The moon and the park

Illinois Memorial

Full moon at Fort Hill

Old Abe at the Wisconsin Monument

Louisiana Monument

The last two full moons have been fun to shoot because I've done it from inside the Vicksburg National Military Park. I love the colors that arise on the horizon opposite the sunset as seen in the top photo. They are gorgeous blues and purples. Next time you see a sunset, turn around and see the colors you're missing!

Setting the mood...

Every once in a while, I will come across a photo opportunity that I believe will make a good black-and-white photo. Such is the case with this scene above. These photos were shot at Kings Point Ferry this past weekend. I like the photo for its simplicity, but also for the emotional response I have to the scene. This takes me back to my childhood and all the swings I played on as a child. The photo is rather forlorn to me, also, for I see in my mind the children who spent their hours on this tire swing. There used to be some homes at Kings Point Ferry, but the only reminder of them now is this swing. But which photo works best? The color one? The black-and-white? Or the sepia tone? I'm torn between each. Any opinions?

Sunset in the military park

[Click on each photo to enlarge, if you like]

I spend a lot of time in the Vicksburg National Military Park because it offers such myriad photographic opportunities. The different seasons offers lighting scenarios that change with each passing day. I have been using the sun's position to my advantage during the past few weeks to backlight several of the statues in the park, especially on the road above the Cairo Museum. If you haven't been to Fort Hill lately, take the time to venture there at sunset. You will find peace and stillness on that wind-swept hill. I guarantee it.

Mint Springs

[Click on each image to enlage, if you would like]

The hidden jewel of the Vicksburg National Military Park is Mint Springs,  just off Washington Street. It is a lovely area, steeped in history.  The sound of water hitting that massive rock is as peaceful a sound as I can find. I went there just recently right after a hard rain and hit pay dirt! The rain had made all the colors of the foliage so dazzling, so much better than if I had ventured there on a sunny day. I love this place.

Of the moon and crosses...

SCHC Auditorium

Mercy Chapel at SCHC

Holy Trinity

St. Paul Catholic Church

Bethel AME Church

Vicksburg is blessed beyond measure with beautiful architecture. It's the little details that make the difference. That is evident even more so in the crosses that adorn the tops of many of the churches and other buildings in downtown Vicksburg. Leaving work on Dec. 8, I passed by the Southern Cultural Heritage Center and out my sunroof I glanced the sight of a moon peaking behind the cross on top of the auditorium at SCHC. What a sight! I made the block and went back and parked and got the top shot you see. That was followed by the shot of the cross on top of the convent. Real excited now, I started thinking about the other crosses in the area I could shoot with the moon as a background. The race was on! You'll see Holy Trinity, St. Paul Catholic Church and Bethel AME Church in the remaining photographs. The photos were taken right at dusk. Those are pigeons gathered on the base of the St. Paul cross. The sky in the Bethel photo looks different because the blue sky had disappeared by the time I was able to make it there. It was pretty dark then.

My advice to you today is....look up! Take a look at the details that surround you and revel in their beauty!

Bonus for Monday: The reason I started this blog is the inspiration I received from reading the blog of Janie, my good friend here in Vicksburg. She is a wonderful writer and photographer and her posts are just downright good to read! She can be found at:

http://southernlagniappe.blogspot.com

Be sure to explore her "posts from the past" section, which can be found down the right side of her blog. Tons of great stuff can be found there!

Alligator Lake

The prettiest lake around Vicksburg to capture a sunrise is Alligator Lake on Long Lake Road. Most people doesn't know this lake exists, even being as close to downtown Vicksburg as it is. I stop by here quite often. I like the symmetry of the lake, how it forms a long V with the sun popping up right at the bottom of the V. The early morning sun seemingly sets the foliage around the lake and cypress trees on fire. But you better capture it quick, for it is gone in a moment. Plenty of herons call this place home, but I have yet to see one alligator in all the times I have visited. 

Mississippi River levee in Louisiana

With all the trees and hills in Vicksburg, it is hard to get a good sunrise picture. That's why the Mississippi River levee in Louisiana south of I-20 is such a special place to me. The borrow pits along the levee are such great photographic sites. I like to go early, at least 30 minutes before sunrise, because the Lord always puts on such a show when he makes the sun start the day. The colors change so quickly that many times I can only stand there and try to breathe in the beauty as fast as I can. These photos were taken in late December on two separate occasions. The top photo is of one of the borrow pits. The middle photo shows a borrow pit in the front and the Mississippi River in the back. It is taken from the point where the levee is closest to the river. The heron was photographed in one of the borrow pits as I was leaving the levee.

