After visiting Vizcaya for the first time two months ago to help photograph a wedding there, I’ve been itching to go back and photograph it myself. Vizcaya is located on Biscayne Bay in Coconut Grove, FL. It was the former home of James Deering who basically created these elaborate gardens and built a villa inspired by Italian Renaissance architecture. It’s absolutely beautiful.
I decided to head down one Saturday afternoon and photograph the villa and gardens. I wanted to go early but I was playing a game with the weather seeing how it normally rains in the afternoon here in Miami. I figured if it looked like it would rain less people would want to go out and visit. Of course with my luck, the sun was shining and there were quite a few people there.
The main house was having some roof construction going on so I was not able to go in. To be honest I’ve never been inside, I’ve only been into the gardens and the property around the villa. What I enjoy about Vizcaya are the vast opportunities to photograph people within the gardens and as well as near the villa and other structures. There were no shortage of photographers photographing engagement photos and quince photos.
I meandered around the gardens waiting for people to disperse before I could capture the photos I was looking for. I was really hoping not to get people in my shots. It’s such a beautiful place to be in I wanted to photograph it without any human presence. The trees with Spanish moss hanging or the numerous ponds and water fountains scattered through out the compound.
I hope to go back once all the construction is complete. Some of the other gardens were closed and I was unable to explore everything Vizcaya had to offer. Even after you visit Vizcaya there are so many other places literally in walking distance you can visit like the Museum of Science across the street or Key Biscayne a block up the road.
