One of the many things I had in common with my late father, who was a professional photographer as a young man in our native Venezuela, and introduced me to the art of taking pictures as a teenager when we moved to Vienna in 1980.

For the past 5 years I have been using digital photography, which allows me to shoot hundreds of pictures in a matter of hours, in order to edit one or two good ones from the entire exercise. The digital technology has also allowed me to learn about giclee printing, inks, archival quality photo papers, watercolor paper and canvas—all mediums that give me great flexibility in terms of the final photographic result.

Over 15 years ago I emigrated from the northernmost point of South America to the southernmost point in North America. In many ways, these two places are totally different. But when I drift along the natural rivers and waterways of Florida, or silently walk through a shallow marshland, I forget about time and space, and all the memories of my tropical growing up come back to me in a single breeze of salty air. This condensed portfolio of photographs is the result of many walks and kayak trips through natural South Florida, taking pictures of everyday life or found treasures in this tropical paradise. Plus a small retrospective of some of my personal favorite photographs from over twenty five years ago.

® 2007 Photographs by Carlos Plaza All Rights Reserved