Eggs. Anytime.

Eggs. Anytime.


So it's late and I got a craving for a fried egg. Don't ask me why. Coincidentally, I was having a tough time trying to sleep and couldn't get the thought of photographing a fried egg out of my mind. I've seen it perfected in food photography circles and decided to try it for myself. Well, I was hungry and 1...maybe 2, eggs would have a shot at looking just right. I give those food prop people many kudos. This is about as good as it gets for me. Frankly, I was tired and hungry. I fried my 2 eggs, had a cold glass of water, uploaded these pictures, and I am now going to bed.

If an egg keeps you from sleeping at night, just fry one up and eat it. They're good. Anytime.

Tobacco Town "extras"

Tobacco Town "extras"


Last month I had a great opportunity to photograph some of the historical remnants of the former tobacco industry that was prominent in this area not even 20 years ago. Part of my assignment included locating and photographing abandoned tobacco barn relics and the standing landmarks that are found in the downtown Winston Salem area.

In this post I wanted to share some of the images left on the digital "cutting table." Admittedly, these images were originally submitted for review in full color, but for my purposes, I decided to perform some post production b/w conversions and share them right here on my weekly blog. To see the images that made it into print for the September issue, including some plastic toy camera "Holga" prints, visit the Winston Salem Monthly website and click "Ghosts of Tobacco Town."

- Enjoy

Vines of Mine

Vines of Mine


"I dreamed this mortal part of mine
Was metamorphosed to a vine"

- Robert Herrick (1591–1674)

St. John's Pass...Florida?!

St. John's Pass...Florida?!


Ok, so I snuck a visit to Florida when no one was watching. "Why didn't you call us?!" Well, that's the complication in traveling so far for such a short visit. We were there for no more than 48 hours to visit with my dad for his birthday. So, can you blame me for not calling? Our visit was short yes, but we had a great time gathering up some family for a BBQ, waking up early for "cafe con leche" and cuban bread, and spending the early part of a Sunday walking around with my dad at St. John's Pass boardwalk.

Back in August my brother had scored us some $88 Southwest fun-fares tickets from Raleigh to Tampa. With the price of gas and my dad's birthday towards the latter part of the month, we couldn't pass up. This was a last minute deal putting us in Tampa late on a Friday night and departing early on a Sunday. Needless to say, we spent some quality time with the family. I promise I will call the next time we plan an extended stay.

What can I say about St. John's Pass? The town itself is a cross between a local hangout and the strong influence of an almost tourist trap. On the boardwalks you'll find plenty of jet ski rentals, parasailing in exchange for an empty wallet, ice cream shops galore, a few restaurants with outdoor bars, and enough trinket shops to stock the shelves at the local Walgreens with "tourist gifts." Florida destinations are notorious for sea shells for a buck and smelly sponges from the $5 bin. Oh yeah, and let's not forget the 1980's post cards featuring tanned chics in T-backs and Chippendale dudes with dirt up their rear ends. I guess this kind of stuff is still funny for all of the visiting northerners.


The "shops" at St. Johns Pass feature more the above mentioned items, but offered more of the classy T-shirt prints and towel material clothing. I was home. The weather was nice, the heat right up to sweltering, and the water looking beautiful as usual. I almost forgot about being a former resident and nearly plopped $45 for a half hour ride on the jet skis. The heat was getting to all of us Carolinians. The funny thing about reminiscing and missing home is that sometimes the things you despise while living in a place become the same things you miss when you are away. I have this wierd perception that somehow I would enjoy taking one of my new local Carolina friends to this exact spot to check out the funny post cards. Maybe just walking around under the overhang sipping some frozen Jimmy Buffet concoction while trying to beat the heat would be enjoyable enough. I don't know.

I have been away for almost 6 months now. Homesick is great for when things look down, but overall I have enjoyed N. Carolina to the point where going back to Florida has not even registered on the radar. However, there is no replacement for friends and family and that is the constant variable that reminds me that home was once Florida. For now, I will just enjoy little weekend disappearances. Maybe I will catch you the next time I am in town. Have an overpriced frozen drink for me. The daquiri variety always goes down great on a hot Florida day.

Along the Blue Ridge

Along the Blue Ridge


Over the Labor Day weekend we visited the majestic Blue Ridge Parkway. Due to the gray and overcast skies, on this particular trip the mountains were not quite majestic. The above image, which is a typical representation of the "blue ridge", was taken with 2 filters stacked on the lens in order to bring out some of the lines in the horizon. A couple of color shifts, histogram adjustments, and some sharpening brings about a more desirable image.

Below are a few of my recollections from our visit. Fall will soon be upon us. I hope to bring back some fantastic views. Enjoy.


This couple cruised by on their Harley. They reminded me of some great friends we left behind in Florida.







This is one of the more picturesque trail heads along the drive. All is beautiful except for the graffitti that mars the stones.










Early signs of Fall.









Shanti is always happy to pose for me. (Taken with my Yashica Electro 35 GSN Rangefinder - ISO 100 Kodak b/w film.)

