Missed Opportunities

I first saw this gentleman in Rolling Fork, Mississippi about a year ago. My son and I left Vicksburg around 3:30 in the afternoon and headed up 61 North to the Mississippi Delta looking for some great Delta photos. As we drifted into Rolling Fork, Mississippi and headed downtown, I turned the corner and there he was. My heart jumped out of my chest as a photographer, the sun was setting and giving perfect light, he was rolling right down the middle of the road so the composition was perfect, the Jesus tag on the back of his chair could inspire someone that saw my photo, and the icing on the cake was this old glory flag waiving in the breeze as he moved. It was the PERFECT picture! Only one problem, my camera had the wrong lens on and he turned the corner as I frantically tried to switch it out. My heart sank.... I was sick to my stomach... A missed opportunity that I will never get back... or so I thought....

About a year later, I was out with my friend Marty and we ended up in Rolling Fork again. I wasn't even thinking I would see this gentleman again. But there he was.

This time I was disappointed. The sun wasn't setting, he wasn't in the middle of the street, the flag was all crinkled up. I even had the right lens on this time, but wasn't excited about the shot. All I could remember, is that the last time I saw him I could have had the perfect photo, and that this time it just wasn't the same. But instead of driving away, I pulled over and introduced myself to Mr. J.C. I shared my story about me seeing him a year ago, and we talked and talked. You see, what I thought was a missed opportunity a year ago, was quickly revealed to me that this was the real opportunity. Had I got the shot a year ago, he would have sped away and we would have never spoken and all I would have ended up with was a photo. By seeing J.C. a year later, I talked to him, heard his story and we shared our love for Jesus and what he has done for us. What I thought was a missed opportunity was God fostering an encounter with a fellow believer that I would have missed otherwise. Next time you think that God isn't listening, remember that it is in His time that his path for us is revealed, not ours.


Side note: J.C.? really, (Jesus Christ? Hey, it is on his license plate! )

A Lazy Saturday! - More Delta Faces

This past Saturday Marty Kittrell and I went on one of the longest photo excursions we've done in quite a while. It was such a beautiful day! Marty will tell you, while I love to capture old buildings and wildlife, nothing warms my heart more than capturing the faces of the Mississippi Delta. Here is my new friend "JC". I saw him going down the road in Rolling Fork about a year ago, and I missed the chance to get his photo. Saturday when I saw him again, I told Marty to whip around and let me talk to him. When I asked if I could take his picture, he said "sure".

Here are some delta fishermen that were fishing on the side of the road down highway 465. This young man had a smile that I'll never forget. Such a sweet spirit and loved telling me about the one that got away!

The sombrero made this gentleman a true character! A quiet man but in the few minutes they let me spend with them he caught two fish!

You could almost see the relief on their faces knowing that supper was caught and the pressure was off!

Thanks guys for letting me spend some time with you guys!

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!

Big Red Barn - Rolling Fork

Took a few pictures of the "Big Red Barn" in Rolling Fork a few weeks ago. I never tire of visiting it. It seems like we find a different angle every time we visit. Better grab pictures while we can, I've read where they are actually going to renovate the barn into some type of cultural center. If you know any more information about the renovation let me know.

Delta Sunrise

Took off Saturday morning with my friends Marty and Jerry and went straight into the heart of the Mississippi Delta. We drove straight up 61 North not knowing what to expect or see. The rain was falling, so we thought a sunrise would be hard to find with all the clouds. Well about 6:45 the clouds started breaking and the sun was a bright orange as it tried to find a peephole through the storm! Boy o boy did we find a sunrise! Here is the "Big Red Barn" silhouetted with the awesome Delta sky.

This tree was on the east side of the highway straight across from the barn

On Marty's blog this week he discussed the rare "double shotgun" house we found. Here is my shot of what I called the "Delta Duplex"!