Photos

Kady - THE Girl and My Boss

Izmir Turkey, December 1985

During my first tour of Turkey, I left very pregnant Kady back in Birmingham to have E.  She flew there for three months during that summer with both kids in tow.  She's a hero.

She returned, alone, after Christmas.  That was a great time.

I took the opportunity to photograph her, some of the best photography I have ever done.

LR & ST - Daughter and Granddaughter

My firstborn, by Beck, is happily back in my life, thanks to her efforts and the efforts of my other two.  I love the way she has taken on her role as Big Sister and Godmother to my granddaughter, SGM.

I took this at SGM's second Birthday.  The thieme was "Off To The Races," hence the Fancy Dress.

I hope to take more of her entire family, soon

Jay - Son

An Iraq veteran, Jay used his GI Bill wisely, earning a master's degree in information security.  Now he is a vice president for a large financial institution.

It's ridiculous how few photos I have of him as an adult.

CE - My Baby The Major

She never lets me take her photo, so this is a rare shot taken in Winston Salem.

KS - Daughter-in-Law and Coffee Partner

This was a hip shot, taken of my daughter-in-law at my granddaughter's second birthday.  I sat next to her, leaned back, and took the shot.

I think it is the best photo that I've taken of her; the hat makes it.  

Everyone wore hats that day.  The theme was "Off To The Races" and everyone was supposed to dress up as if attending a premier horse race.

The last two are from our Wednesday morning coffees together.

The rest are from over the years.  She's been a part of our family, long before Jay married her.

JK - My Grandson, Future of the Dynasty

Most likely the most photographed young man in the world, the family took thousands of photos.  Even the VMI Public Affairs Office got in the act.

He is an amazing teen - smart, funny, quick-witted, and good at everything he does.

Photos with my granddaughter, SGM

This baby and I are great collaborators.  She is usually ready anytime Granddaddy wants to take photos, as long as she gets to review each shot and then push all of the buttons on the camera.

She's a cutie, with a great personality, a mischievous sense of humor, and the happiest baby I have ever seen.  She is always in motion, which makes most of my photos blurry, but every once in a while, I get a jewel. 

What I've learned is to get down to her level and let her see what she looks like after a few photos.  She's learning to sit still and look in the lens.

When she's had enough of my camera and me, she gives me an emphatic "All Done!"  This also means, "Let me have a go with that camera."

On My Walks

Holly Mead, Virginia, 2023

My walks are great for my mental well-being, especially in the fall.  The trees in this area of Virginia go all out showing their colors in October.  

This is the time to change my walks from the sidewalks for distance, to wooded paths for for the time and for thinking all of the deep thoughts.

And for taking the photos.

Catherin' - Friend and Kindred Spirit

I've taken photos of this beautiful woman, twice, once for her Father's birthday, and once in Charleston when I was there for a VMI - Citadel game.  Both sessions produced some of my favorite portraits of one of my favorite people.

Cate and I met when I followed the VMI Hockey Team.  She was dating one of the hockey coaches.  She and I have shot trap and skeet and watched the last season of Lost together.

We meet for sushi whenever our paths cross, which is too infrequent these days.  She stays in touch and never forgets my birthday.

On a Beach, That's Where I'll Be

Look at this!  It's cold, foggy, overcast, and windy, and this lady and I are walking the beach.  I love it, year-round.  It has been a big part of my life since I was a little tyke.

Bess

The Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia, Summer 2007

This was my 2005 Mustang.  I set up this photo, my camera on a tripod, and told my daughter what I wanted,   She pressed the shutter; I'm driving.

Perfect.  Photo by CE Neel and her dad.

I bought Bess off the lot at Town and Country Ford in Bessemer, Alabama.  I drove her for seventeen years and enjoyed every minute.  She was a legend; The Car That Saved American Muscle, Roush 05-0477.

I sold her in 2022 when the clutch began hurting my left knee and the Stage-2 Suspension began hurting my entire body.  It was time.  Now, it is my heart that hurts.

I miss my car.

Ann - Family Friend

I use this photo to show prospective subjects an example of my work.  It is from a series of film photos I took of her just before I left for Kosovo.

Ann, my son's high school classmate, was a frequent visitor to our home in Lexington.  She's still a big part of my family and is usually present at family gatherings.

She is trying her best to bring me into the 21st Century.

Critters

A new category.  Building this.

Boyce

I've known this guy since high school.  Though he attended a different school, we sang and toured together in a Baptist church youth choir.

Later, we attended the same church and almost went into the army together.

I owe him a lot - he and his wonderful wife, Millie, helped me through a divorce and introduced me to Kady.

I looked him up when I was in Arizona.

The Old Truck

I learned a lesson on this day - when walking somewhere new, take your camera.  I ran across this old workhorse while walking on a new neighborhood path.  All I had with me was my cell phone.

