French Broad tributary

This is a recent image of a tributary of the French Broad River near its confluence. I'm really drawn to this spot and have photographed it in the past. A couple years ago I made a Polaroid of this scene after a recent snowfall. Something of this place always speaks to me and it says, "cold" of which it is today with a balmy high of 18 degrees.

Mitch Epstein American Power at Strand

This is the first of six videos on Youtube from Mitch Epstein speaking about his recent project and book, American Power.

Western North Carolina buildings

WNC is full of great character and history. There is an abundance of subjects to be found, and the buildings that line downtown streets have always been of interest to me. These photographs were made in Asheville as well as Marshall, NC. The downtown of Marshall is lined with historic buildings which link the town to the past. Asheville is still home to a number of Art Deco buildings and other early 20th Century architecture. Of course, development can lead to the demolition of older structures and Asheville has been in a development boon for decades, so many buildings are lost to "progress". Occasionally a building is spared destruction and instead revitalized, which would be nice to see more of.

Snow

Last week much of the east coast was a complete whiteout with a huge snowstorm dumping snow throughout the region. Here in western North Carolina we had about 18 inches of snow which knocked out power, shut down the highways and caused general havoc. Nevertheless, I was able to get out during the storm and make some pictures. I wasn't as interested in the storm per se, rather the environment and general sense of place which continues in the theme of work I've been doing for some time and what I sought was to build upon the series. So these pictures more or less just happened to be taken during the storm because I enjoy the mood and atmosphere the snow can create. Regardless, this is what a lot of snow looks like.

At dad's home for the holidays

These photos are from a visit to my dad and stepmother's house last month. Through documenting their house and our gathering for the holidays, I've found an interesting theme that I plan on revisiting. Having the three generations present that include my daughter, a situation is created to examine the connections we have to place and each other. I remember objects in the house from my childhood and their effect on me and the memories and emotions they can elicit. I know my daughter will have her own experiences and memories formed from visiting her grandparents and having holidays together. As my dad and stepmother move into retirement I'm sure there will be changes to their day to day activities and looking at the domesticity of the home as it provides a place for social interaction as well as privacy is an interesting concept and one I'll examine on my subsequent visits.

First post on new blog

So here is my new blog. I've moved over to Blogspot. I'll continue posting photographs from series I'm working on that are in progress, as well as sharing interesting work of other photographers I encounter. Most of my work will be comprised of projects that I'm doing in pursuit of my MFA at WCU. Now that I'm in the throes of grad school, the blog will reflect the work I'm producing and other relevant photography matters. Thanks for stopping by.