High water at Vicksburg

The river is certainly rising at Vicksburg. These two photos were taken from the DiamondJacks Casino parking lot last week when the water had just hit the flood stage of 43 feet. The photos were taken just after sunset and the sky threw some wonderful colors on the water. I couldn't decide whether I liked the vertical or horizontal photo better, so I just posted them both! Go by City Front when you get a chance and see for yourself the progression of the floodwater. It's an impressive sight. 

Sunset at the bridges

My wife, Karen, and I were lucky enough to be out and about in Vicksburg Friday afternoon and we took time to watch this spectacular sunset go down behind the bridges over the Mississippi River. What beauty! Again, this is another example of God's Glory. The one thing that you cannot see in these photos are the purple martins who filled the air swooping in and out and all about. Have you been to the overlook lately and viewed the majestic Mississippi River? Don't take it for granted. It will bless your heart to take it all in at least every once in a while!

Long may she wave...

I photograph the flag atop the Hwy. 80 bridge across the Mississippi River quite a lot. Like other subjects I shoot multiple times, however, I have never taken the same one twice. I like what our flag stands for and I am always proud when I see it flapping in the breeze.

The four photos here have been taken recently. 

• The top photo was taken during a fiery sunset. 

• The second photo is a different photo — it was taken of the flag at sunrise; the early morning sun gave it a whole new look. Usually I shoot the bridge at sunset when the flag is backlit. 

• The third photo is different for me, because the whole photo is pretty gray, except for the colors of the flag. It really stood out on this day.

• I love when cloud formations obscure part of the sunset. I can't resist taking a photo then. Throw in a fully unfurled flag and the picture is perfect!

Nighttime in Downtown...black and white style

These nighttime shots are intriguing to me. They make downtown look mysterious. Like it's hiding secrets. 

• The top photo, to me, works best in black and white because of the shadows cast on the wall and the way the light spotlights the window. 

• I like the photo of the benches in the second photo as well, and the three wisemen and shepherds pictured in the storefront add a little surrealness to the image. That photo will leave people scratching their heads! 

• The fountain is a tad blurry since all these photos were taken with a handheld camera. Didn't take the time to fool with my tripod.

• The brick wall photo is an in-betweener. It looks better in color, I think, yet the black and white image makes me focus more on the lines and symmetry of the photo. In other words, I see the "trees", or the individual elements of the photo, instead of the "forest" I would see if the photo was in color.

• The last picture is the source for my venture into the world of black and white with this post and from last week. I was at the overlook on Saturday, Jan. 24, at sunrise and with the absence of a rising sun and the overcast skies, the whole area just looked like one big black and white photo. That got me thinking about how this photo would look in totally black and white (so I took it in black and white), which led me to think of what else would look good in black and white, which led me to downtown, which led me to....well, you get the picture. Now that's a good pun, I don't care who you are! 

P.S. I took some of the neatest photos during two of my photo excursions this weekend that you will be sure to want to see starting Tuesday!

P.S.S. I have gone back and labeled some of the photos from the black-and-white series for those who are curious about where some of the photos were taken. Just scroll down!