Photography and design for print production

Tag: photostroll

Updated Gallery: Downtown Macon

I had the occasion to have lunch downtown yesterday, a day of simply beautiful spring weather — which I absolutely used as an excuse to take the camera for a spin.

The vast majority of the time, I use what I call my standard lens: 35mm. (Some would argue that 50mm is the “standard,” but I really prefer the wider angle of view due to its additional context.) This time, however, I was using Leica’s superb — and, sadly, no longer available — 90mm macro. The detail, the color, everything about this lens excels:

Leaves and Berries, Poplar & New Sts.

Veteran’s Flame and Flag, Macon-Bibb Government Center, 700 Poplar St.

It’s sometimes a challenge to be creative in an area you’ve photographed often, but I enjoy trying to spy new details:

L.C. Rick’s Place, D.T. Walton Sr. Way & Poplar St.

Kudzu Signs and Building Cornice, 512 Poplar St.

Or revisit favorite architectural items:

Post and Turret, 690 Poplar St.

23 new photographs have been added to the Macon Downtown (2022–2023) gallery, bringing the total to 110. (Don’t forget about the 2008–2018 and 2020–2021 galleries, either.)

Remember, once in a gallery, clicking on any photograph will start a slide show, with much larger images, titles, and more. Peruse and enjoy!

April 13, 2023
New Gallery: Senoia, Georgia

After leaving Zebulon (see below) last Thursday, I continued northeast into the beautiful spring morning. My destination was Senoia, a town of about 5,000 that has a lovely, old-time feel, and is usually busy due to its “touristy” nature. There’s a film studio (!), and major productions like Driving Miss Daisy and The Walking Dead have used it for a location. Plus, given its proximity to Atlanta, it’s a popular day trip for city dwellers looking for a getaway.

Gerald and I were there last April, and while I had a camera with me, I only took a few photographs and didn’t like any of them. But a church window had stuck in my head, we enjoyed the visit, and I determined to return.

This time: success. Starting with that church window:

Church of God of Prophesy (Window #1), Main and Johnson Sts.

Elsewhere in the historic district, fantastic Southern porches await:

The Veranda Historic Inn, 252 Seavy St.

While amongst the dogwood blossoms, there was even a porch for our feathered friends:

Bird House, 128 Travis St.

But it’s downtown that folks come to visit:

Shops and Eats on the Hill (#2), Main St.

Book Light (Reflecting Tour), 53 Main St.

Giraffe at Foxhollow, 7 Main St.

The Classic Market, 30 Barnes St.

Plenty of history here, too:

The Museum and the Water Tower (From Baggarly Way)

Light and Lights Detail, 61 Main St.

A total of 57 photographs — clearly, it was a good time — have been posted to the Senoia gallery. No matter the weather where you are, wander a picturesque small town on a beautiful spring day.

Thank you!

March 27, 2023
New Gallery: Zebulon, Georgia
We’re having an absolutely beautiful March here in Georgia — apologies to places that absolutely aren’t — and I’ve been trying to take advantage by getting out and taking photographs.

The latest photostroll starts in the small town (pop. 1225) of Zebulon¹, in Pike County, northwest of Macon, with the typical courthouse square:

Pike County Courthouse, Barnesville St.

The building, from 1895 and on the National Register of Historic Places, is wonderfully detailed, sporting columns aplenty and lots of Colonial Revival details:

Pike County Courthouse (Column Detail #1)

Courthouse Square Composition, Barnesville and Thomaston

The small downtown is well-kept and bustling in a way that small downtowns should be:

Barnesville St. Storefonts, Zebulon

Better still, spring is in full bloom:

Garden Gate in Spring (#2)

Enjoy the 25 posted photographs from Zebulon — and stay tuned for the main destination of the trip: Senoia. Have a good weekend!
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  Named for Zebulon Pike, the general and explorer (for whom Colorado’s Pike’s Peak is named, among other things)
March 24, 2023
New Gallery: Eatonton, Georgia

Confession: For the last several years, I’ve been avoiding Eatonton. Its four-lane bypass is notorious as a revenue generator for Putnam County, so when heading north to Madison or Athens I have been taking the prettier Monticello route instead.

My mistake. In almost twenty years of living less than fifty miles from this gem — and perhaps because of that bypass — I’d not explored downtown. It’s definitely earned another visit.

Residence Above Maggie Lane (Mind Your Step)

Putnam County Courthouse (Tree)

I also wasn’t aware that Alice Walker (The Color Purple) and Joel Harris (Uncle Remus) were locals — the latter explaining the prevalence of rabbits hopping about:

Rabbit (Paper Jeff)

Interesting art, too:

The FolksArt, 119 S. Jefferson

Selz (The “Sole” of Honor), 107 N. Madison

Please enjoy the 30 photographs posted — and stay tuned: I’ll try to travel the Historic Piedmont Scenic Byway again soon.

March 8, 2023
New Gallery: Sparta, Georgia

I’ve been meaning to take a camera to Sparta for a minute now; its downtown is small yet old and photogenic in a distinctly Southern way.

Confederate State of Hancock County

On that subject: let’s get the elephant in the room out front and center. Sparta is 85% Black, arguably economically and socially suffering, and yet this monument stands front and center. Why?

Neglect: “It Suits Us”

Lightbulb Moment, 12745 Broad St.

However, there are signs of hope. More than one building downtown is being refurbished, and there are at least a couple of businesses that are surviving — perhaps even thriving — by providing a sense of community:

The Sparta Ishmaelite (Printing)

Hattaway Furniture, 12755 Broad St.

By the way, those old buildings often have beautiful cast iron details:

Building Detail, 12699 Broad St.