Exercising the MAT 24G

Exercising the MAT 24G - Old ghoto gear for an old town

Over the Labor Day holiday weekend we visited the historic town of Mt. Airy, North Carolina. Mt. Airy, home of the "Andy Griffith Show," and only a 40-45 minute drive from Winston Salem, is a tiny and vintage model of what "smalltown America" might really be. Our little group, which consisted of our two houseguests, Shanti, and myself, decided we'd visit this little town in the hopes of finding photographic opportunity. We thought we would find a tourist trap. What we found instead was a goldmine of buildings in terrific historic preservation, many closed doors due to the holiday, and overcast skies. I was packing 2 vintage cameras - the Yachica Electro GSN rangefinder and the Yashica MAT 24G TLR. For this trip, I opted to leave the techno-digital at home and shoot good old fashioned film. Unfortunately, a bad roll of 35mm film yielded no results on the rangefinder.

I would be deceiving you if I based this weblog entry on a review of the town, but because of the holiday, and in fairness to the friendly folks of Mt. Airy, I did not get to experience the town's finest establishments or services. So, this is what it is - another great opportuntity to just roam and photograph some of the charm of an old town with family.


We arrived to Mt. Airy late on Labor Day sometime around 4:50pm. Most of the shops were just closing their doors. A few lingering visitors walked up and down the main strip peering through windows and memorabilia on display. Bobby (featured in my previous blog entry) even managed to sneak into an old fashioned ice cream parlor to get himself a cone just before they served the last scoop. I half recall being upset that we were not going to be able to visit some of the places that made the town famous. Anyone who visits Mt. Airy is typically drawn by the TV Land show and it's famous actors. I wanted to share that with our out of town guests, but it was not meant to be. So, we just walked the streets and took it in the sights.

The Yashica MAT 24G - the camera I used to create these pictures - was loaded with a roll of black/white 100 speed film with only 12 exposures. In a digital age, having only 12 opportunities to make photos can be very frustrating. Through this frustration I continue to learn one important lesson about photography - patience. If there were only 12 of your favorite bottles of wine left in the cellar, chances are you might stretch them over the months of a year instead of one per evening. Perhaps maybe you would even serve only one bottle per year or for special occasions. Imagine the amount of savoring and enjoyment each glass would bring. This is exactly what 12 exposures in a vintage camera does for me. Each shot is carefully composed, studied, and decided upon before that shutter button is depressed. I probably aimed my camera at hundreds of subjects that day, but only 12 got to go home with me.


















Local skaterboarding kids transform this back alley and dock into an impromptu skatepark. If I had a board with me I might have joined them.

Mt. Airy piqued my interest. We had a great time despite the empty feel to the town, but that's too be expected when everyone else is home enjoying their holiday. I look foward to visiting again and so that I can take some full color photos with my digital SLR. I look forward to their famous pork chop sandwich and getting to learn a little more about Don Knotts and "The Andy Griffith Show." Perhaps maybe I'll again leave the techno-box at home and run another 12 shots through the old MAT 24G.

Bobby L - Guitarist

Bobby L - Guitarist



This past week I had the pleasure of meeting a self-taught guitarist and my soon-to-be brother-in-law. Shanti's sister Ri' - a shortened nickname she's carried since high school - and her fiance Bobby, came over from Hawai'i to visit us in our new house and in our new state. Having house guests means that you typically get to know someone on a personal level and host to their every need; or, for my purposes, recruit them to pose as models for photo shoots.

I haven't had the opportunity to meet too many self-taught musicians. Perhaps I am around the wrong people. I consider myself to be a self-taught photographer: one too stoked to get a full night's sleep. Bobby is as much passionate about music as I am about photography. And, from the short impromptu living room concerts, the talent and effort shows.

I have been wanting to practice a specific creative lighting technique for some time now. This particular effect calls for dimly lit skies, an artificially lit subject, and some creative poses. On one particular day last week I had all of the right pieces to the puzzle. The skies were gray from an approaching storm and Bobby had just finished up a set in the living room. Ri', who was already outside shooting macro shots of the bugs and flowers in the yard, was also a fabulous model for my experimentation. The color contrasts of Bobby's blue shirt and brownish-gold guitar were too perfect for the lighting experiment. As you can see by the photos, these pictures are ready for an album cover. Well, ditch the neighborhood backdrop and we've almost got a great shot.


Bobby and Ri' both leave on Friday. We have enjoyed their company thus far and will surely miss entertaining and being entertained by our house guests.

Sea Lions, NC ZOOLOGICAL PARK

Sea Lions, NC ZOOLOGICAL PARK


On Saturday of this nice Labor Day weekend Shanti and I paired up with her sister and sister's fiance, who are both visiting from Hawaii, and headed to the North Carolina Zoological Park in Asheboro. The zoo was a brief 52 minute drive from the Triad. Getting out to visit the park was a nice relaxing way to enjoy cooler weather and one of the many attractions the area has to offer.


We didn't get to the zoo until around 1pm and left at closing time which was early at 5pm. As the sun started to go down in the sky the pictures improved due to the better lighting. The sea lions exhibit was the last on our walk through the park. The cool blue waters and the fat lazy lions made for great photo subjects.


Over the next few days I will probably post a few more images from our zoo exploration.

Also, in case you did not already notice, I have a new banner up at the top of the sit. I took this photo of a frog patiently waiting for a dragonfly to get within tongue's reach. We saw many critters in the ponds surrounding the boardwalks throughout the park. Each month I'll feature a new photo for my blog banner.

Thanks for stopping by and visiting my photo weblog. As always, feel free to drop me a line and let me know how you are doing.

- emc