Giles Hoover

Photography and design for print production

Tag: photostroll

  • Updated Gallery: Downtown Macon, Georgia

    Updated Gallery: Downtown Macon, Georgia

    The first photostroll downtown this year involved some new gear, an extremely sharp and astonishingly compact wide-angle zoom from Sigma. I’ve wanted something wider that the 35mm-equivalent that is my daily driver for a minute now, and this absolutely fits the bill.

    It also gave me an excuse to see a couple of new and updated spots in Macon: 

    Rosa Parks Square (Memorials and Seating), Poplar and First Sts.

    First up is the refreshed completely redone Rosa Parks Square, now with extensive hardscaping, seating and more — a much needed change to one of the most important areas in the city, right next to the City Auditorium and downtown’s Hotel 45:

    Rosa Parks Square (Circle), Poplar and First Sts.

    Also completely new is the Otis Redding Center for the Arts, a refreshingly contemporary building with its own new landscaping and gardens:

    Zelma Redding Amphitheater (with Statue), Cherry St. and First St. Ln.

    It’s a pleasure to be able to get a huge amount of detail, landscape, and space into a single photograph; the wide-angle itch is well and truly sated. Better still, when asked to focus on details, it shines very brightly indeed:

    Cherry Blossom Festival Decor (#1), Parish Seafood, 580 Cherry St.

    It does retro well, too:

    St. Joseph’s Catholic Church (Spire), 830 Poplar St.

    So, ask me how I feel about this upgrade. Well, how ’bout this:

    I Heart Downtown (Sculpture), Second St.

    Sigma got this lens just right. Including the seven posted here, a total of 30 new photographs have been added to the Downtown Macon (2022-2026) gallery.

    Note: Once you’re in the photo gallery, the new items are near the middle of the stack — look for the retro photo from this post and it’s the photos that follow. Remember that you can click on any photo to enlarge to a single photo with locations/titles and next/back controls (or run a slideshow). If you’re in a downtown Macon mood, don’t forget the 2008–2018 and 2020–2021 galleries as well. Thank you!

  • Gallery Update: Mercer University, 2025

    Gallery Update: Mercer University, 2025

    According to Google, at the corner of Coleman Avenue and Adams Street, in Macon, is home to Newton Hall — and more specifically, Mercer University Press.1Google is wrong: Mercer University Press isn’t actually on campus — they’re in a separate building nearer downtown. See this University Press Week blog tour post for more.

    Mercer University (Newton Entrance), 1400 Coleman Ave.

    Mercer one of more than 160 members of the Association of University Presses. I mention this because, a while back, I said regarding taking some photographs around the campus of Mercer University, “stay tuned.” In honor of AUP’s University Press Week, November 10–14, I’ve done just that.

    Pi Kappa Phi Bell, Perhaps Overrung, Winship St.
    University Center Entrance (from Adams St.)
    Hawkins Arena Entrance #2, Adams St.
    University Commons, Penfield Hall, Edgewood Ave.
    Mercer Softball (Bleachers), Sikes Field
    Jack Tarver Library #2, 1501 Mercer University Dr,.

    Taken during a number of visits over fifteen years, a total of 100 photographs now populate the Mercer University gallery. Enjoy.

    • 1
      Google is wrong: Mercer University Press isn’t actually on campus — they’re in a separate building nearer downtown. See this University Press Week blog tour post for more.
  • New Gallery Bonus: Deepstep, Georgia. (Also, a New Georgia Gallery Setup.)

    New Gallery Bonus: Deepstep, Georgia. (Also, a New Georgia Gallery Setup.)

    A while back, on the road from Milledgeville to Sandersville, I spied a sign:

    Giles Cross Roads, 11917 Deepstep Rd.

    That little town — more a hamlet, really — is called Deepstep, and I’ve marked it for a stop since. On the way home from Augusta (part 1, part 2), I finally had the opportunity.

    Alonzo G. Veal & Son (What We Don’t Have, We Can Get), 9665 Deepstep Rd.
    Veal & Son Building Detail #1, 9665 Deepstep Rd.