I was glad to have made the trip, and hope that you’ll be glad to take a moment and look and Sparta’s downtown in the new gallery.

Up tomorrow: Eatonton. Thanks for stopping by.

March 7, 2023
Gallery Update: Milledgeville, Georgia

Spring has sprung here in Middle Georgia:

Downtown Dogwood

Gerald and I took advantage of a warm and cloudless March day for a lengthy photostroll which started in Milledgeville — lunch — and wandered northeast, starting at the nearby O’Quinn Mill:

Old O’Quinn Mill (Wheel)

Old O’Quinn Mill (Siding Detail #2)

The old mill building is situated on, natch, O’Quinn pond — a man-made addition to Town Creek:

O’Quinn Pond Dam (Town Creek)

There’s a dock and old farm buildings in the complex, which these days is a picturesque event venue:

O’Quinn Mill on Town Creek

We continued on to Sparta, then returned through Eatonton, stopping in both towns for photographs. (Updates coming tomorrow and Wednesday: stay tuned.)

Meanwhile, take a look at the updated Milledgeville gallery, now up to 100 photographs spanning the last twelve years. Enjoy!

March 6, 2023
Gallery Update: Jackson, Georgia

Spring is beginning to blossom here in Middle Georgia, which means it’s time to restart the traditional Sunday drive and photostroll. This week’s destination was the small city of Jackson, seat of Butts County, and home to a typically pretty downtown square:

Jackson Historic Square (20 Oak St.)

The courthouse, as is often the case in Georgia, takes center stage:

Confederate Butts Forever

“Dream,” Not Necessarily Reflected

No, I usually don’t make political commentary. Why do you ask?

Anyway, there are several examples of my architectural studies, including these:

Butts County Courthouse Tower (B&W Study)

Smoking Column Detail, 10 3rd St.

I didn’t realize that Jackson was the filming location for Stranger Things — a stand-in for Hawkins, Indiana:

Jackson is Hawkins (Police)

Check out the full gallery for Jackson, including yesterday’s photographs and those from last year, which include some from nearby Jackson Lake, in the updated gallery.

February 20, 2023
Gallery Update: Dublin
Named for the city in Ireland, Dublin in Georgia is an hour or so southeast of Macon. It’s my third trip there, and, like last time, I enjoyed Gerald’s company.¹

It has a photogenic downtown, too:

Corker (of a) Building, W. Jackson St.

Fountain and Holiday Tree, N. Monroe St. and Bellevue Ave.

The Welcome Park includes a clock and bell complete with clover, reminding visitors that the name is, in fact, a tribute:

Dublin Welcome Tower #1

As has become typical, my favorite — “best” is debatable, of course — shot is a close-up that’s almost an abstract. In this case, a turquoise box car in the appropriately-named Railroad Park:

Pull Down for Camel, Dublin Railraod Park

Just off the main drag we found an item thankfully not yet painted over:

Aqua Fox, Jefferson and Madison

. . . Which may, in fact, be a holdover from a bygone era. In fact, I’d be remiss if I didn’t call this subject out:

Laurens and Dublin Mural (No Biases Shown), S. Lawrence St.

The only people of color depicted here are Native Americans, relegated to viewing (probably from afar), and two Blacks, very much shown “in their place.” (Dublin still prominently features a Confederate memorial, as well.) Let’s hope that this small city continues its journey into the 21st century, one step at a time.

See the updated gallery here. As always, once in the gallery, click on any photograph to start a slide show.
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  He seemed to enjoy the trip, rain notwithstanding, but apparently the creative juices didn’t flow. (Sorry, man.) Details here.
December 12, 2022
New Gallery: Fickling Mill

An unintended postscript to the recent photostroll, and another in the lengthy list of places you pass through without stopping — except, this time:

Signs of White Flash

Shell Motor Oil

While tiny, Fickling Mill in 2022 is eye-catching, thanks to this building at the water crossing, and likely represents exactly what the name advertises — the location of a former mill of some sort, driven by the power of the water of Patsilinga Creek.

Patsiliga Creek Over the Fickling Mill Dam

We were there late in the day, hence the fading-yet-still-golden light:

Windmill Decor and Patsiliga Creek

Only nine photographs, but posted as a dedicated gallery. Enjoy your virtual photostroll — and thanks for visiting.

November 16, 2022
New Gallery: Talbotton
The county seat of Talbot (Wiki) was the primary destination of our recent photostroll, another of those places that are often passed through without stopping. A small, poor town — and county — its rich history absolutely deserves a home here amongst the galleries of Georgia.

Monroe Street Storefonts, Downtown

Founded in 1828, Talbotton was a center of education for the area; its architectural splendor reflects a wealth no longer present. Even the later courthouse (1892) is a beautiful structure:

Talbot County Probate Court, 26 Washington Ave.

Talbot County Court Tower #3

There was one structure in particular that I wanted to visit: the Zion Episcopal Church, an 1848 wooden item, painted dark brown with white shutters:

Historic Zion Episcopal Church, Circa 1848

Unfortunately, Georgia’s early- and mid-century legacy survives intact. From the Zion Church’s Historical Marker:

The choir loft at the east end of the structure opposite the sanctuary, above the narthex, is flanked on each side by a gallery, where slaves worshipped prior to the conflict which many believed temporarily destroyed Southern culture.
Georgia Historical Commission, 1955

The church is still beautiful, it’s still beautifully preserved and maintained, and I’m glad that we can, in 2022, look at it in the historical context it deserves.¹

Zion Episcopal Church (Window Detail #2)

See the church and all of Talbotton — 34 photographs in all — in the new gallery here.

Thanks to Gerald for a pleasant Sunday of fine photography.
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  Read more about Zion Episcopal and its place in Talbotton here.
November 15, 2022