Last night I spent about an hour trying to catch the Tau Herculids Meteor Shower. NASA said it was either going to be a bust, or glorious. It was a meh. I saw two with my eye, and captured several more with the camera. In fact,  it was the first time I have ever captured a meteor streak on camera. In this image I included the Big Dipper to give perspective where my camera was pointing. 

It was a good time. I'm looking forward the next meteor shower. 

In a place you only dream of, 
Where your soul is always free.
- Green Grass and High Tides, Hughie Thomasson 

These are lyrics from the 1975 song by the southern rock band, The Outlaws.  It kicks off a playlist I often listen to when I'm riding my motorcycle across the backroads.  This song's "vibe" has always  evoked a feeling of gliding down southern highways, of adventure and good times. Like  many  classic  southern rock songs, it feels like "summer" to me.  It makes me remember when I was small and the days were long, of warm breezes and  hot asphalt, windows rolled down and the FM radio turned up.  The song's true meaning doesn't have anything to do with any of that, it's just how it makes me feel.  These are the kind of songs that make the miles roll by, and the journey a pleasure. This song came back again and again on my playlist this weekend, and kinda captured the experience as I rode the Alabama and Florida backroads. 

Astride my Harley-Davidson Sportster S, my backpack stuffed with my Canon T5 Rebel and a change of clothes,  I set out to begin my next non-fiction book in earnest. The journey took me from the heart of the Wiregrass to the Gulf Coast. I paralleled  the Conecuh River until it changed names to the Escambia River at the Florida border, which in turn become into Escambia Bay and then Pensacola Bay.  

The book's concept is still fuzzy, but it's going to be a photographic journey retracing the steps of some of the Wiregrass's early pioneers.  In terms of the book's photography, it won't be exclusively focused on abandoned structures. Its also going to tell a story.  I don't want to give any more details because, frankly, I don't have any more details to give. In the short time I've been working on the project, the book's emphasis has morphed (mostly in response to research). I will say this project  is going to keep me in local libraries and archives a lot more than Abandoned Wiregrass. This one is going to require serious research.  I've set a personal deadline to have this book ready and published by 2024. Yep, it's going to take that long. 2024 is a hard deadline, too, as that year will have historical significance in relation to the subject material.

This weekend was a semi-serious start to this endeavor. Let's call it a light scouting expedition. I rode my bike instead of the truck because, well, its a lot more fun and gas prices. The weather was hot but perfect.  I learned a few lesson about trying to mount a photo expedition from the back of a motorcycle, the most important of which is backpacks suck. I'll need to invest in a decent saddlebag before I try this again. However, it worked out. The music played in my helmet, the miles rolled by, and before I knew it, I'd reached the Gulf of Mexico and expedition's end.
​ 
It started in the green grass, and ended at the high tides. 

It was a lot of fun, and I can't wait to do it again.  It also reminded me how much I love the place I live. 

Here are a few images from the journey. 

Day job and family has kept me busy this week, so not a lot of time for photography and writing. I've been helping my daughter learn to cook (Actually, I just drive her to the store so she can buy ingredients and then I eat what she cooks. I get the easy part.) 

We were at Wal-Mart, I noticed all the bare shelves. Like you, I've been noticing this for quite some time. I'm over 50, and this is a new phenomenon in my lifetime as an American. It harkens back to stories my grandparents told me of their childhoods, and it makes me uncomfortable to ponder it.  I don't like it. Not one bit.

​One can debate why this is happening, and I'm sure the reasons are complex. It's the baby formula that truly disturbs me. It hits me in a place only a parent can understand. The lack of outrage by the American people, and lack of urgency by our government, disturbs me even more.
 
I wandered around Wal-Mart and took a few photos of the bare shelves. Inventories were thin on many shelves that weren't completely bare. However, one section had shelves almost overflowing. Its that same section that never seemed to run "dry" even during the height of COVID lockdowns. 

No baby formula. Plenty of booze. 

It's just a snapshot in time, a few photos taken during one visit to a supermarket. ​I'm not sure what that says about us as a culture, maybe nothing. I just can't quit thinking about it.  You can draw your own conclusions.

See you next week. 

#babyformula #shortages #rationing #walmart #economy 

Senior photography should be exciting and fun for both the senior and the parents.  This should include the session and the final images. With this in mind, I now offer themed senior photo sessions. 

The theme can be practically anything, and not necessarily what the senior did in high school, or what they are going to do (or think they'll do) after graduation. It could be cosplay based on their favorite movie, book or video game. It could be historical period costume, or even a gag theme. It can be with friends and family. It's about fun, individual expression, memories and breaking away.  

​The packages can include graphic products (like the movies poster seen here) or short theme videos featuring highlights of session images. 

Nate graduates high school this year and is on his way to college.  During the initial consult, his mom showed me a photo of Nate in his restored classic car looking over a pair of Ray Bans.  It reminded me of "Risky Business" and suggested an 80s teen coming of age movie theme. Nate and mom were all in! 

The sessions include a mix of theme-based and traditional images.  For Nate's session, I also made a custom movie poster and a short video revolving around the 80s teen movie theme. 

If you're interested in a themed photo session, or any of my photography services, follow this link to contact me. Thanks for dropping by, enjoy the images,  and see you next week. 

I want to thank everyone who came out to the Piney Woods Art Festival in Enterprise, Alabama this weekend, especially those who dropped by my booth. The positive response to "Abandoned Wiregrass," as well as my prints and framed art, was overwhelming. I would especially like to thank the Coffee County Arts Alliance for hosting the event and allowing me to attend. Piney Woods has been a vital part of the community fabric in Enterprise for as long as I can remember. This was my first year participating, and I will be sure to return. 

My photo "Winter Chairs" was honored with Best In Show. This kinda blows me away, because there were some SERIOUSLY talented artists at the event. I am honored and grateful. 

It was great to see many friends drop by the booth, including old friends from college I have not seen in many years. I received an unexpected surprise when, in the festival's closing hour,  I heard a voice say "That's my shack!"  Sure enough, it was the gentleman who owns the cabin featured on the cover of Abandoned Wiregrass.  I had not seen Mr. Waters since the day I took that image. We had a great time catching up and talking about the shack's history, and other places around the local area that might be good candidates for future photos. 

I'm not sure when or where my next event will be, as the local art festival scene slows down in the summer. I'll be taking the  opportunity to keep writing my fiction novels, as well as riding the roads (on my motorcycle, of course!) looking for my next photograph.

Keep checking back for updates!

#pineywoodsartfestival #artfestival #photography #awardwinning