I went alone a couple of years ago for 9 days. 3 in Miami, 5 in the Keys and 1 more in Miami. My sis was supposed to go with me, but last minute she had to back out so I took my camera with me instead :P It was great. No, I wasn't afraid to go out, they've done a lot to refurbish the old hotel zones. I spent the entire vacation shooting.
Do plan some time in South Beach, you'll likely see several modeling shoots going on along the beah or near the hotels every day. Stay away from proper "downtown" at night (so I've heard), but its fine in the daytime -- though I never found much to shoot there.
You'll want to stop often and shoot lots on the drive down to Key West. The entire trip is breathtaking and there are several state parks along the way. In Key West you gotta stop by Hemmingway's house and laugh at the little airport that looks like a mobile home. I'm sure you'll find all of the touristy spots, its not a very large island. Best best best thing to do there..... take a jet ski tour of the little islands that surround Key West.... that's awesome!
I went alone a couple of years ago for 9 days. 3 in Miami, 5 in the Keys and 1 more in Miami. My sis was supposed to go with me, but last minute she had to back out so I took my camera with me instead :P It was great. No, I wasn't afraid to go out, they've done a lot to refurbish the old hotel zones. I spent the entire vacation shooting.
Do plan some time in South Beach, you'll likely see several modeling shoots going on along the beah or near the hotels every day. Stay away from proper "downtown" at night (so I've heard), but its fine in the daytime -- though I never found much to shoot there.
You'll want to stop often and shoot lots on the drive down to Key West. The entire trip is breathtaking and there are several state parks along the way. In Key West you gotta stop by Hemmingway's house and laugh at the little airport that looks like a mobile home. I'm sure you'll find all of the touristy spots, its not a very large island. Best best best thing to do there..... take a jet ski tour of the little islands that surround Key West.... that's awesome!
Ill echo what she said about staying away from the proper downtown at night, unless youre with a group of friends. Anytime Im down there at night im with at least another 3 people. The proper downtown being the areas right outside of bayside. However, on the other side of the Mcarthur causeway, south beach, is a great place to shoot day or night.
As a native Miamian, besides the well-known areas (South Beach, etc.), try to get down to Coconut Grove and Coral Gables. There are a lot of very nice architectural photo ops in that area.
Oh, I almost forgot...Viscaya is always good for photos. Viscaya features an Italian Renaissance-style villa and formal gardens.
On your way down to the Keys, stop by a little tropical paradise in Key Largo called, "The Tiki Bar". While shooting photos of the palm trees and coconuts, you can enjoy calypso music and cocktails at their outdoor bar (under the palm trees). Tip: it's a great spot for lunch on your way down to Key West.
While in Key West, go to the docks at sundown and capture some magnificent sunsets. There are also street performers that gather each and every day at sunset for some great photo candids.
I spent some time In Miami and Key West last year. Both were very safe (South Beach where I was). South Beach was like another world. It was awesome. Trust me...you will enjoy yourself.
It sounds like South Beach is going to be interesting. It'll be white party weekend. Having fun finding accommodation, but the photo ops should be interesting!
If you head down toward the keys you might want to check out Florida Dry tortuga national park. It's at the very end and you have to take a boat or plane out to it. I haven't been there but it's definitely on my 'wish list' of places to go...but it sounds like a once in a lifetime trip to try!
I was just in Miami this past weekend....grew up there, and my mom still lives there. As far as safety goes just use common sense--there are areas in any town you stay away from at night, etc.. One place I suggest would be a visit to Fairchild Tropical Gardens. It is a beautiful stroll though some very unique areas of vegetation, and the opportunity to photograph some rare flowers and trees. The glass artist Chihuly is currently setting up another display of his unique glass statues. I can spend the entire day here with my camera and tripod and never run out of subjects to photograph. Here is the website: //www.ftg.org/
The Florida Keys are one of my favorite places to go! The Caribbean Club in Key Largo is where the movie " Key Largo" was filmed. I love to eat at Lorelei's in Islamorada on the way out of the Keys ----> //www.loreleifloridakeys.com/ It is a laid-back place on the water and the food is really great, and the speciality drinks are fantastic! Eat some conch fritters--yummy!! In Key West I really like Alice's Key West ( La-Te-Da's)(//www.aliceskeywest.com/)--the chef loves to experiment with her food. Camille's //www.camilleskeywest.com/ ) is very good too and different. A great Italian place is Abbondanza. The food is really good, and it isn't very expensive. The Green Parrot is a bar that all the locals go to. Hog's Breath is a fun bar too---outside with music, and they let me go behind the bar and I had my photo taken. We did the Ghost Tour at night, and that was a lot of fun. Mallory Square for the Sunset Celebration is fun and the sunset is great. I enjoyed touring the Hemingway house too, and there are great views at the top of the lighthouse.
Gordon-I'm not sure if it's been mentioned but the Keys you'll hit before you get to Key West might make for better photo ops than Key West itself. The trip from Miami to Key West is spectacular, by far the best car ride I've ever been on.
Gordon, If your trip is around Jan 1st you may enjoy a day at Clyde Butcher's gallery on old highway 41. It's a ride from Miami thru the glades to get there, but you will get to be up close and personal with the Everglades Big Cypress country on a guided walk thru, not over, the swamp during the dry season for some real Everglades experience. Info is at clydebutcher.com Not a good idea if you are hung over however. Another site to check out if you are a history buff is the florida keys museum site. There is an old fort at Key West to photograph, near Mallory Square. The anchorage at Marathon has a water taxi if you want pics of sail boats at anchor, and I'm sure that there are water tours around Key West as well. There are sunset sail cruises at K W too and that's a relaxing way to get a different vantage point of the island. Near Miami, Parrot Jungle is good if you like birds. Another great nature run would be to head down toward Flamingo, or Cape Sable, just south of Homestead for some Everglades Nat'l Park nature pics. The most concentrated people pics are easiest to find at South Beach, or the old part of Key West/ Mallory Square.
Let us know how it went when you get home, and maybe post some pics.
