FL Everglades Photographer Lucky Cole To Appear At Storytelling Event

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Photographer Lucky Cole discovered the Florida Everglades as a child in the 1950s. Now, his biker speakeasy, supply shop and artist haven deep in Ochopee on scenic Loop Road is a South Florida destination and everyone who crosses his path marvels at his tales about life in the swamps.

Those in the St. Petersburg area will have the chance to hear some of these tales live Saturday evening. Cole is the featured storyteller at the Second Saturday Storytellers Open Mic hosted by the Storytellers of Old Tampa Bay in the library room of The Factory at 2622 Fairfield Ave. from 5 to 6:45 p.m.

His love affair with the Everglades started in 1950, when his family moved from North Carolina to Miami Springs. His uncle was an avid sportsman who loved the outdoors and took Cole — his “favorite nephew” — with him, the artist told Patch.

He became interested in photography through his aunt, who ran a modeling agency.

“She had me in cute little boy outfits modeling,” he said. “I grew up in that modeling agency.”

He appeared in ads for department stores like Sears, J.C. Penney’s and Burdines.

During one photo shoot in his teens, Cole pretended to be a photographer, joking around with some of the women models.

“I was standing like I had a camera taking pictures with me and my aunt saw how comfortable the girls were with me,” he said. “She knew that the girls that were friendliest with the photographers got the best pictures. She had one of her hired photographers take her camera and show me how to click it.”

Since then, he’s built a storied career as a glamour photographer who takes images of women who travel to South Florida to see him from around the world.

“I take their picture in exotic, natural settings,” Cole said.

And though his subjects frequently get nude, “I won’t do anything close to porn,” he added. “(The nudity) is all depending on what they’re looking for. The photo shoot isn’t about me. It’s about what they want. I don’t care if they’re wearing a suit of armor.”

He works closely with Maureen, his wife of more than 40 years, who directs, schedules and interview the women for these photo shoots.

“The only thing I do is I stand behind the camera and take all the credit,” he said. “I’d be lost without her.”

In 1990, the couple purchased their current Loop Road property, which sits on three acres. There “was basically nothing” on the land when they bought it, though it did have water, a well, a septic tank and a small trailer, he said. “Everything we needed to get started. It was a work in progress. It’s still a work in progress.”

Cole added, “It’s our home. It’s our photo studio. It’s our biker speakeasy. We have an RV hookup and a pool.”

Over the years, they’ve built numerous sets for photo shoots, “like a movie set,” he said.

Though the speakeasy portion of the land has been open more frequently in the past, this summer, it’s open only on the last Sunday of each month. It won’t reopen regularly until October.

Over the years, he’s gotten used to people traveling through the swamps stopping by to have a beer and to hear a story from Lucky Cole.

“I have been here in the swamps for so long that I have people that come here just to hear me tell a story,” he said.

Even artists, filmmakers and authors, such as Tim Dorsey — who named a character after Cole — stop in to record him telling a tale.

He plans to tell the story of how he met Dorsey and became a character in the author’s books — a fictionalized version of himself, also named Lucky Cole — at Saturday afternoon’s storytelling event in St. Petersburg.

Ross Tarr, founder of the Storytellers of Old Tampa Bay, had long heard of Lucky Cole and after connecting with him on Facebook, convinced him to give storytelling on stage a try.

“I caught him in a YouTube clip of a Glades documentary sitting, having a beer and telling a swamp story, and knew he had talent, tales, and charisma,” Tarr told Patch. “We started going back and forth in 2015 to get him to be a teller for St. Pete StoryFest 2016. It was fun getting him to learn about storytelling on stage as opposed to sitting at a bar or campfire with time and language limits (too many local terms snowbirds had never heard).”

Cole “was a hit” at this event, Tarr said, and returned the following year, when he and his wife, together, told the story about how they met.

“Telling that love story” was a pivotal moment for him, Cole said. Since then, he’s enjoyed exploring his creativity and storytelling for larger audiences.

And Tarr is always happy to welcome the photographer back to the stage in St. Petersburg. Learn more about the Second Saturday Storytellers Open Mic here.