Capitol Street in color: 1 of 3

Today I am starting a series of photos I am currently taking in downtown Jackson.

• For three days this week, I will feature photos of Capitol Street in color.

• The week of Feb. 23 will feature three days of photos of Capitol Street in black and white. 

• The week of March 2 will feature two days of Capitol Street in sepia. 

• The following weeks will show other scenes from downtown Jackson, including some shots at the Capitol and Farish Street.

I am excited about this photo essay. Downtown Jackson, just like Vicksburg, is a treasure trove of wonderful photos. I am having a blast searching for the different angles and scenes that can tell the story best. Please pass this blog on to your Jackson friends or those who once lived there. I think they will enjoy this walk with us. Every other day I will be featuring Vicksburg shots.

I figure in a typical year I usually shoot about 17,000 to 18,000 photos. I will add about 400 of them to my portfolio. Since I have started this blog, however, my portfolio is constantly expanding. My goal, however, is not to give you mundane shots that you can see anywhere — photos I call tourist shots — but photos that present this part of the world I am planted in through a new perspective. This blog is really keeping me on my toes and making me constantly analyze the environment around me. And I am loving it! It's improving my photography and helping me develop new friendships that I otherwise would not have. Three guys from Brandon are coming over this weekend for a photo tour of Vicksburg with me. It is always fun to see Vicksburg from other people's perspective and I always learn something new about the places I go. 

Folks, we live in a photographic dream world here in Vicksburg and the surrounding area. Get out and start seeing some of God's Glory. It's all around us. Want proof? Look for the jonquils! Grab a camera and let's go shooting!

Steele Bayou

An early morning drive up Hwy. 465 the other weekend yielded these two photos. 

Many of you have probably wondered what I look like, so the top photo is a self-portrait of me. That's one of the biggest cypress trees I have ever seen in the photo. It's on a bayou along the highway toward  Eagle Lake. The photo is taken right after sunrise.

The middle photo of Steele Bayou is from an angle I have never shot it from — a spot just off the highway. I had to climb up a fallen tree over the water to get the shot, which seemed a good idea at the time. Getting back down was a different matter.

The bottom photo is from a bayou near where the levee crosses the highway near Eagle Lake. The fog was dissipating quickly as the sun had just risen, burning it off rather quickly.

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I'll have some neat photos of my recent weekend excursions next week, plus some of the Delta Queen's last visit to Vicksburg, so please come back and visit again. And keep forwarding this blog to all your friends...and enemies!

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Thanks for all the people who write comments or drop me an e-mail. They are appreciated.

Birds in the Park

I will take a picture of anything just about. That's especially true of birds. I can't resist seeing how close I can get for a photo. Some birds cooperate. Others don't.

Don't ask me what kind of birds these are. I have taken them in the last month on my many treks through the Vicksburg National Military Park. I don't know what kind they are. The last one is a red-tailed hawk, I think. And if I guessed on the others, I would guess wrong. For I have tried to identify birds in the past and have failed miserably. They never look like they do in the book. 

So if you are a birder, then post a comment and tell us what kinds of birds these are.  I would appreciate it.

Most birders, however, can't put up with someone like me. Let me tell you a story. I was invited to an outdoors festival a few years ago. I decided to go on the birding expedition and hopped up in a bus that had the top completely cut off. Figured I could get some good pictures of some birds along the way. It was me and a whole buncha birders. We were traveling along and one yelled out, "There's a long-neck speckled grouchamabobbie!" Or something like that. Instantly, everybody on that bus stood up and brought binoculars to their faces in one quick and efficient motion. Except me. I didn't have any. Didn't know to bring any. Didn't own any. They all turned in the same direction and started watching some little white specks that looked about a mile away. They got all excited about those birds and off we took again. An old hawk flew overhead at one point and somebody on the bus actually clapped! I'm not lying! Up went the binoculars. Later, I had made my way to the back of the bus because nobody would let me use their binoculars whenever we stopped. And as luck would have it, I spotted a bird on my own while all the others were observing some brown specks two miles away. "Big red bird, big red bird!" I  yelled at the top of my lungs and pointed into the brush. Two little old ladies pushed me aside and saw the big red bird. Quick as a flash, one of them pulled out a guidebook, thumbed through it quickly and pointed out a certain bird on a page. Without a smile or anything, she pushed it under my nose and said, "That, young man, is a prothonetary warbler, male, juvenile." I thanked her for the observation, but told her I was more than capable of classifying birds. In this instance I told her that was a big red bird, as opposed to a little red bird. She did not take kindly to that and I swear a couple of people tried to push me off the bus on the way home.

Potpourri

Here are four shots I have taken recently that I really enjoy, but they just haven't made it onto the blog yet.

• Do you ever notice the weather vane on top of the Old Court House Museum? Here it is with the full moon behind it. 

• The moon rises at dusk at the Louisiana Monument in the Vicksburg National Military Park. Most people don't see shots like this because they are usually traveling in the other direction and never turn around to see where they've been. There's a lesson there somewhere.

• The cross atop Mercy Chapel at the Southern Cultural Heritage Center is one of the prettiest sights in Vicksburg. The cross and the gable upon which its attached have weathered many a storm. I love the symmetry of this shot.

