holiday house

It's a bit late to be posting a festive image, but whateve. I head out to the Arkansas State Capitol to capture some of the holiday decorations. I managed the shots sans tripod in some fairly low light. I guess I hadn't been inside the Capitol since a Elementary School field trip. I had forgotten just how grand everything feels in there. I might have to go back and try to get some pictures without the decorations.

spiritual building blocks

I spotted this little church in Scott, Arkansas a while back. I didn't manage any good shots then, so I had it in mind for a reshoot for a while. I wanted to give it the Holga treatment. Here's a wider view of the place:

hit the road, jack

I'm a sucker for a good vanishing point and/or road shot. I try my best to only take these on a fairly straight stretch of road, because I like life more than a good photo. I finally managed to get a decent one in the fog. Usually the fog isn't thick enough for this to work right. I played around with curves in Photoshop until the roadside blended better and the yellow line popped. I hope you guys like the edit!

directing

Photography is a lot of things for me. I use it to remember and document my life. I use it to kill time. I use it as an excuse to go explore. It makes me happy. Sometimes it's a distraction and I use it to cope when something bad has happened. Maybe it's my adult version of a security blanket. It tends to be something I can go no matter what is going on. Sometimes it reinforces joy and sometimes it creates joy from the ashes of whats broken.

It's funny I can look at most of my pictures and tell what sort of mood I was in, even if it was a mood I didn't recognize at the time.

I was in a mood and took off for Northwest Arkansas for a few days in early December. I spent most of my time wandering in a haze just thinking about life and taking pictures. I came home in a better state of mind and with some pretty cool pictures. The shot above was taken in Prairie Grove, Arkansas. I love finding interesting little churches.

busting out

If cameras were people my 40D would be the type to just give in to whatever I say. If it did something weird it'd be from my own short-sightedness. There is no real surprises with the 40D. My holgas are like the friends you have for life yet never know what they will do next. It's a wild card. I've had entire rolls of film be rubbish. I actually been close a few times to throwing my 120N in the trash. I've thought, "Forget it. I'll use up the rest of this film, then I'm done!" Then the Holga turns things around and kicks out some great photos. If it were a relationship, Miss Holga and I would list our status as "it's complicated" on Facebook.

Miss Holga and I seem to be in a good place when it comes to black and white film. I shot two rolls back-to-back about a month ago. Every shot ended up being something I loved. Above is a shot from Scott, Arkansas. I like a lot of the little towns on Lonoke County. There's so many interesting old buildings.

pinch me

I'm pretty grounded even if I do tend to be a bit arty and weird at times. It's rare I catch myself in what feels like a waking dream. It's so, so rare to completely (100%, from my head to my toes, from inside out) enjoy life. It's a blessing when it happens. This was one of those days. I tend to get a lot of great photos on these days. Here's some examples. (1 | 2 | 3)

As I've mentioned Dismal Creek happens to be a gem. It's one of the most beautiful areas I've been lucky enough to explore. The sight of a waterfall (The Glory Hole) that has slowly formed a hole through the bluff it once flowed over is breathtaking. It seems so fragile yet powerful at the same time.

watching water rise

People don't seem to see much value in Lake Conway. I've always liked it. I find all the trees and stumps interesting. I say that, but growing up my dad took mom and I out on a small fishing boat and got stuck on a stump. (I think it was at Lake Conway anyway.) I was very young and afraid of the water. I started imagining the boat would tip over before the end of it. My mom was already laughing hysterically that we were stuck. I started crying out of fear. My dad was flustered that we were stuck, and he started cussing. I imagine if anyone had happened to see a family cussing, laughing, and crying they would have thought we were crazy.

I think depending on your view of the world the lake makes for great photos. I've gotten a few beautiful sunsets on the lake and managed to make myself late meeting friends. The day I took this shot was not a good sunset day, but the bleakness meant I could get some decent moody black and white shots.