Coneflower

Cone Flower, Clyde, NC - 2004
(Click on photo to enlarge.)

Belated Happy Birthday

A belated Happy Birthday to one of my photographic heroes, Walker Evans. Mr. Evans was born on November 3, 1903 and passed away in 1975. I never tire of looking at his photos, especially those he made in the 1930s. In this photo of the Open Door kitchen for the homeless in Waynesville, I tried to emulate his documentary style. (Click on photo to enlarge.) Happy Birthday Walker!

Hot Rod Reflection

Hot Rods, Cherokee, NC - 2006

(Click on photo to enlarge.)

Sisters

People pictures are easy. Portraits are difficult. The difference? Portraits should reveal more than just what somebody looks like. A portrait should reveal some of the subject's personality, or tell us about their activities or relationships. Big, toothy grins are not required, or usually, even desired. Portraits take time. (Click on photo to enlarge.)
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"If it's a likeness, alone, it's not a success. If, through my portraits, you can come to know the subjects more meaningfully, if it synthesizes your feelings toward someone whose work has imprinted itself on your mind--if you see a photograph and say, 'Yes, this is the person,' with a little new insight--that is a beautiful experience."

- Yousuf Karsh

Bread Line

Sculpture at FDR Memorial, Washington, DC - 2008

We've all seen better days, but are today's economic conditions comparable to the Great Depression of the 1930s? Some try to make that analogy, but if you want to know the truth, ask someone who lived through those years. There are still some around. They'll tell you.

Whatcha lookin' at?

Macy, new kid on the block

I just got here a little over a week ago, and I already seem to be a celebrity. Everybody wants to see me, hold me, talk baby talk to me. And now they've got some guy with a beard in here taking pictures of me. I don't get it. And why is everybody staring at me? Is it my double chin? Hey, mine's going to tighten up and look great real soon. Yours, on the other hand . . .
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"Did you know babies are nauseated by the smell of a clean shirt?"

- Jeff Foxworthy

Waiting Its Turn

This photo of a green hot rod has been waiting patiently on my hard drive for a little over a year for me to do something with it.

When I download from my camera, I do an initial culling to get rid of the obvious losers. Then I go through them again to sort out the good photos from the ones that have some potential, but need a little Photoshop help. This photo was one of those. It had a chain link fence and an ugly tree in the background. I finally got around to fixing it up a little since I had no recently made photos to work on. (Click on photo to enlarge.) I've got plenty of these to keep me busy while photo opportunities taper off during the winter months.
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"Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you. "

- Carl Sandburg