My Final Commercial Photography Gig?

WMBW Radio Chattanooga Morning Show personalities Tom and Tabi.

Last Wednesday I loaded my location photography equipment -- lights, stands, tripod, and cameras -- in my truck, and drove to Chattanooga for what may be my last commercial photography assignment. It was staff portraits for Radio Station WMBW, the local Moody Radio network affiliate. WMBW has been a client for at least 35 years. 

I say it may be my last gig, but who knows for sure? I said the same thing two and a half years ago after doing staff portraits for the same client before embarking on more than two years of RV living and travel. I'm no longer actively seeking commercial photography work, but I still enjoy doing it. So if someone asks me, I'm not going to turn down the opportunity. Granted, there aren't many 86-year-old commercial photographers around, but if I'm able to do the work, if I enjoy doing it, and if there's no good reason not to do it, then I'm going to do it.

One of my heroes is Julius Schulman, probably the greatest architectural photographer ever. He retired in his 80s, got bored after a while, and went back to work until his death at age 99, getting around with a walker and an assistant to carry his camera and tripod. 

Another of my heroes is the Biblical Caleb, the contemporary of Joshua. As the Israelites were occupying the land of Canaan, Caleb went to Joshua and said (paraphrasing) "I'm 85 years old. My eyes are still good and I'm as strong as ever. So give me this mountain and I'll drive out the giants."  

I'm not looking for giants to kill, but I do want to stay open to any opportunities that may come along. Who knows?

(Fuji X-T20 camera, Fujicron XC16-50mm f3.5-5.6 lens. Photogenic and Neewer studio flash units.)

Signed copies of the second edition of Backroads and Byways of Georgia are now available. The price is $22.95 plus $3.95 shipping. My PayPal address is djphoto@vol.com. Or, you can mail a check to me at 8943 Wesley Place, Knoxville, TN 37922. Include your address and tell me how you would like your book inscribed.

Check out the pictures at my online gallery: https://davejenkins.pixels.com/  Looking is free, and you might find something you like.

Photography and text copyright 2023 David B.Jenkins.

I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.

Soli Gloria Deo -- For the glory of God alone.

Tags: WMBW Moody Radio    commercial photography   photography   Fuji cameras    Photogenic    Neewer    Julius Schulman

23 Years of Neglect

 Rock City Barn NC-10. Bryson City, North Carolina.

You may have difficulty recognizing it, but this is the little red Rock City barn in Bryson City, North Carolina that I pictured in my previous post.

As I mentioned in my post of July 14, I had an assignment from Blue Ridge Country magazine to revisit the Rock City barns in the Smoky Mountains that were pictured in my book Rock City Barns: A Passing Era and do a photo-feature about them. I did the photography the first weekend of February, 2019 and the article appeared in the May-June issue that year.

Some barns were missing, of course, but I found nine that were still standing. Most of them a little worse for wear, but surprisingly, not changed all that much after 23 years. One even looked better because the owners had installed new siding.

But my favorite, this little barn in Bryson City, North Carolina that I photographed in December, 1995 was almost unrecognizable beneath its load of vines. If you look carefully you can still see part of the See Rock City sign. I think this landmark barn could be saved if someone were to cut away the vines and prop it up a bit, but apparently the owners feel no incentive to do that. 

Sad.

(Fuji X-T1 camera, Fujichron XC 16-50mm f3.5-5.6 OIS-II lens.)

Signed copies of the second edition of Backroads and Byways of Georgia are now available. The price is $22.95 plus $3.95 shipping. My PayPal address is djphoto@vol.com. Or, you can mail a check to me at 8943 Wesley Place, Knoxville, TN 37922. Include your address and tell me how you would like your book inscribed.

Check out the pictures at my online gallery: https://davejenkins.pixels.com/  Looking is free, and you might find something you like.

Photography and text copyright 2023 David B.Jenkins.

I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.

Soli Gloria Deo -- For the glory of God alone.

Tags: Travel   Rock City  barns   photography  Fuji cameras   North Carolina   Bryson City

Painted-Over Barns

 Rock City Barn NC-10. Bryson City, North Carolina.

The Federal Highway Beautification Act in the 1960s (The so-called "Ladybird Law," named for President Johnson's wife) forced Rock City to stop painting many barns. Worse, they were required to obliterate many signs by painting over them. 

Fortunately the paint-overs didn't weather well. On this barn the red has worn away from the letters, making it one of only two only red-and-white Rock City barns around. Last I heard, they planned to touch it up with some fresh, new white. (The other one was the "Birdhouse Barn," which stood for years beside Interstate 75 in Dalton, Georgia before being moved to a site in the valley below Rock City.)

The Highway Beautification Act has made many stretches of highway, especially interstates, terminally boring. I sometimes see people reading books or magazines as they drive. They would be safer reading signs. As for beauty, what could be more beautiful than a Rock City barn? 

I kinda miss Burma-Shave signs too.

(I made this photograph in Bryson City, North Carolina on December 29, 1995 while Louise and I were on a Christmas-week trip to visit the Biltmore House in Asheville. Canon EOS A2 camera, Fujichrome film.)

The second edition of Backroads and Byways of Georgia is almost ready to ship. Watch this space for ordering instructions.

Check out the pictures at my online gallery: https://davejenkins.pixels.com/  Looking is free, and you might find something you like.

Photography and text copyright 2023 David B.Jenkins.

I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.

Soli Gloria Deo -- For the glory of God alone.

Tags: Travel   Rock City Barns   Photography   Canon Cameras   Fujichrome   North Carolina   Bryson City  Asheville   Biltmore House

From Gay to Social Circle

Approaching Gay's only traffic light.

Intersection of Gay-Concord Road and GA Highway 85

Meriwether County

 

Georgia abounds in places with unusual names. Beside the abovementioned Gay and Social Circle, there are Flowery Branch and Dewy Rose, Ninety Six, Experiment, Court Ground, Ball Ground (two of them), Philomath (lover of mathematics, perhaps?), Talking Rock, Snake Nation, Hard Cash, Boozeville, Whistleville, Hub Junction, Loco, Shake Rag, Snapfinger, Trickum and Po Biddy Cross-roads. The names roll off the tongue like poetry.

If you’re a cad from Cad in Fannin County you can find a Broad in Wilkes County or a Hooker in Dade County.

We have lots of logs: Pine Log, Gumlog, Cherry Log and even Ivylog. 

Pickens County has a Ludville. Are the folks who live there Luddites?

We also have Amity, Benevolence, and Temperance, which must surely lead to Tranquility.

And perhaps the most beautiful and evocative name of all, Rising Fawn. 

Hopeulikit. (That’s in Bulloch County.)

 

The second edition of Backroads and Byways of Georgia is almost ready to ship. Watch this space for ordering instructions.

Check out the pictures at my online gallery: https://davejenkins.pixels.com/  Looking is free, and you might find something you like.

Photography and text copyright 2023 David B.Jenkins.

I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.

Soli Gloria Deo -- For the glory of God alone.

Tags: Travel   Photography   Georgia