Here are a few photos from my recent trip to Florida. It’s certainly a great escape from the English weather and I look forward to visiting again in the winter.
A very interesting day was spent at the Kennedy Space Centre.
It’s hard to understand the scale of these rockets, until you see just how small people are compared to them. 
I’d never seen manatees before and went snorkelling with them. They are enormous but very gentle. There are strict protocols in place to protect them and humans are forbidden to touch them or swim over the top of them. I was lucky enough to be in front of one though when it surfaced for air, and was eye to eye with it for a few moments.
The manatees trip was followed by an indoor skydiving treat. Something I’ve wanted to do for ages. I loved it!
One day we spotted a couple of sandhill cranes out on the lawn of a business park. It was a Saturday and nobody was around but this pair were very inquisitive and one came right up to us. I had to back off as it was within pecking distance and still advancing!
Below is the marina at Cape Crossing on Merritt Island.
We spent 24 hours in Miami.
In the evening we went to the downtown area to eat and photograph the iconic art deco and neon lit buildings.
As we were staying at a hotel right on the beach we got up early to photograph the sunrise. Whilst waiting I grabbed some shots of the birds, which included some pelicans. They have such a distinctive shape even in silhouette.
Panorama of the beach at dawn including our hotel.
The next day we spent some time in the Design District. It has some great buildings and interesting places for photography
My take on a selfie.
On the way there and back we drove past this giant guitar, so we pulled off the highway to get closer to it in order to photograph it. What a great design for a building!
We also pulled off the highway to find somewhere to eat, and came across this lighthouse at a town called Jupiter. Yes, we did climb its 135 steps to the top and the view is great 🙂
Outside the Lighthouse museum was this veranda and I just liked the red chairs on it.
A couple of the nice beaches in Florida. I can see why it’s a popular winter destination.
Iconic American mailbox.
And finally, I was lucky enough to see a rocket launch, and even happier to capture it with a shot that I’m really happy with. There was only one chance to get it right and totally worth getting up at 04.15 to see and hear it ! I thought that the low clouds would spoil the shot but they actually add to it. I was surprised at how many cars and people were lined up on the road to witness it. For the photographers who are reading this, it was shot at 14mm, 240.0 sec at f/9, ISO 80.
