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

Downtown Stairway

A stairway in downtown Waynesville that leads from Wall St. to Main St. (Click on photo to enlarge.)
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"Never look backwards or you'll fall down the stairs."

- Rudyard Kipling

Warrior Motel

Warrior Motel Sign, Cherokee, NC - 2006
(Click on photo to enlarge.)

It's Over

Another Smoky Mountain leaf season has come and gone. There's still a few colorful trees here and there, but peak has definitely past. Many trees are bare now, and we are quickly transitioning to the dreary greys and browns of the forest in winter. Right now you've got a better chance of finding pretty leaves on the ground. (Click on photo to enlarge.)
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"To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring."

- George Santayana

Photoshop Lazy

I figured it was about time for a new photo of myself for my blog and Facebook. The one I have been using is a couple of years old now, and I sometimes think it makes me look a little too stern. Since I'm really a lovable guy, I don't want people getting the impression from my online photo that I'm some crabby old truck driver.

So I set up shop in the downstairs bathroom, shooting my image in the mirror. I made several exposures, and after I got one that I thought would work, I downloaded them into my computer. I picked out what I thought was the best one of the bunch, and as I looked at it at increased magnification, I noticed that I should have cleaned the mirror before I got started. Did I get out the Windex, clean the mirror, and re-shoot? Noooooo! I just cleaned up the offending water spots with the clone tool and healing brush as needed. That's what's known as "Photoshop Lazy"! (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Leave Wal-Mart Alone

I made this photograph last Fall (2008), but I'm posting it again for two reasons. (Click on photo to enlarge.) First, I don't have any new Fall photos to post right now, and it also gives me an intro into a new rant.

I don't understand all the grief Wal-Mart has been getting for introducing a line of caskets. It's something we will all eventually need (unless, like me, you elect to be cremated), so why not shop for the best price?

It never made sense to me to spend thousands of dollars on a box to stick in the ground. Who cares how long it lasts? Who's ever going to see it again? Who wants to see it again?
I'd rather the ones I leave behind spend those thousands on something worthwhile, like the needs of the living. Just scatter my ashes in a pretty place in the mountains. Jesus can take care of all the other details.

I realize many people, maybe most, feel differently about this, and want a box. That's fine; to each his own. But if you're going to buy a box, why not get a good price on that box? Wal-Mart is just giving us some more choices. You know their slogan, "Save money. Live better." Since death is a part of life, saving money on the box sounds like a good idea to me. And the $10,000 boxes that will last 500 years are still available from the funeral home if that's what you'd prefer. So quit banging on Wal-Mart. Choice is good!