    What a great little spot.

    Gate and Field, 9665 Deepstep Rd.
    Outbuilding and Pine, 9731 Deepstep Rd.

    The gallery’s only eighteen photographs, but absolutely a worthy addition to the newly revised Middle Georgia group. Those galleries cover everything from Pine Mountain in the west to Sandersville in the east, Madison in the north to Dublin in the south.

    Indeed, I’ve rearranged pretty much all of the Georgia galleries:

    The new Georgia gallery group: five items instead of three, all featuring rearranged contents.

    Atlanta gets its own (to be expanded soon, I hope); the cities of Augusta, Columbus and Savannah another; Macon, my home base, a third; the aforementioned Middle Georgia, a fourth; and finally North and South Georgia (Helen, St. Simon’s, etc.).

    As always, thanks for taking the time to stop by.

  • New Gallery: Augusta, Georgia (Part Two)

    New Gallery: Augusta, Georgia (Part Two)

    As mentioned yesterday, I’ve been meaning to get to downtown Augusta with a camera for years. Actually, that not correct: I’ve been meaning to get to downtown Augusta . . . period. I’d never been there, despite living 130 miles away for almost two decades, despite having been nearby, despite — well, you get the idea.

    Statue at James Brown Plaza, Broad St. and Augusta Common

    So it was a pleasure to get to the home of Woodrow Wilson, James Brown, Jessye Norman, and countless others — and see a city a lot like so many others in the American South, a city that’s struggling with identity, history, vacancy, gentrification, and so many other issues prevalent in the 2020s.

    The Confederates and the Albion, Broad St.

    One of them is the continued presence of a huge Confederate memorial, a shame in a majority-Black city — and just in front of the Lamar Building, soon to be luxury apartments. What message are Augusta, and its new luxury residents, sending?

    Miller and Lamar, Broad St.

    Nonetheless, the day’s efforts resulted in some satisfying images, from architecture to neat details:

    Augusta Cotton Exchange Building #1, 32 8th St.
    Miller Theater (Entry Detail), 708 Broad St.
    Edgar’s Above Broad (Logo) Sign, 699 Broad St.

    Augusta is a riverfront city I’m looking forward to returning to. In the meantime, please enjoy a total of 128 photographs in the newly-posted gallery.

    Augusta Riverwalk Marina (with Freedom Bridge)
  • New Gallery: Augusta, Georgia (Part One)

    New Gallery: Augusta, Georgia (Part One)

    Together with Columbus and Macon, Augusta is one of Georgia’s “Fall Line” cities, and is home to more than 200,000 people. Located on the eastern edge of the state on the Savannah River, it was founded by James Oglethorpe in 1736 on the site of a Native American river crossing.

    Augusta has long been on the to-photograph list, but it’s just far enough away from Macon to make a quick, unplanned trip difficult — so this past weekend, when another trip was cancelled, I took advantage of the available time and made it happen.

    Blue Against Blue Against Blue, 943 Ellis St.

    Of course, rather than a quiet Sunday downtown, I ran headlong — no pun intended — into the Augusta Ironman marathon. There were crowded street corners, intersections closed aplenty, and a combination of competitors and supporters everywhere.

    Boll Weevil Cafe and Sweetery, 10 James Brown Blvd.

    Nonetheless, it was a beautiful early-fall day in Georgia, and over the course of several hours, I really enjoyed photography in downtown Augusta — as usual, without people in the shots.

    Decorative Facade, 103 Macartan St.

    Excepting, of course, The Godfather of Soul:

    Spirit of Funk Mural, 190 James Brown Blvd.

    The photostroll also included the Riverwalk, a stretch both at water level and atop the levee — doing my best to stay out of the runners’ way, moving around to the chants of “water!” and “ice!”

    Fountain at Riverwalk Enterance (#1), James Brown Blvd.
    Savannah River at Augusta, Georgia

    The first 64 photographs — part one of two — have been posted to the new Augusta gallery. Stay tuned for the second part, along with a bonus gallery and some housekeeping news, tomorrow.

