I finally got to meet Alissa when we volunteered to do bike leads for the Miami Marathon. We had met via social media having about 40 friends in common. It was not until a couple of years later when we finally met.

One Saturday, Alissa and her daughter were making the drive south to Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden and invited me to join. Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden got its name from David Fairchild. He went all over the world gathering seeds and plants to bring back to the States. He retired in Miami in 1935! He worked tirelessly with a core group of other passionate naturalists to bring this 83 acre garden to life. The Park opened in 1938.

Alissa, her daughter, and I walked through the Garden looking at the wonderful flowers, plants, butterflies, and even a mini waterfall and creek. We found this shady spot where this felled tree served as a climbing gym for kids to play. Of course Alissa’s daughter quickly climbed on top. I had never taken portrait photos before but felt this may be my chance to try.

The light seemed perfect. The curved tree trunk would make a nice leading line or frame. And that rock looked like the perfect spot to sit. I asked her if she’d be my guinea pig and she agreed! I will admit not bad for my first time. I do have to give credit to Alissa for being a wonderful model. She made me look good.

A few weeks later I was lucky to meet up with her and her sister-in-law at Swim Miami. I was able to snap a couple more photos of her. The harsh sun made it hard to find good light but those shade trees and her hat definitely helped.

Go have a look at the photos. I think they didn’t turn out too bad.

Equipment used: Canon EOS R6 Mark 2

At Fairchild: Canon 16mm f2.8 lens

At Swim Miami: Canon 28mm to 70mm f2.0 lens