Rodney, Mississippi - Time Stands Still

Once upon a time there was a town called "Rodney, Mississippi". Located in Jefferson County about 32 miles from Natchez, Rodney was once only three votes away from being the capital of the Mississippi territory. A bustling river town, commerce and trade made Rodney the center of attention in this region. According to Wikipedia, Rodney was noted for its high level of culture, county fairs and business activity. Rodney once contained a bank, a newspaper, 500 people and 35 stores, artists, theater, lecture hall, schools, debating society, churches, jockey club and thespian groups.

Among the businesses fronting on Commerce and Magnolia Streets were a bank, wagon makers, tinsmiths, barbers, doctors, dentists, general mercantile stores, hotels, saloons, and pastry shops. Also, Mississippi Lodge # 56, Free and Accepted Masons was located in Rodney from the 1850's to the 1920's. it was not unusual for traveling thespians on the show boats to play at Rodney and use the Masonic Hall for their performances.

Cottonseed development, riverboat landings, taverns and high literacy made Rodney a leading river town.

There was only one problem with Rodney, you see the entire economy was based on the Mississippi River. And one day the river just... went away. The Mississippi River moved westward a mile or two because the Mississippi River is very unstable in this area and it moves around a lot. When this happened the population of Rodney basically went to zero.

Also, there was / is a huge Rodney Town Cemetery. It is now abandoned and very heavily overgrown. Many people from across the Mississippi River brought their dead to Rodney and buried them above the overflow line.

Well that's all I have to say about Rodney today, but if you get the chance I highly encourage you to find your way there. Here are a few more photos from my journey to Rodney, Mississippi.




An old gas pump from the corner drug store



The old Court House



A broom propped in the corner of the Baptist church



The old Masonic Lodge

Southern Snow

Sorry for the long delay. This is my first winter as a photographer and to be honest I am really struggling with the winter palette! This summer and fall provided colorful landscapes with plenty of saturation and I fell in love with the Autumn opportunities. But I am coming out of my Winter blues and really looking for the right frames to capture with this new landscape. Here are some of the photos captured from this last Winter blast through the deep South!



This angel face couldn't be hidden by the snow.


The Old Courthouse Museum was beautiful with the snow blanket.




The Mississippi River Bridge was an awesome site!

Happy New Year!

Sorry for the long pause between posts. Christmas is behind us now and I hope your like me and ready to take on the new year! I am so blessed. I have great friends, a great family, a great church and a great God who takes care of me every day. I did get out over the holiday's and take a few pictures. Hope you enjoy.

We were in perfect position (thanks to Marty!) for this BEAUTIFUL sunrise. The winter cold had long claimed these plants, but when you frame them inside the sunrise reflection they come back to life! 

 

Raw Emotion - People of the South

Someone once told me that you'll take enough pictures until you finally figure out what you "like" to shoot. Well, I've got a year of photography under my belt and it's a clear favorite that I like capturing natural emotions of people. No "say cheese" shots for me, no way no how. I like to capture emotions that are natural and spontaneous. That is hard for a photographer, not only because of the legalities of it all, but because you have to actually be there with the perfect lighting, perfect attitudes, perfect everything to get that perfect "people" shot. Here are some of my favorites from 2009.

These young men were at the Veteran's day celebration we had in Vicksburg, Mississippi this year. That was one awesome event. I talked to the old timers and loved hearing their stories. I know that they loved telling them. For more Veterans' day photos of that day, click here.

This is my Godson, Brayden. He is a Southern character! He is one of a kind that has this personality that is infectious. He is spoiled rotten, but somehow you put up with it. Which is not me. I have a tendency to try to "fix" spoiled children. But Brayden always gets me laughing before I can "fix" him.

 

Here are some shots from Downtown Vicksburg this past summer. Kids playing in the water at "Catfish Row" water park. My wife and I had the best time just talking with the parents and kids. After we took the pictures, we give the parents my website so they can go download them all for free!

 

Of course, my favorite character of the year was Mr. Clovis. See my blog just on him. Check out these random shots of the many Southern characters I met in 2009. The second shot is Mr. Earl, and the third shot is Mr. Rodgers.

 

But, because I am married and my wife makes me take some "say cheese" shots, I do occasionally takes the kids and their friends out to take a few candid shots. Here are my kids.

 

Well, that is a pretty long blog. Thanks for hangin in there with me. This will be my first full winter to shoot photos in, so I am looking forward to revisiting some of the same places we went to this summer, but from a winter perspective. You guys have a wonderful and merry Christmas!

