Because of hurricane Irma the lower Florida Keys were not open to visitors till October 1. Marathon is one of the most populated keys followed by Key West that I believe has a larger population. From Sunshine Key, a short distance from Marathon and where the 7 Mile Bridge begins to Key West the devastation was evident. By this time the local authorities have cleaned the lower keys I would say at a very reasonable pace but there is still lots to be done.

I saw trailer camps and marinas with lots of damage and plenty of fallen trees on the side of the road. Marathon and Key West did not look that bad and I saw several tourists which is not very common this time of year. It was hot! I bet the temperatures were in the upper 80's with high humidity making it very uncomfortable walking around.

The light was harsh. Bright subjects reflected lots of light and contrast was high. We travel and visit places but photography many times is not at its best because we cannot take advantage of the "golden hours" like I did when I photographed the sunset in upper Key Largo, another of the most populated Keys. Damage in Key Largo, Tavernier, Islamorada and Plantation Key was minimal except for many of the trees that fell to the fury of the winds from Irma. Key Largo, Tavernier, Plantation Key and Islamorada are some of the upper Keys.

Key West was as beautiful as it has been before Irma. Plenty of tourist activities and lots of traffic. Big Pine Key had significant damage but it looked good. I went to investigate the fate of the pygmy deer, typical of this area and I was told they survived the hurricane. I was able to see one of them but unable to photograph it. Best time is early morning and late afternoon if you want to see them feeding.

All images made with the new to me Olympus EM-10 Mk II using the 17mm f2.8 and 12-40 f2.8 Pro Zuiko lenses. For the wide vistas I used the Panasonic 7-14 f4. The majority of the exposures were made in the manual mode using spot metering. The RAW files were edited with Olympus Viewer 3 and Photoshop and some of the images were enhanced by Topaz Adjust 5. The b&w image was edited with Nik Silver Efex Pro. It was an image shot with backlighting since there was no way I could do it any other way. I noticed that the best time to photograph the shrimp boats was in early morning light. I was there at 4:30 PM.

I do not know how good the winter months will be for the lower Florida Keys at the peak of the tourist season but it looks encouraging. As I said, I did not see a damaged city like I expected and all tourists attractions were opened to the public.

The first shot is from the ornamental lighthouse in Islamorada. There is a very good restaurant and a marina here with excellent charter boats.
The second shot is a popular spot for sunsets in upper Key Largo. The movie Key Largo with Humphrey Bogart was filmed here. The old house of the film is now a very popular pub.
The third shot is a popular destination also slightly west of Islamorada. The lobster has been there for as long as I can remember. A small shop to sell souvenirs and a good restaurant are here.
Another popular place this time in Key Marathon. It is called "Faro Blanco." I have not been here in several years so I was surprised to see the transformation. It is a big marina now with a Hyatt Hotel and condo apartments on the side. It was a small marina the last time I was here.
Lighthouse in downtown Key West and the shrimp boats in Stock Island, upper Key West.

I apologize because I could not photograph the architecture and the popular sunset here. I traveled with a member of the family about my age who was very uncomfortable with the heat and humidity (she lives in Spain) and declined my offer to see the Ernest Hemingway House, Key West downtown and the popular sunset by Mallory Square.

Because of hurricane Irma the lower Florida Keys were not open to visitors till October 1. Marathon is one of the most populated keys followed by Key West that I believe has a larger population. From Sunshine Key, a short distance from Marathon and where the 7 Mile Bridge begins to Key West the devastation was evident. By this time the local authorities have cleaned the lower keys I would say at a very reasonable pace but there is still lots to be done.

I saw trailer camps and marinas with lots of damage and plenty of fallen trees on the side of the road. Marathon and Key West did not look that bad and I saw several tourists which is not very common this time of year. It was hot! I bet the temperatures were in the upper 80's with high humidity making it very uncomfortable walking around.

The light was harsh. Bright subjects reflected lots of light and contrast was high. We travel and visit places but photography many times is not at its best because we cannot take advantage of the "golden hours" like I did when I photographed the sunset in upper Key Largo, another of the most populated Keys. Damage in Key Largo, Tavernier, Islamorada and Plantation Key was minimal except for many of the trees that fell to the fury of the winds from Irma. Key Largo, Tavernier, Plantation Key and Islamorada are some of the upper Keys.

Key West was as beautiful as it has been before Irma. Plenty of tourist activities and lots of traffic. Big Pine Key had significant damage but it looked good. I went to investigate the fate of the pygmy deer, typical of this area and I was told they survived the hurricane. I was able to see one of them but unable to photograph it. Best time is early morning and late afternoon if you want to see them feeding.

All images made with the new to me Olympus EM-10 Mk II using the 17mm f2.8 and 12-40 f2.8 Pro Zuiko lenses. For the wide vistas I used the Panasonic 7-14 f4. The majority of the exposures were made in the manual mode using spot metering. The RAW files were edited with Olympus Viewer 3 and Photoshop and some of the images were enhanced by Topaz Adjust 5. The b&w image was edited with Nik Silver Efex Pro. It was an image shot with backlighting since there was no way I could do it any other way. I noticed that the best time to photograph the shrimp boats was in early morning light. I was there at 4:30 PM.

I do not know how good the winter months will be for the lower Florida Keys at the peak of the tourist season but it looks encouraging. As I said, I did not see a damaged city like I expected and all tourists attractions were opened to the public.

The first shot is from the ornamental lighthouse in Islamorada. There is a very good restaurant and a marina here with excellent charter boats.
The second shot is a popular spot for sunsets in upper Key Largo. The movie Key Largo with Humphrey Bogart was filmed here. The old house of the film is now a very popular pub.
The third shot is a popular destination also slightly west of Islamorada. The lobster has been there for as long as I can remember. A small shop to sell souvenirs and a good restaurant are here.
Another popular place this time in Key Marathon. It is called "Faro Blanco." I have not been here in several years so I was surprised to see the transformation. It is a big marina now with a Hyatt Hotel and condo apartments on the side. It was a small marina the last time I was here.
Lighthouse in downtown Key West and the shrimp boats in Stock Island, upper Key West.

I apologize because I could not photograph the architecture and the popular sunset here. I traveled with a member of the family about my age who was very uncomfortable with the heat and humidity (she lives in Spain) and declined my offer to see the Ernest Hemingway House, Key West downtown and the popular sunset by Mallory Square.