    Slice of Primary Colors, 1102 Broad St.
  • Updated Gallery: Automotive (Details)

    Updated Gallery: Automotive (Details)

    Two different photographic opportunities have meant additions to the Automotive gallery recently: some motorcycles in Columbus, and some BMWs at an event in Hampton, a suburb of Atlanta and home to the Atlanta Motor Speedway.

    All of these were taken with Leica’s superlative APO 90mm macro (yes, I know, I go on and on about this lens — it’s that good), and almost all are just details — a lens that long in a crowd means leaving the big picture aside in favor of the minutiae. Luckily, that’s a strength of the camera system, and one of my favorite ways to use it.

    Retro BMW (Motorrad) Roundel
    Harley Davidson Star Logo (Detail)

    The Harley logo wasn’t one I was familiar with — and it’s great — but the BMW is fantastic in its retro glory, complete with copper screws.

    Meanwhile, speaking of BMWs, they hold their Ultimate Drive Experience yearly in the Atlanta area, and Gerald and I are in regular attendance. It was my first time seeing a number of new models, including the new M2:

    M2 (Headlight Detail)

    Didn’t like this until I saw it there; it’s a shortened M4 but wide and swollen in all the right ways. However, the undisputed star of the show was the new XM. Like many modern BMWs, it’s better in person — exuding presence:

    XM (Charging)

    I wish I’d somehow been able to better convey its stance, its proportions, and what I imagine it would look like coming up behind you. Then again, $160k and 664 horsepower will do that. Speaking of horsepower:

    XM (M Power V8 Hybrid)

    Nuthin’ like a carbon fiber engine cover in a three-ton machine. That said, for both Gerald and I the far-and-away favorite wasn’t the XM but rather the iX:

    iX (Badge Detail)

    The iX is a little ungainly from some angles, but its battery-powered, carbon fiber goodness is both fast and efficient. Plus, it sports one of the best BMW interiors going right now, and that’s saying something. (Ventilated wool seats for the win, folks.)

    These events usually boast parking lots filled with classics, but either the late Sunday afternoon or thunderstorms kept the older items safely garaged. However, there was a sweet and very bright red i8 gracing the scene:

    i8 Swoop

    If you’re at all into cars, there are 150 photographs in the automotive gallery waiting for you to enjoy. (As the note says, “some bias may be shown.”)

    Have a great weekend!

    Update: Gerald had already posted on this, but I didn’t see it in time to link above. Thanks, man!

  • Updated Gallery: Columbus, Georgia

    Updated Gallery: Columbus, Georgia

    Gerald and I were in Georgia’s lower Chattahoochee River valley yesterday, visiting the city of Columbus — and ran across a couple of treasures. Naturally, there was a camera handy.

    The first is the best restaurant I’ve enjoyed in a long while: The Animal Farm.

    The Animal Farm, 105 W. 12th St.

    If you’re in or going to be going to Columbus anytime soon, I cannot recommend it highly enough. The food was superlative, the service excellent, and the ambiance simultaneously upscale, casual, and fresh.

    The second — and no less tasty — stop was the Ma Rainey Museum of the Blues. This period house downtown is small but demonstrates a remarkable comeback from the (literal) wreckage they started with in the ’90s. I’d originally wanted to return to the Columbus Museum, but it’s being renovated; Gerald’s suggestion here was pitch-perfect.

    Ma Rainey House, 805 5th Ave.
    Ma Rainey House Marker, 805 5th Ave.
    Bust and Albums, Ma Rainey House, 805 5th Ave.
    Record Player Detail, Ma Rainey House, 805 5th Ave.

    Inside, Gerald and I enjoyed a lengthy conversation with Xavier, a guide who was knowledgeable and enthusiastic; he absolutely made us want to explore more blues history. (I’m also going to be listening to some Ma Rainey on Tidal.)

    Meanwhile, gallery of Columbus photographs is deep and varied, spanning almost fifteen years and 180 items — check it out.

    As always, thanks for visiting.

