I Heart Faces Photo Challenge - Oh So Silly!

My followers remember Mr. Slim from the Mississippi Delta! The story goes as my wife and friends were photography free styling when we came up on an old country store in Greenville, Mississippi. My wife goes inside while I am shooting the old gas pumps outside, when all of the sudden she burst outside and said, "You have GOT to come see this man!" She knows I love faces and people that exude "character". Well Slim was everything I wanted in a picture and more!

I asked if I could take his photo, and the other old men in the store starting "ragging" him. It was hilarious! They were saying things like "Show 'em your good side slim!", or "Show 'em your teeth slim!".  I started shooting and he sat there real still, but then unprovoked he started "posing". Like a supermodel that needed a good shave, he puts his hand to his rugged face and his pose was the shot you see here.

I am submitting this photo to the IHeartFaces silly photo contest. It may not seem as silly as some of the other faces in the contest, but for ole slim, it was as silly as he will ever get!

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! )

Good Morning God, We Are Never Alone

Re-discovered this photo the other day when I was going through some of my older collections. Sometimes it's the photo that you glanced over the first time that grabs your eye with a new meaning when you revisit it later. I figure it's because when we first capture it that maybe we aren't in a position in life that resonates with the soul of the picture, but when we revisit it later our life circumstances are different somehow, that makes us now connect with the photo in a different way. Something about this picture when I first took it reminded me that as I start losing my older generation family members and as my children are heading off to college that sometimes we can feel like this tree. Once surrounded by all of its other family of trees and probably an old homestead that once rang out with kids laughing and playing now stands alone in the middle of the field. But today when I pulled out this photo, I didn't see the negative. As I now stare at this photo I notice that the tree is not drooping or sad, I see a tree that is standing tall and proud. I see a tree that still serves a mighty purpose as it gives shade to the farmer that plows every spring. And most importantly I see a tree that gets to see the glory of God every morning rise over the horizon to remind it that He is still in control and radiant in a supernatural way that shines light into our lives more that we could ever know. Good morning God, no matter what we are never alone.

Tallahatchie Flats

A while back my wife surprised me with a weekend getaway. I didn't know where we would end up, but when she told me to grab my camera and she turned up 61 North highway, I knew it was going to be good. We ended up at a place called Tallahatchie Flats (www.tallahatchieflats.com). I had been to the Shack Up Inn a few times, so I was curious to experience this new place.

Right on the banks of the Tallahatchie River, these small rural homes give you the experience that the old blues families might have had back in the day! Here are some photos from the journey as well as the destination!

Memorial Day

Marty took me to the National Cemetery this past Memorial Day and the Vicksburg National Military Park. They put out the flags every year to honor our fallen heros. Believe it or not, this was my first time to ever experience the flags and take the time to walk through the cemetery and reflect on the sacrifice of our soldiers from long ago. It was an honor to walk through such sacred ground and capture the red, white and blue.

Nitta Yuma, Mississippi Firetrucks

There's some kinda story behind the items of the pictures I take. A history that I may never know. For example, what fires were fought with this old Ford firetruck? Who were the men that knew how to run it? As I walked around this truck, I imagined the old timers that jumped in responding to the old barns on fire. How did they find out there was a fire? There was no 911, probably no phones to call. Did the family in need have to run down the road and bang on the door? What kind of sound did the siren make?

Next time your driving up 61 North, look off the left side of the road and maybe you'll spot this old treasure. See pictures below or click here for all my Nitta Yuma, Mississippi photos

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"!

Vicksburg - Beautiful Day

Went shooting with Marty this past weekend. We thought it was going to rain and we would miss the sunrise, but boy did God have other plans. We saw so many colors in the sky. It was beautiful! Here are some random shots around Vicksburg from that day.

An old bridge on Hwy 80 right out of Vicksburg.

The sunrise was so colorful

Yet another old piano wasting away in the elements. Found in an old abandoned church off of Tucker Road.

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!