• The next time you venture to Windsor Ruins don't turn right when you leave the ruins. Instead, turn left and go about three miles to Bethel Presbyterian Church. This historic church is such a peaceful place to visit. The door has always been unlocked when I have ventured there and I love walking into the coolness of the sanctuary. It's simplicity is perfect for the soul. You can get close to God here. Nothing to interrupt you and Him. Spending time in one of the old wooden pews here in prayer can help solve many a problem. I know....

Tucker Road in Warren County

The lake on Tucker Road that is split by the road is a gorgeous lake that I pass by often. The trees are too tucked around it to get a sunrise or sunset, but it is still quite picturesque. I am sure someone has told me the name of the lake, but I can't recall it now. I go real slow whenever I cross the bridge, much to the irritation of those driving behind me. The top photo was taken last year during the day and the bottom photo taken when a fog had rolled in. It was quiet that morning, very serene. 

A layer of glass...

One of the hidden jewels of Yazoo County is Dump Lake, just past the Warren County line on Hwy. 3. Turn on Dixie Farm Road and you'll soon arrive at the lake. The lake should be called Stump Lake for the number of stumps spread across the body of water. These photos were taken a couple of weekends ago before sunrise. It's hard to get perfectly still water around here, but this day the lake was like glass — casting perfect reflections into the water. I took these photos before I went and shot the photos of the geese that appeared last week. I am so thankful for the experience. The stillness of the morning, the crispness of the air, the honks of geese being heard in the distance, the ever-changing colors of the skyline made it very special. God's Glory in its finest. Photos like this is what I live for....

The sights of Redwood

Redwood Waterfall

Redwood Swimming Pool

Redwood Road has two pretty spots along it that I go to often. The first is the waterfall just past the fire station. It's absolutely beautiful there in the fall, when the leaves are scattered everywhere. The other is on up the road — the Redwood Swimming Pool. The Vicksburg Post ran a story on this sometimes in 2008 and going there now, I can just see kids jumping from the side of the pool and from the wooden board that dotted the pool. It's a real peaceful place.

More geese...lots and lots of geese

I cannot quit thinking about the awesome sight of seeing hundreds of geese fly overhead in their V formations. Big ones. Small ones. Long ones. To me,  I have to wonder how the geese have any clue about what they are doing and where they are going. It's pure instinct, I guess. But it just goes to show — again — the awesomeness of our God who created them and gave them flight. He knows where each goose is today. The same goes for you. Let that thought keep you warm today.

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!

Geese...lots and lots of geese

Click on the photos to enlarge them, especially the one above!

I spent a large part of this weekend standing in a field on Hwy. 3 near Satartia watching one of the greatest spectacles I have ever witnessed — the great geese migration. Have you ever seen a "V" of geese fly overhead and they are honking? Multiply that by hundreds and hundreds of them flying over, so many you can't even count them, so many that your head starts hurting from craning your neck at the sky for so long. Wave after wave after wave of them flew overhead and many thousands of them landed in the field where I was to feed and rest for the night. There were so many geese flying in, it looked like gray clouds descending to the ground. The noise is loud. At one time, the geese started flying around in a circle and the only description that does it justice is to describe it is as a goose tornado. I was so awestruck I didn't even get a photo because I was mesmerized by the sight. I happened to look up at one time and saw the moon and took several photos of the geese flying underneath it. The moon is in focus and the geese are not, since I just focused on it and let the geese enter the photo from every direction. I could have taken hundreds of photos, there were so many flying past the moon, but it was directly overhead and I tired quickly hefting my telephoto lens into the air.

The photos you see here were taken Saturday afternoon just before and during dusk. I went back Sunday morning and spent more time as the geese started taking off and continuing their journey. The sky was filled with geese again as those that bedded down farther north flew by.

I ventured back Monday and got some more shots of them in another field near the highway.

I'll be running more photos this week of this. Pictures, however, cannot do the scene justice, because in person it is a jaw-dropper. A sight such as this may just make me take up videography.

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!

Downtown Vicksburg...in black and white III

The Valley (look on the front about three stories up; one of the children is Laurence Leyens' dad)

On the hill next to the Biscuit Company

Building at corner of Grove and Walnut Streets

Christ Episcopal Church

Wow! What an adventure! I did not know I had taken so many photos from downtown. But it has been hard to leave any photos out. If you are just joining us, this is the third post of black and white photos from downtown Vicksburg. Keep scrolling to find the other two!

The last picture in this series of Mary is at a church I consider to be downtown, but some of you may not. If you still can't guess where some of these pictures in any of the posts were taken, then drop me a comment!

But this is not all! I couldn't resist returning to downtown at night last weekend and, so, on Monday I will post nighttime black and white shots of downtown, plus a couple of other b&w shots from the week. See you Monday!

P.S. Are you helping to spread the word of this blog? Please do! Share this website with anyone who you think would enjoy these photos! Plus, it's free!

Potpourri

No theme today. Just a few photos I've taken the last few weeks I just wanted to share with you.

The first is the Mint Springs photo I took Saturday. Look closely and you will notice some of the icicles I talked about in an earlier post. I hope to catch bigger ice if if ever gets real cold again and I am able to get out to the springs and shoot.

The other two pictures are of a bus located in the woods near Kings Point Ferry. Look how the tree has grown around the front left bumper. I have taken several folks to photograph this old bus because it is just not something you expect to find. I enjoy seeing how different people compose their photos and have to confess that many of them have been quite more imaginative than I have been. That just makes me try harder in working on my composition of any photo I take.