    Update: Gerald’s take on the day.

  • Updated Gallery: Downtown Macon

    Updated Gallery: Downtown Macon

    As is typical in July in Georgia, it was hot yesterday — but not so much that I didn’t spend a few minutes wandering around with the camera and superb 90mm. Especially since I was down on MLK, an area of downtown Macon I don’t frequent as much as, say, 2nd St.

    Macon Rocks Mural (401 Cherry St.)
    Music Marker (MLK and Mulberry)

    Some detail shots (as usual):

    Studio Door, Serenity Entertainment, Cherry St. Ln.
    Visit Macon’s Keyboard Building Detail, 450 MLK Blvd.
    Decorated Transit, MLK and Cherry

    Side note: I was completely unaware that Steve Martin and Edie Brickell had teamed up for Bright Star, a musical set in the Appalachians. (I presume, unfortunately, that the 2020 season at Theatre Macon might not have shown.) It probably won’t surprise that I enjoy a musical now and than — and am a big fan of both Martin and Brickell — so was glad to find it on Tidal.

    Bright Star (Painted) Poster, Theatre Macon, 3rd St. Ln.

    In any case, 23 new photographs have been posted to the Downtown Macon (2022-2023) gallery. Peruse and enjoy — and thanks for visiting.

  • Updated Gallery: Downtown Macon

    Updated Gallery: Downtown Macon

    It’s hard to understate how much downtown Macon has changed for the better in the last fifteen years: new residents (and lofts), new restaurants, new shops, a high-end hotel, and more — all without losing its feeling of an historic Southern city.

    Balconies, 389 1st St.
    (Sign of) Hotel Forty-Five, 401 Cotton Ave.

    On the subject of Southern, I’m glad to see the completion of the new Cotton Avenue Plaza, a pocket park that replaces not only an awkward intersection but one that had, at its center, a Confederate celebratory statue. Something everyone can share is a big upgrade:

    Cotton Avenue Plaza (with Lawrence Mayer Building)

    Meanwhile, it wouldn’t be a gallery post without some of my signature detail photographs:

    Flower Detail #2, Mulberry St.
    Eyes on Cherry St. (Window)

    The downtown gallery (2022–23) is now up to 132 photographs — check ’em out. (Once you’ve followed the link, click on any photograph for a larger, captioned version.) And, if you’re interested in the city’s downtown evolution, see also the 2020–21 and 2008–2018 galleries.

    As always, thanks for stopping by.

  • New Gallery: Montezuma, Georgia

    New Gallery: Montezuma, Georgia

    Macon County, Georgia, hosts Montezuma, a railroad crossroads on the Flint River. Officially dating to 1851, it was named after the Aztec leader by soldiers returning from the Mexican-American War.

    Montezuma Sign (Crepe Myrtles), S. Dooly St.

    I’ve been meaning to stop with a camera for a while, but it’s always been a pass-through on the way elsewhere — the route from Macon to Andersonville, Americus, and all points southwest go through Montezuma — but it’s taken until now to actually stop.

    Bench Detail, Montezuma Methodist, N. Dooly St.

    Like a substantial part of rural Georgia, Montezuma has fallen on increasingly hard times; the population continues to drop1See Wiki’s article., the empty storefronts multiply, and many of the beautiful old Southern houses need some attention:

    Slight Repairs Needed, 510 S. Dooly St.

    There’s an attractive downtown, though, with old brick buildings and a wonderful historic railroad depot:

    Museum Sign, Old Railroad Depot, Dooly & E. Railroad Sts.
    Bracket Detail #1, Old Railroad Depot, Dooly & E. Railroad Sts.

    Did I mention that it’s a railroad crossing? There are two sets downtown:

    Railroad Apparatus #4, Dooly & E. Railroad Sts.

    Despite the population loss and storefronts marked “for rent,” however, all isn’t lost. There are some new businesses opening:

    Sweet Window, 127 Cherry St.

    I’ve posted 55 photographs in the new Montezuma gallery — peruse and enjoy. And, as always, thanks for stopping by.