Get On Up - James Brown Movie - Rodney, Mississippi

I recently went to see the James Brown biography movie, Get On Up. I went because it blended both of my worlds of photography and music, two of my favorite activities! I knew that the movie was filmed in several locations across Mississippi, but when I heard they filmed a scene at the old church in Rodney, Mississippi, I had to go see it!

I watched the movie with much anticipation, thinking they would barely show the old church, or I wouldn't recognize it, but then it happened...

My heart JUMPED out of my chest, and I wanted to turn to the folks around me in the movie theatre and tell them, I KNOW THAT PLACE, I've stood right where they are standing. But it was more than that, something inside me was happy for the old church that no one ever gets to see. It is so remote and forgotten that the earth is slowly overtaking it. So, yeah, I guess I was happy that now the world was seeing it through the film

Just two weeks ago Marty Kittrell and I went to shoot the old church (again), with a new friend of ours to show it to him for the first time. Here are some photos from that day.

Well, anyway, just wanted to share this moment of my life, it was very thrilling to know that this little jewel of Mississippi was being shared with millions of movie goers around the country. This old church that we visit regularly because we know that eventually the earth will overtake it and be forgotten by all. The old church that rain and weather has already claimed most of the inside walls and ceiling, is now temporarily revitalized because the movie company shored up and cleaned up the inside for filming.

I hope to find some of the other Mississippi locations that were used in the film. To see the movie trailer for the James Brown movie "Get on Up" click here. http://youtu.be/vptGSENcXeI

To see the church yourself, take a quick trip to Rodney, here are the coordinates Just be careful and respectful of the old girl!

Latitude: 31.860774, Longitude: -91.200990

Red Barns - Gone

Digging through some old photos I took a while back and coincidentally found two red barns that are no longer with us. First, this old barn was still being used, freshly painted when I last took its picture. But the 2011 flood wiped it out. Nothing left where it once stood. It was located right off the dry side of the levee over in Mound, Louisiana.

This old barn was located in Rolling Fork, MS. The famous Graft Family Barn that recently fell after a storm blew it down.

Delta Colors

Well we once again took off into the delta this weekend and found that the delta was alive and well! The colors ranged from the rich greens of the growing crops to the orange glow of the sunrise to the reds of the rusty delta farm equipment and the blues of the beautiful summer sky. Hope you enjoy!

Right before the sun cracked the horizon, I grabbed this shot of a Marty silhouette! His blog this week focuses on the awesome sunrise we shot. Check it out!

 

Then came a beautiful sunrise!

The sun was shining bright on these gorgious delta crops

Mount Helena was alive and well. The house is huge, but seems so small against the big beautiful blue sky.

Another incredible day. I never tire of driving through my home state. No matter how much you shoot these delta monuments, we always seem to find something new!

Downtown Vicksburg

Well, we had a really short photoshoot this Saturday as all of us had to try to get home before 9! So we left the house at 5:30 hoping to catch a sunrise, but the weather really didn't cooperate this time, so we drove around downtown in our hometown of Vicksburg! Still got some great shots and paid attention to some details this time that you take for granted in your own city when you see it everyday.

This was a new site as we drove downtown! The empty lot in the foreground on this photo was where a building has stood for 70 years or so. Well they knocked it down a few weeks ago and exposed this "ghost" billboard of an old "Snowdrift shortening" and Coca Cola advertisement. Best I can tell in my internet research, the Snowdrift shortening company advertised from 1896-1920 or so, so this is pretty old!

Beautiful colors of Downtown Vicksburg

Hope you enjoy, and come visit us sometime!

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!

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!"

Day After Thanksgiving - Road Trip!

As I took off this morning, I went around a curve and saw the above cross through the woods. Such an appropriate sign to start my day.

What a wonderful day of Thanksgiving I had with family yesterday. So many things to be thankful for! I saw a church sign one time that said, "Richness is not measured by how much you have, but by how little you need". Well if that is the measurement, then I am rich beyond imagination. I have a God that saved me, a wonderful healthy family, a job I love, a beautiful wife that loves and takes care of me. So with all that in mind, I woke up this morning belly still fat and full from a day of Thanksgiving food and decided to go meet with God and take some pictures of His glory.



This old barn was so lonely sitting in the middle of this huge field.



An old truck with a bucket on the front was once a powerful tool for some farmer back in the day. Now it's just rusting away in this field.



I turned off of Hwy 3 down this side road. After a few miles, I went around the corner right after sunrise and saw the sun blasting through this Spanish moss. Slammed on brakes, jumped out and took the shot.



First shot of the morning. The fog rolling off the Yazoo River. Had to climb through a patch of woods up a hill to get a clear shot. Was in a hurry, the sun was rising and hadn't yet reached this patch of cold fog. I knew once it reached it, it would be gone. After I got back in the car I thought to myself, "Walking through the woods during hunting season. Probably not good"

Well thank you again Lord for all you do for me and my family. To all my fellow bloggers and readers, I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I'll read your blogs to catch up with how it went for you.