Luckily, the path and the truck were close enough to return that afternoon.  I've been back many times.

A developer is about to turn the area into townhomes, so I expect the old truck will be gone soon.  That will be a sad day for me.

Orchard Breeze

I took this photo of former cadet, Nohelia, in the orchard at the Bushong House on the New Market Battlefield.

She is wearing a period dress of her design made from cadet uniform items.  She is very clever.

A soft breeze drifted through the trees as I began shooting.

Singer of a Thousand Songs

One warm Izmir evening, I stopped in a club to listen to a guy playing Eagles tunes.  The next band to take the stage featured a singer who was a goddess.  I stayed to listen.

My Türk friends and I became regulars at the Carnivale Club. Handan would dedicate songs to me when I walked in the door and I always brought her flowers from the çiçekli just outside. 

I saw her sing one last time, the night before I left Türkiye.  At the end of my evening, my friends, the band, and the club staff emptied into the street to wish me Güle Güle.

Allah’a ısmarladık my good friends.

Handan released her first album, Alem, in 2019.

The Photo That Almost Never Was

Burçin worked at Matisse, directly across from my apartment.  When I arrived home from work or on weekends when I brought in my groceries, she would stare at me in what I took as a disapproving look.  I thought that she might think that I was just another ugly American.

I decided that I would prove her wrong.  I couldn't let anyone this pretty think badly of me.

One afternoon, I walked over and waited for her to seat me at a sidewalk table.  She smiled at me and told me the whole staff was wondering when the American would visit for the best coffee in Izmir.

I became a fan of Matisse, their pastry and coffee, and Burçin.  Though we were friendly, we weren't friends and I didn't think asking to take her photo was appropriate.

During my last week in Turkey, when I took Steve and our friend Nur for coffee, I asked Burçin if I could take a few photographs.  She agreed.  I should have asked sooner.

Matisse is now a Subway.

Sokak

Izmir, Turkiye, Spring 1985

Photos tell stories.  They remind you.  They become a part of your history.

This photo is a great memory.

When I arrived in Turkey, my room was on the backside of the hotel, facing the inner city.  There were millions of small twinkling lights.  It looked like Christmas.   I thought, “What a Magical Place This Is.”

The lights were the homes of thousands of poor Turk people, living in poorly constructed houses and shacks, some thrown up overnight.

On that mountain were some of the nicest people I have ever met.

When I tell people about my travels in Turkey, I tell the story of this walk.

Considering the Lillies

Manhattan, Kansas, 2021

I spent the Spring after shoulder surgery in Manhattan Kansas, puppy-sitting, doing physical therapy, and hiking in the Prairie.

At first glance, the Prairie looks like a never-ending sea of green and brown, but if you look deeper into the tall grass, you'll see small flecks of color.  These little flowers (and Cooper) kept me from going bonkers that Spring.

Bugs

Kady and I went to the Botanical Garden of the Piedmont (not much, really) but there's a nice wildflower garden.  We met a Certified Master Naturalist there for a Butterfly Walk.  She was smart and friendly but there weren't many butterflies.

I've been back, alone, and had much better success.

Charlottesville also has a little Bog Garden, which is fun.  I enjoy going there, but it seems devoid of wildlife. 

The best place for butterflies in this town is the Ivy Creek Foundation Butterfly Garden.  The butterflies love that place.  So do every other sort of pollinator.

I am on a big nature kick.

Churches

Geiger Methodist Church, Geiger Alabama.

On rare occasions, Kady says, "There is a place I want to go see."  This is my signal that we're going on a day-long photo trip.  Her trips are the best and she finds some interesting things to see and photograph.  Many times her target is an old church.

I like churches too, so I thought it a good idea to include this shot of my family church in the little town where my dad and his brothers and sisters grew up.

I took it on a trip to Geiger with my little brother and mom-in-law, in the early 90s.  It was one of the last days I would see Don.  Now, Sylvia is gone, too.

If you look closely, Don is under the tree.

Wren in Church

Hudson Trail, Manhattan Kansas

Cooper and I were out walking.  I took a quick photo of this little birdhouse and we kept moving.  It wasn't until I reviewed the photos that I noticed the little house Wren checking me out.

Lucky Shot!

The Regimental Drummer

New Market, Virginia

I shot this as a much larger photo.  Back home, after the day shooting, I realized how powerful this could be, cropped to show just the drummer boy.

I think it illustrates the weariness and sadness in all soldiers.

I took these at New Market Battlefield during a reenactment.  It reminds me of Stonewall Jackson's last words - "Let us pass over the river and rest under the shade or the trees."

I should take more horse photos.

Summer in Summer

While Kady's niece lived with her grandparents, I got her to sit for me.  She was about twenty-two at the time.  It was a very bright Alabama summer day and the light was far too harsh.  I underexposed.

I never made a decent print in my darkroom but kept the film.

Technology Improved.

