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I had serious apprehensions about submitting this photo due to the smudge right smack in the middle, but the more I looked at it the more I liked it. At first glance it appears these guys have no interest in one another almost alluding to the racial barrier we still (too) often see in our society. Though, seeing the men converse before I took the photo would give a completely different view. A lesson learned in this… things aren’t always as they seem.

#6
Men on a Bench, Jacksonville, Florida
“Men on a Bench”

This one is just a spur of the moment snapshot as I sat at a stoplight.

Looking at it there seems to be an awkward statement with the two men on each end of the bench looking away from each other. What you don’t see is them talking and smiling at one another as they sat in wait for the bus. By chance, when I clicked the shutter, they looked away from each other for that moment.

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I really thought this photo was going to be a huge disappointment on track for digital file #13 until I saw it big on my computer screen. I hope you like it as much as I do.

#5
J.H. Churchwell Company, Jacksonville, Florida
J.H. Churchwell Company – Jacksonville, Florida

I didn’t go out to get photos for the project when I took this shot. I was in the back of a limo riding around town and took my camera along just for snapshots. We stopped at the red light and I saw the J.H. Churchwell Company building which really looked cool from that viewpoint so I turned on the camera and composed a shot. Just as I clicked the shutter button the limo driver took off. I was bummed until I downloaded it to the computer and saw it full size. I thought the little bit of shadow added to the photo over all and after applying a selenium tone I really liked it.

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Yeah I thought I was cool skating across the Acosta Bridge. Boy was I wrong when I was coming back down off it. I did what I could to look good doing it, but I’m sure some passers by were getting a chuckle out of it. “Hey look at that imbecile trying to skate on the bridge with a camera hanging from his neck!” Hardy har har my dad always would say.

#4
Jogger Next to St. Johns River
Jogger Next to St. Johns River

I took this photo not long before the one I took of David making the floral designs with palm fronds as I was skating across the Acosta Bridge. After this I can give one piece of advice: don’t skate across the Acosta Bridge unless you are really good on skates. Going up is not so bad, but on the down slope it can be tricky to maintain your stance without gaining too much acceleration.

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I was browsing the facebook feed earlier today and a friend from back home shared this story about Hannibal, Missouri on NPR. I couldn’t help but feel slightly giddy over it. I know that several years ago they tried to encourage artists to open shops in some of the smaller towns along the Highway 79 corridor, including my hometown of Louisiana, but this was the first story I’ve heard about anything happening. The last time I visited home it appeared some folks had opened shops, but very few. Reading this story about Hannibal and the several new businesses really made me smile. I hope that others will follow suit there and in the other towns in the area. I know they could use it. Those small towns can thrive again if people would just open businesses and begin creating that sense of community that has, for the most part, been lost over the years.

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Alright here’s #3. This one is one of my favorites so far. I took it just a little while after I got the photo of “David, Floral Designer” as I skated around town waiting for my wife to pick me up.

Northstar Substation Pizza, Subs & Wings, Jacksonville, Florida
Northstar Substation Pizza, Subs & Wings

The sun was nearly gone by the time I took this. I was skating west on E. Bay Street towards Main Street to head towards Chamblins Uptown (which was closed already) and thought the restaurant would make a great photo for the project. I love doing what I can to promote local business even if it’s just taking a photo of a storefront and posting it online in several places.

Now I want to go back and try their pizza sometime.

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Yeah. It’s been a long time since I wrote on here. So much has been going on my head has been on a continual spin cycle. Sometimes I feel like the feather in Forrest Gump just floating around on a wind, but that’s alright. I suppose going with the flow of life is better than fighting against it, at least from time to time.

I have taken quite a few photos for the project, although in recent months it has been slow going. I’m doing what I can to keep the spark alive. Keep an eye on my flickr page where I’ve been keeping things updated as I take and choose photos. I hope to get out very soon and really get busy with it. In the meantime here’s the official #2.

David, Creative Floral Designer

David, Floral Designer

I stopped and spoke with David for some time as he spoke at length about his days working fast food. Now he prefers to cook at home rather than eat out which he views as a waste unless necessary due to hunger. He sits regularly at The Jacksonville Landing making beautiful floral arrangements out of palm fronds. My wife and I once bought one from him a few months ago and gave it to our eldest daughter. She still has it. “They last for years” he will exclaim and he is right. They will.

David is one of the kindest and most personable people I have met during my 11 years in Jacksonville.

I must admit, this was a little tricky as I was strapped to a pair of roller blades. Hard to keep it steady when you are losing light and your feet want to roll out from under you.

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First and foremost I once again want to thank Ernest Koe for inviting me to be a part of this project. In the few years I’ve followed him I’ve learned a great deal about photography by studying his work and also reading his posts and comments on the various photo and social sites. He has a great eye for composition, especially with street and portrait photography, but also in general. He also has an abundance of knowledge regarding both digital and film photography in between his ears. Now that you are curious check out some of his photos on flickr.

Down on Main Street, Jacksonville, Florida

Down on Main Street (Intersection of 8th and Main looking downtown).

For my first photo I simply drove around the downtown area looking for something to catch my eye. I saw several possibilities, but chose this one. The now well lit Main Street in the somewhat revamped Springfield area provides a nice corridor view into downtown.

I took two shots of this photo. The first was slightly darker due to the street lights to my right and the shadow of the bench on the wall to the left was way lower. When I made a slight tilt adjustment to my tripod for this one the shadow ended up perfect on the wall and there was more light from the street lights. I totally didn’t notice until I was comparing the two on the computer, not to mention the bus stop sign to the right being aligned to the edge of the frame which I also didn’t notice when I took the shot.

Although the changes in recent years here are a welcomed improvement business has thus far been slow to engage. In time I can see this strip becoming very busy with more enhancements and new local businesses moving in. It has an enormous amount of potential.

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