In my experience, there are a lot of differences between living in Florida and living in upstate New York. Weather, food and scenery are just some of the things that vary between the two. Wildlife is another.
In Florida, it seems that for whatever reason, it’s easier to see wildlife. I’ve seen alligators, manatees and wild hogs to name a few. Even when I went hiking or camping in New York, for better or for worse, I didn’t really see wild animals like bears or moose roaming around.
Animals, nature and wildlife are some of my favorite subjects to photograph.
It’s no secret that Florida has alligators. I photographed this guy on a recent trip to the Merritt Island Wildlife refuge, which you can read about here.
My husband and I were just about done with the wild life drive when we spotted this guy sunning himself. My husband pulled over so that I could snap a few pics. (Luckily I have a great lens that allows me to shoot wild life without getting really close and disturbing them.) I was amazed by the size of this reptile!
He appeared not to have a care in the world and didn’t seem to notice I was there. A few other people also stopped to get some photographs of him.
Did you know?
- On Merritt Island (not near the Wildlife refuge), there is an alligator that lives under a car dealership. If you go car shopping there, they will proudly tell you about him and you can see him through a sewer grate if he’s around. (Don’t worry, he’s not in any danger or anything.)
- The gator is the mascot for the University of Florida. His name is Albert.
- I am not a Gator, but a Cane having received my masters from the University of Miami.
- In Orlando, there is an attraction called Gatorland and it has an entrance shaped like an alligator’s head! (Unfortunately, I’ve never been there, but hopefully this will be corrected at some point in the future.)
- Alligator in the Sun is available at Valerie’s Gallery at Zazzle, Red Bubble, Skreened and Imagekind
What’s your favorite subject to photograph? Let us know in the comments!
A huge thanks to Imagekind for promoting my piece, Maneki Neko Kitty Pop Art in a promotional email. Also, a huge thanks to Online Gift Ideas for promoting some of my Boss’s Day dinosaur items.
Here’s some more alligator and Florida artwork by talented artist for you to enjoy:
