From the Barefoot Files...

This is a photo I like to look at.  It shows three guys posing for a photo on someone's car.  It must be winter -- no leaves on the trees and they look like they are dressed for cool weather.  I think I know where this is -- but I can't quite make my brain remember exactly.  The building looks very familiar.

My Uncle John (grandma's brother) is on the left and a family friend is on the right.  I can't quite place the guy in the middle -- but I know when my mother sees this, she will email me with who that is.  I like the cars, the clothes, the shadows, and ruts in the parking lot.  The lines in the mud go from the lower corner straight to the car and men -- leading your eye to the subject.

Southern Memories: Part One

Last week I wrote about SlowExposures.  Things are starting to get busy!  Today I am going to the Whiskey Bonding Barn in Molena to unpack the photos received.  Opening reception for Southern Memories: Part One is Friday at 5pm.  Can I say how thrilled I am to be in a show curated by John A. Bennette and with this great collection of photographers?  

The photographers in this show are:

Raymond Adams

William Boling

Sheila Pree Bright

William A. Chamberlain

Brenda Fayard

Bill Gillespie

Rob Hann

Jessica Hines

Jane Robbins Kerr

Joanna Knox

Kendall Messick

Donna Rosser

Anderson Scott

Jerry Siegel

David Simonton

Jo Lynn Still

Gordon Stettinius

Colton Vincent

Hai Zhang

From the Barefoot Files...

All day I had been thinking of what photo would I use on the blog today.  Late this afternoon I called my mother.  She and my aunt had been out today -- to lunch -- shopping -- mainly just riding around.  My mother said it was a beautiful day to get out of the house.  

Here is a photo of my mother (left) and my aunt taken in the early 1940s.  This must have been another day that they had fun getting out of the house.  Looking at the photo closely (and I don't know if you can see it online) it looks like my mother is missing her two front teeth.  

SlowExposures

Ok -- so imagine my disappointment that nothing I submitted to the jurors for the 2010 SlowExposures exhibit made the cut.  In reality, the disappointment lasted a few minutes -- then I remembered all that I had going on and that well, when you submit work for a juried show -- it can be a crap shoot.  When I show gets are many entries as Slow gets -- it is hard.  I know from directing Nature Undisturbed that many good images don't make it into a show because there just is not space.

Also -- a little cherry on my sundae lately is being included in the Southern Memories: Part One exhibit curated by John Bennette.  I have three pieces in this show.  There are many great photographers in the collection.  I simply cannot wait to see them all together.  Many of the photographers are also coming to the show.  It will be exciting to meet them.  

Months ago I received a phone call from Mr. Bennette asking about a photo I had on my website.  He wanted to have it in the exhibit.  He asked me about other photos I had -- so I sent some to him to review.  He chose another photo from that group.  So it was set -- I had two photos in this wonderful group.  Then, during another phone call, I told him about a shoot I had been on earlier that day.  I had found a wonderful little cemetery by the side of the road.  I have a plan to write a blog about the cemetery in the future.  He asked to see a photo from that group and it ended up in the show.  

I think my favorite is a photo of the interior of the old R.F. Strickland Bldg. in Concord, GA -- the site of the SlowExposures exhibit and dinner.  I took this photo the first time I was in the show.  The building has since been renovated.

I am really looking forward to the Southern Memories show opening and also SlowExposures.  I have a lot of photo friends in the show.  Other satellite shows during Slow include an exhibit of Malgosia Florkowska's photos, The Joy of Farming and Diane Kirkland has a collection on display at A Novel Experience in Zebulon.  It will be a busy two weeks!

From the Barefoot Files...

Here I am in the living room of our old house.  We lived in the house until I was about 10 years old.  This photo reminds me of a Sunday night -- hair washed, pajamas on, sitting on the couch waiting for The Wonderful World of Disney to come on.  The chair that is all the way on the right -- just partially -- was the chair the cat always sat in.  If someone would come over and sit in the cat's chair, the cat would sit at their feet and stare at them.

I like this photo a lot.  I like it not so much because it is me -- but it shows a lot of a space I spent a lot of time in as a child.  The chairs, table, couch, and doilies all bring back lots of memories.  Many times we think about preserving photos of people from our past.  Just as important is to preserve and have those photos showing places.