I found the negatives not long ago, scanned them one at a time to give me the best file from which to work, and then worked on them in Photoshop.

Amazing!

Never give up on those old negatives!

Bones

Nothing calls for black-and-white photography like a good old piece of farm equipment.

I found this old rake while walking through the woods.  I took it in color and converted it to black and white.  

Now, I set my camera on monochrome when something needs B&W.  Somedays, I'll start with it set that way, to remind myself of the first days when I had one camera loaded with Tri-X or Plus-X.

Fungi

Lately, Mushrooms are my Thing.  

It started as I began researching Psilocybes.  When I began looking for them, I realized that there are Mushrooms EVERYWHERE, you only have to look and they make interesting photos! 

I'm terrible at Identifying them, so I don't try, but I can't walk by one without taking its photo.

I shot these with my camera set on "Vivid."  It's like the Kodachrome of digital photography.

This old mushroom has been on the end of this stick for at least two years.  I noticed it two years ago and it was already this size.

It has a friend this spring.

I had to work my way through loads of sticker bushes (technical southern term) to get a good photo, which is, I assume, the reason it has survived.

I look for it every time I walk around the lake.

Before the Storm

The Keys. June 2018

The Sugarloaf Key Bat Tower was built in 1929 to control the mosquitos.  The bats initially housed there flew away, never to return.  Oh Well.  Nice Try.

I photographed it just three months before it was destroyed by Hurricane Irma, on 10 September 2017. 

It was in pretty sad shape when we were there, with loads of trash, graffiti, and needing repair.

It has been on the National Registry of Historical Places since 1982, but I haven't heard if it will be rebuilt.  Now, it is, probably, too late.

That Barn

Highway 11, North of Lexington, Virginia

For years, every time Kady and I drove past this old barn we'd say, "We need to stop and photo that."

One day, headed north from Lexington on Highway 11, I pulled over, grabbed my camera, and walked up the hill to take a few shots.  Kady waited in the car.  My fun was short-lived; the land owned shooed me away with a few not-so-kind words.

Photography in Rockbridge County Virginia is always an adventure.

I should print this and put a copy in his mailbox to show there are no hard feelings.

Train Thangs

Harper's Ferry, West Virginia

I'm a Southern Railways kid.  My dad was the Supervisor of Communications.  We rode the train a lot when I was growing up.  Nothing relaxes me like the sound of a train whistle in the distance.

I enjoy visiting old train stations and rail museums and have been known to pull off the road to get a good shot of a passing train.

Southern Serves The South!

Brother Rat . . . and Dogs

A few years after her graduation, my Brother Rat, Erica '04, visited me in Lex. We finally took the photos we had talked about, forever.

She brought her dogs.  This was the first time I had worked with animals.

I took some good photos of Erica that day but the dogs made it difficult. She concentrated on wrangling her pups while I tried to shoot three moving targets.

I liked this one the best.

In Situ

Ephesus 1985

I studied Ancient History in school, which is why this column has such a hold on me.  I found it on a side street close to the theater at Ephesus, still leaning on the rubble from an earthquake, probably the one in 262CE.

Excavators wisely left this beauty sitting as they found it.

Raking The Field

This is our family friend, SS, riding his tractor, raking his hay into windrows for bailing.

It's an art and he is an artist.

Me?  Not so much.  I was too busy trying to build rows rather than "raking the field"  and rarely looked behind me to see what I had missed.

He gave me an entire field to rake.  I left a LOT of hay.  I'll do better next time if there is one.

Ashley Ryan - Youngest Friend

Ryan and I have taken some great photos together.  That's easy - She's a doll and by far, the easiest subject I have ever photographed.

She was a cadet and a bit of a thorn in my side for wearing her cover on the back of her head.  We became close after her graduation as the community dealt with the death of one of her Brother Rats.

She is my youngest friend but, now that she has moved away, we don't talk much.  I have found that to be a natural path for friendships.  Ah, Life.  

Another of my hobbies is Astronomy.  I come by this through my father, the scientist.  He taught his boys the stars.

I'm working on my astrophotography.  It's not there yet but I've been lucky a few times.

The shots of the Milky Way were taken in Westwater, Utah.  It was so dark there, I could not see my hand in front of my face. 

My shot of Comet Neowise was taken in Manhattan, Kansas.

 The moon is more recent.  I took it in Arizona after repairing my sister-in-law's telescope, using my cellphone.

Filthy Facades

I was a member of a Charlottesville photo group for a short while.  When I retired here, I joined as a good way to meet local photographers.

The group held weekly themed competitions.  The rules were simple - take a photo that spoke to the theme, that week, submit it, and the winner from the week before would judge.

The theme for my last competition and last week in the group was Filthy Facades.

I was in Savannah at the time, so I wandered the backstreets looking for FACADES that looked stressed, worn, and dirty.  Silly me for following the rules.