I would be remiss if I did not tell you why I like to take so many sunrises. Usually I tell people that I just can't sleep late any longer. The real reason, however, is that viewing a sunrise brings me closer to God than anything else I can imagine. It's hard to describe the feeling I get being still and watching the sun's brightness build and build and build below the horizon until it seems like it can get no brighter. Then in an instant it bursts over the horizon, spilling golden rays everywhere. 

Is your heart burdened? Do you no longer feel close to God? Give me a call. We'll go watch a sunrise. And you will realize that everything is going to be OK — for the God of all Creation has a show ready to present to you each morning to let you know that He is in control. It's exhilarating!

Beaver Sculptures

This past weekend I rambled around Claiborne County and ventured to one of the neatest places in this area — the lake at the Port of Port Gibson. This lake has provided some of the best and funnest photos I've ever shot, from dragon flies to alligators to thousands of white lotus plants. The water in the lake was the highest I had ever seen it. The heron in the top picture was there to greet me. When I was leaving the lake, however, was the fun part. I passed by a bayou on my left and nearly every tree in the bayou looked like it had a white stripe at the base of it. I drove about 50 yards past it before I had my "wait a minute" moment. I backed up and walked down to the bayou and saw that nearly every tree at its base had been stripped of bark by beavers. Only one tree in the scores I saw gnawed on had been felled. A few had had serious attempts on felling them, but most had just been savored for the one layer of bark. I never could find the lodge these fellows called home, but it was something I had never seen in that quantity before. I'm glad I had my snake boots on because I never would have ventured down to the bayou without them on.

Up close at Windsor Ruins

Now for the rest of the story...

As I wrote on Monday, I was angered by the fact that there was no fog or even a good sunrise at Windsor Ruins when I went to shoot there Saturday. But something happened. As I was standing there in my funk, a still, small voice spoke to me. Six words and six words only.

"Marty, stop looking and start seeing."

I was standing next to a scraggly little bush near the fence line of the ruins and I looked down. The first thing I saw was the fungus in the top photo. I have never seen anything so intricate and delicate. It was amazing! I ran to the truck, put on a macro lens that I have and went back and started shooting. I usually am not too good at macrophotography because I am too impatient to carry around a tripod and take the time to set it up, get it adjusted, fix it just right, you know what I mean. So I slapped on my monopod and had the time of my life! I started walking the grounds of Windsor seeing all the little things that were all around me. It was a whole new world! Fungus, seed pods, tiny knots no bigger than a BB in vines, tiny water droplets looking like tiny diamonds, clover so small I could cover it up with the tip of my key! The detail in these miniature creations was just amazing and awe-inspiring.

Aren't you glad we have a great God! A God who would take the time to put teeny, tiny hairs around the top of a teeny, tiny piece of clover so the dew would catch on it and provide it nourishment. If these photso are too small, click on the individual photos and they should pop up a larger size!

I appreciate the lesson God taught me Saturday. I am humbled by a God who took such care to design the small things we never even take the time to see. 

Windsor Ruins in Claiborne County

The forecast for Saturday morning, Jan. 3, called for fog. That's my favorite time to shoot. There was a touch of fog at my house when I woke at 6 a.m., so I decided to head to Windsor Ruins to see what it looked like in foggy conditions. I have been to Windsor Ruins so many times that it is a challenge now to find an angle or conditions there that I have not shot. It's a challenge I relish.

Arriving at the ruins, I was disappointed that there was not one drop of fog. Plus, there was not a good sunrise because of all the cloud cover. I was bummed. The wet conditions did make for some pretty pictures and the angle with the tree in front is a new one for me. 

The favorite part of Windsor, for me, is not the ruins themselves but the bits and pieces of columns that can be found in the woods around the ruins. They are easily accessible in winter, otherwise they can't be seen. I love the color of the moss on the fallen column pieces.

I saw a few deer while I was shooting. Now that would be a cool picture...a deer inside the ruins. I wonder how long I would have to wait for that shot? Hmmm......

But these aren't the best photos from the ruins on Jan. 3. I'll tell you the story and show you the rest of the photos on Tuesday.

Louisiana Monument

The Louisiana Monument is the highest point in the Vicksburg National Military Park. It offers a panoramic view that I greatly enjoy. I have shot photos of the monument in morning light as seen in the top photo, but my biggest success has been at sunset. It's pushing closing time in the park to get the sunsets, but they haven't locked me in yet! Many people just gaze upon the monument from afar, but the artwork on the monument itself is beautiful as well. Take a stroll up to it one day and enjoy the view. If you are lucky, you'll see a hawk riding the wind currents coming off the hill.