Southern Places - Beauty Everywhere

The southern United States. Mississippi, Louisiana and other southern states have such a unique landscape. There is so much beauty in just normal everyday southern stuff. Buildings, landscapes, or tires leaning on a tree. Enjoy some of my random shots of the south.

Cary, Mississippi - This old cotton gin was still very much operational when we stopped by. This shot was off the front of the building. The combination of broken glass, rusted tin, and water logged signs tell me this Gin has been processing cotton for many years.

 Driving through Pioneer, Louisiana this summer, we were flying down a back road highway when I looked out the window and saw this shot. It looks like the tires are all resting after a hard days work in the field.

This is one of my favorite piano shots. This one in particular was in an old abandoned church on the side of the road in the Mississippi delta up Highway 61 North. Rain had leaked into the building over the years and the wood was warping all around it. But on this day the sun was shining through the window. The piano was facing the window and seemed to be begging for someone to play it. For all my piano shots click here.

The lilies were all in full bloom this summer at Lake Hamilton near Port Gibson, Mississippi. This particular bloom was reaching high for the sunshine. It was one beautiful day. For more Lake Hamilton shots, click here.

Lake Providence, Louisiana - This boat shelter was rusting away, but the reflection on the beautiful water that day gave me a great shot. The contrast of colors between the green background and the rust colors of the building are the kind of contrast I love to find in a photograph.

So, like I said random shots from my random driving around the South. These are things that in the past I may have glanced at and never thought about again. With the gift of photography, I'm able to capture them in a single moment in time and admire their beauty forever.

Delta - "Mayor of Black Bayou"

Ladies and gentlemen meet Mr. Jimmie Rodgers. Mr. Rodgers is the junk man of the delta! He has been in the junkyard business since 1971 when he bought his place and started it from scratch.





I was out and about his junkyard looking (and photographing) the old tractors around his place, when I heard the strangest sounds coming from the back of the lot.



That's when I first met Molly and Jill.







No, not his kids, but his donkeys! Molly is the mom and Jill is her daughter. He loves having horses, mules, and other critters around. Mr. Rodgers says, "They help with the grass cutting." The Rodger's family live on "VFW road" and folks around consider him the "Mayor of Black Bayou", cause he is forever into what's happening around the neighborhood and everyone around comes to the junkyard to find out any new news. The bayou that runs along the road is call Black Bayou.

Just one more "Character of the Delta". More to come ...

Yazoo River - Reflection

It was very early, about an hour before sunrise when I snuck out of bed to get dressed. My wife doesn't mind that I get up so early to beat the sunrise for pictures, but she very much minds when I wake her up asking her where my long johns are. It was cold on this morning. At least down to 40 degrees (I can see you northern folks laughing now) yes us southern folks think 40 degrees is cold, heck we close the schools if it gets to 32 degrees! I was excited a little more than usual because Marty was taking us somewhere I'd never been before. We were going to the Yazoo river. There are several levees there and their water reflects the sunrise like a shiny glass and would give us the opportunity for some awesome pictures. The funny part is that these levees were less than 20 miles from my front door and I had never been there before. I'm discovering that a lot these days. All the pictures around me in my own home tome that I've looked over for my 41 years.

So Annnywhooo, it was about a 100 ft walk from the top of the levee to the edge of the water, and it was DARK! And in Mississippi there are critters everywhere around the water. Snakes, alligators, etc. So Marty takes off toward the water and I naively walk behind him making as much noise as I can. I hear things splashing in the water, but I cant see anything yet. Hoping an alligator doesnt grab me, I get in position for taking pictures!

Then the sun started to rise! Oh my stars! When I see the photos in front of me. Here is my first shot of the morning after it got light enough, the sun just starting the break the horizon, it was then I noticed the FOG! How great for God to add a touch of fog to the photo! This lonely tree sits there every morning waiting on the sun to rise. Today it was showing off for us because usually no one is there to see its beauty.

Click on the pictures to see them full frame



The sun started rising and pushing the gray skies out of the way! It was like someone spilled a glass of orange soda and it was running through the sky.



There is Mr. Sun! He finally peaks over the horizon!



Until finally he is out in full glory! Here is a wide shot of what was in front of me the whole time.



You have to get out of bed before sunrise to see a sunrise. I'd never seen a sunrise on purpose over the last 40 years. Now, if I wake up before sunrise I almost can here the sun calling my name to tell me, "Don't miss me today, it is going to be awesome!"