- Dress comfortably – walking shoes, hats, etc.
- Try to get to the Starbucks (1455 Ocean Dr, Miami Beach, FL 33139 – at the North end of Lummus Park) early, we will be taking a group photo before everyone heads out.
During the walk
- STAY SAFE!
- Watch where you’re walking while shooting – traffic, pedestrians, uneven ground surfaces, etc may be hazards.
- Stay away from areas that you’re not comfortable in – dark alleys and the like
- Drink plenty of fluids and take a break if necessary.
After the walk
- Meet up with us at Jerry’s Famous Deli if you have the time.
- Log on to the site and upload NO MORE THAN TWO of your favorite photos to be entered in the competition. (Edited photos are more than welcome)
Deadlines
- July 25, 11:59 pm EST: Deadline to upload your image(s) for consideration. No photos received after this time will be considered in the contest.
- August 17: The grand prize winner and 10 honorable mentions will be announced on the Worldwide Photo Walk website.
Side competitions and other fun stuff
Tropicolor/Shoot Miami Photo Contest:
- We’re getting a 15% discount from Tropicolor for any of their services, so when you pay for your prints, make sure you ask for it!
- Besides submitting your prints online, you can go into the store and use their kiosks to print directly to their printers – it’s cheaper ($0.29 for a 4×6 print, $0.25 with the discount) and may be more convenient for some!
- If you can’t make it down to the store, but would still like to participate, you can submit your photos online and then call in after you’ve placed your order and give them your credit card number. Unfortunately, they don’t accept payments online at the moment, so you’ll either have to come into the store and pay (and if you’re already there, why not just use their kiosks?) or do it over the phone.
- They should have a special bin set aside for our contest photos – just ask them to put your photos in there! (Don’t forget to have your name and email address written on the print envelope.)
- Any questions email: photocontest.shootmiami@gmail.com
iPrintfromHome Special Offer:
- Offering all Photowalkers 50% off poster sized photographic prints so that they can print out their best images from Saturday.
- For more information about the offer, please go here
Anyone else who wants to join us is welcome to. If they are not registered they cannot compete for the Scott Kelby prizes, but the Tropicolor and iPrintfromHome offer still stands
You can download the South Beach points of interest map here.
We hope to have a safe and fun walk. Happy shooting!
Photo Walk’n – Part 4, The Map
Scott Kelby’s Second Annual Worldwide Photo Walk is nearly here. In order to help those of you attending the South Beach walk, we have created a map indicating places that may be of interest during the walk. The locations are ones where we have had photographic luck in the past, but no one is required to visit any of these during the walk.
The starting and ending locations are designated with stars, and four of South Beach’s parking garages are marked as well. Photographic reference for some of the designated locations can be found here.
For more information on the South Beach walk, please, visit the Photo Walk section of this blog, or the Photo Walk Website.
Hope to see you all there, and happy shooting!
Photo Walk’n – Part 3
We’re less than 2½ weeks away from Scott Kelby’s Second Annual Worldwide Photo Walk! I’m sure some people have checked out the prizes list on the website, but I’ve been approached by the organizers of Shoot Miami about a side contest for those participating in my walk (or any of the Miami walks).
Here’s the skinny:
Send a photo taken on that day to Tropicolor Photographic and Digital Lab on Miami Beach to be printed at 4” x 6” (49 cents), and put in the comments section that it is for the Worldwide Photo Walk contest (we’re working on the exact verbage to use). That’s it, you’re entered.
But what can I win?
Well, boys and girls you will be entered to win one of three Diasec, aka PlexiFoto, prints:
1st place: 30” x 45” a $515 value
2nd place: 24” x 36” a $330 value
3rd place: 20” x 30” a $230 value
For more information check out the Shoot Miami message board.
Click here all posts regarding the South Beach Photo Walk
Shooting Miami Through a Pint of Guiness
Last night was my first venture to a Shoot Miami Meetup. Anytime you get a group of people together who are passionate about one topic, good discussions are sure to follow. In attendance were people hailing from a wide variety of camera platforms – Nikon, Canon, Sony, etc – and photographic experience levels.
The upstairs room of John Martin’s Irish Pub in the Gables was filled with photographic portfolios from the members. Some of these photographs yielded stories of photographing gators from a few feet away, painting with light, and macro (or micro, depending on platform) shooting techniques referencing a variety of subject matters.
The gathering was informative and helpful. ZiZi, the group leader, is heading up the Photo Walk along Lincoln Road on the 18th of July – I’ll be leading the South Beach walk around the same time. They have a Fourth of July outing planned for Miami Beach, as well as a meetup for the Miami – Homestead Speedway FARA Race in early August.
I look forward to doing more with this group in the future. The seem very low-key and willing to share ideas and techniques.
