Blue Monday: Blue bikini

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Sunny Sunday: Lake sunset

I was out in the middle of Poverty Point reservoir for this photo

Wheels Wednesday: Steam locomotive

This train was refurbished for the upcoming Louisiana statehood bicentennial in 2012. Back in 2005 it toured the state stopping overnight in various communities before returning to Audubon park. I was lucky to catch it while it was there. I used onOne softwares Phototools2.6 and Nik FiltersSilver Efex 2 to produce it.

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That is the old Delhi depot now used as a law office.

Blue Monday

Since so many people dread Mondays I thought I would help cheer it up. Each photo will have blue as the dominate color.

I took this photo very early one morning. This is the Dawson house just north of Delhi, La.

This was some of my earliest photoshop work and my first attempt at creating a reflection. It is funny too look at these older ones and then my newer stuff. I have come far, but have far to go. I didn’t re-do the photo to remind myself where I began.

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Photo Friday: Death of a city

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This is old highway 80 or US80 through downtown Delhi, La. The building on the left is the old dairy delite drive in. The blue building on the right used to be Cutler Chevrolet, and the tan building was a service station. Downtown Delhi used to be a thriving place during to travel boom of the 50’s and 60’s.

Then the death knell. Interstate 20 was put in and bypassed Delhi to the south. Sure new shiny plastic fast food joints replaced the old drive ins like the Dairy delite and the Sip and Nip. The convenience stores replaced the old downtown stores and the service stations. Fast, quick and convenient replaced quality, friendly family owned service. No one socialized around the drive ins on Saturday night. Our hang out in Winnsboro was Jeanettes then the name was changed to Shipley’s drive in. We spent many hours in the parking lot or cruising downtown. The same was done in Delhi on the weekends.

I have become more of a two lane back road person than an interstate speed demon. I guess I like to stop and smell the memory of cooking oil and ice cream.

I chose this dark dreary day for my photo as it symbolizes the fate of many small towns downtown area when the big interstate rolls through.

Old versus new

The city park in Delhi, La. is a place of marked contrast. You first have playground equipment from at least the ’60’s and then you have the newer, plastic, colorful junk. The old metal stuff I first remember playing on in the mid ’60’s. You know the type, the old merry go round, the metal monkey bars and such.

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Some of the new plastic junk is already coming apart. It will never last 40 or 50 years. I wonder how many little hands and butts it took to get the smooth finish on that metal. None of it is rusted so it is still in use. When I was a kid every park, playground, or school yard, had see-saws, monkey bars,

merry-go-round

and a slide.

But to city planners the new colorful plastic junk makes it seem more appealing. However, if you go by you will see the kids still on the old metal equipment. The Delhi city park is on the side of US Hwy 80 another timeless wonder, from another time, that refuses to go away. Replaced by a new shiny interstate. Charles Kuralt said ” Interstates give you the ability to go coast to coast, and see nothing.” It is like this new versus old in the playground. New shiny plastic fast Gee Whiz or the old slower time-tested fun.

It is a sign of the times, nothing is built to last. I call it the “disposable age”. We have become a throw away society. It started with the Bic lighter. Now, no one carries a 20 year old pocket knife, or uses an old Zippo lighter. Real razors are passe replaced by the plastic, one use, throw away. Maybe we should go back to metal and steel designed to last a lifetime and forget the plastic disposable.

Dance

Last week I had the privilege of shooting a young girl that is a dance student, at a local dance studio. She wanted one photo with New York as the background. I proceeded to place her on top of a building with the New York skyline as the background. This took about 4 hours work and some 5 different photos.

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The original version

Color version

B&W version

I will have a tutorial on how to do this this week. Please let me know what you think

Photo of the week: Michelle

Shot at the waterfall on the Bayou Macon.

Photo Friday:Michelle

I had a swimsuit shoot with Miss Michelle. I took her to the park at Delhi and shot in the late afternoon sun.

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10 years

I was reflecting on this past decade and the first of this new century. There have been many changes, both personally and globally.

In March of 2000, I was married with a step-son and had just landed a job as maintenance supervisor at a nursing home. We got our first computer. Life seemed to be good.

For the first major event, I was walking, at work, when an aide called me into a room to see the TV. They were showing the first  jet to hit the WTC. while I was standing there the second hit and I knew it was not an accident. The world had changed forever.

The best friend I had, in this world passed away. Little “Maxi” Goodwin Jr. Even though Maxi was older than me he always seemed like a younger brother. I can’t imagine the hours I spent at his parents house. It was like a second home. I looked forward to our Saturday trip to Monroe. Next to losing my mother this hurt the worst. I still miss him today.

Then in 2002 I had a chance to go to Brazil and help build a church. I got my first digital camera, that revived my love of photography. This was a chance to give back for the good fortune I had. I was only there 3 days when I had another life changing event. I blood clot caused me to have a massive heart attack. I spent almost two weeks in the university hospital, before suddenly being sent home. I was still wondering why the sudden turn around when they said it would be at least another week before I could return home.

Upon arrival, I knew something was wrong, when my two sisters were not there. Then my brother came in to tell me my youngest sister’s husband had been killed in a car wreck. Once again things changed forever.

That was in July, I was unable to work and when my compensation ran out we were living on my wife’s small salary. By September I was working part-time, even though I wasn’t supposed too. I didn’t think life could get any worse. Then in November my wife lost her job. It had gotten worse. We were living on $97 a week unemployment.

During this time one of my nephews, and friends died. Bill ” Buford” Brown. I will miss his unexpected drop in visits. We grew up together as I am closer to his age than my brothers and sisters.

However, she soon got another job and my  health allowed me to work full-time even though I lost the nursing home job. I upgraded my digital camera and was taken many more photos. By 2004 we were doing quite well. I even had a new truck. I upgraded again to my first digital SLR camera. Things were about to change. In May, my wife and I split and I moved to Delhi with my sister. I lost all my camera gear and was back to some old film cameras. It was tough but by August 2005 I was getting back on my feet. I got another digital SLR and was shooting a few weddings.

Then Hurricane Katrina hit followed by Hurricane Rita. Gas was in short supply so I moved to Crowville, with my nephew, to be closer to work. If we could work. We missed so much work, that fall, I got so far behind on my truck notes, that by February 2006 I lost it to the bank. I had no vehicle, no work and no place of my own.

Things picked up by spring and I got a mini van and started to come back around. My photography picked up. Things went along pretty smooth, I should have known change was in the wind. Then the call came. One of my favorite nieces son, David was killed in a car wreck. Once again life would never be the same.

September 2008 was bad. It rained for days. Work was slow. Then my other sister’s husband had to go into the hospital. He never came out. Lung cancer got him. I had lost the man who was like a father. That had introduced me to the outdoors, hunting, fishing and my love of making things. Life changed again.

Then February 2009 I lost my job with my long time partner and friend. I did not know what to do. 53 years old and a bad heart is not the time to start over, but I went to work at my nephews motorcycle shop and life was good again. Then that fall it rained more than usual, worked slowed to a crawl and by December, I was out of a job again.

That was kind of up and down decade, for me. Now it is spring and things look better. Maybe this decade will be different. It is said that “Things that do not kill you, only make you stronger. Without my sister’s I would never have made it.