Restoring a lost habit

Life with my closest friend changed about a year ago. He and I would eat lunch together nearly every day of the week. His office was close to mine, and we could easily meet at one of the local restaurants. Then the pandemic changed our plans. He started working from home along with much of the rest of the country. Since his home is about a 30-minute drive from my office, meeting for lunch was not an everyday option anymore. It is funny how some of the most stressful aspects of this past year have been the little day-to-day habits we all had to change. Recently, I decided to take a drive out to his home and pay him a visit. He loves to boast about easy country living and I felt the need for some easy living. So, I packed up my camera and made the 30-minute drive to his home.

We exchanged our typical booth at Primos restaurant for a ride in a side by side in the country. Our time with each other at lunch was never about the food anyway. We just enjoyed discussing life and solving the world’s problems. We have all the answers by the way. This week things have started a slow return to normal. He is back at his office twice a week and the texts “What’s for lunch?” have started again. I figure we should have a solution to the current world problems soon. The only one we struggle with is how to eat fried chicken and strawberry cake without gaining weight. We are working on that one. However, it does get real quiet at our table when the fried chicken arrives. Oh well, you can’t expect us to have an answer for everything.

Highway 16 and Kodak Portra Film

I recently took a drive from Canton to Carthage along Highway 16 and decided to take a few photographs along the way. I was mainly interested in capturing some of the things you typically see when traveling around Mississippi. The water tower in the photograph above is located in Canton and was the first stop I made along the road. The city of Canton offers many options for photography, especially around the historic square. But, on this day I mainly focused on images along the Highway. I carried my Contax G2 camera loaded with Kodak Portra 400 film. I have often used this film for portraits and wanted to see how it performed when photographing landscapes.

The old building above was a good test of how the film handled harsh sunlight. You can see some detail in the shadows which is an indication of a nice dynamic range to the film. One of the reasons I enjoy using film for my photography is its ability to retain detail in the shadows without blowing out the highlights. The final shot I will share was taken in the town of Carthage. This old car and the signs along the wall were a good test of how the film rendered color.

Overall, I am very pleased with Kodak Portra 400 film. It is versatile and offers nice results for both portrait and landscape photography. I will share some portraits taken with this film in a future post. That is it for this post. See you next time.

The colors of Yazoo City

Occasionally, I enjoy taking the short trip on Highway 49 to Yazoo City, Mississippi. The downtown area of this town is interesting, to say the least. The main street provides a colorful array of buildings ideal for photography. I have also found the store owners in the downtown area to be some of the nicest people I’ve had the opportunity to meet. Everyone seems to go out of their way to make your visit enjoyable.

This trip to Yazoo City was long before the pandemic hit Mississippi and I am not certain if shops are currently open. I would however encourage you to visit the local shops whenever the opportunity presents itself. It is a town worthy of a visit at some point. These images from Yazoo City were taken with the Contax G2 camera and Fuji Pro 400H film.

Kennedy (Senior portrait)

I was excited to have the opportunity to photograph Kennedy. I have witnessed Kennedy grow up over the years and find it hard to believe that she is about to attend college. We decided to meet at their lakefront property for her photography session. They have an incredible boathouse surrounded by beautiful trees. The location was a big part of Kennedy’s life and turned out to be a great place for photography. The breeze coming off the lake also helped keep us comfortable on a fairly hot day.

I can certainly understand why this location is special to their family. In fact, it looks like another family finds it special as well. Kennedy told me later that a neighborhood duck decided the family boat was the perfect place to lay her eggs. It will be interesting to see if baby ducks will be leaving the nest at the same time as Kennedy. Spending the afternoon with this family and photographing their daughter was a real pleasure. I wish the best for Kennedy as she heads off to college. I wonder if baby ducks are allowed in the dorms. Anyway, best of luck Kennedy!

Hot Coffee and the Contax G2

I really enjoy a good cup of hot coffee, but that’s not what this story is about. I recently took a drive down to Laurel, Mississippi in search of some photographs. My plan was to take some photographs with my Contax G2 camera. This is a camera that I have owned for many years but rarely have a chance to use. The Contax G2 is a rangefinder-style film camera designed to be used with a series of Zeiss lenses. The lenses for this camera are some of the sharpest lenses that I own. The camera is compact and great for travel without sacrificing quality. On the way to Laurel, I decided to take a detour through Hot Coffee, Mississippi.

According to Wikipedia the towns name came from the story of L.J. Davis. “ L.J. Davis built a store and hung a coffee pot over his door, advertising "the best hot coffee around". His coffee was made from pure spring water and New Orleans beans, and molasses drippings for sweetener. He never served cream with his coffee, believing it ruined the taste. Local politicians would visit Davis' store and buy coffee for constituents and passing travelers. The popularity of Davis' coffee led to the name of the community.”

My choice of film for these images was Kodak Portra 400. This trip was a nice change of pace from my usual photography. I will definitely be taking a few more trips around Mississippi with the Contax G2. After a lifetime in Mississippi, I finally get to check Hot Coffee off my bucket list.

Sheltering from the storm

When I was a young boy, nothing made me happier than to go fishing or hunting with my dad. However, there was one time when a fishing trip with my dad didn’t turn out to be all that fun. Looking back, however, the trip was a life lesson that is coming in handy these days. We had taken an aluminum boat out on the Ross Barnett reservoir with the hopes of catching some fish. The boat was equipped with a small outboard motor which made moving around the big lake possible although fairly slow. That is until it decided to quit working properly in the middle of the lake. For some reason, my dad could only get the motor to go into reverse. That wouldn’t be such a big deal except for the fact that a major storm was heading in our direction. We began to make our way back to the boat ramp (in reverse) until it became apparent that we could not make it before the storm hit. We could, however, make it to the Highway 43 bridge in time. The decision was made to shelter in place under the bridge.

Shortly after we made it to the bridge, so did the storm. It was worse than expected and as a young boy, I was scared to death. Waves were crashing over the side of the boat and the water began to fill the boat. I lowered my head and began to pray silently. My dad looked back at me and said, “How are you doing?”. I nervously said, “ I’m fine”. I didn’t want him to know that I was afraid. He smiled and just continued to hold the boat steady. It was clear that he and I did not share the same concerns about our situation. This was my first lesson from that day. Don’t worry, just trust your father. I was about to learn my second lesson. The storm was beginning to weaken and it came time to head back to shore. Keep in mind this was before you could simply check the weather on your phone. We weren’t completely sure that the storm was over. But, at some point, you just have to go for it and have faith that your father will get you home.

These past weeks of sheltering in place reminded me a little of my time under that bridge. My dad passed away many years ago and is not around to hold the boat steady anymore. However, I place my confidence in another Father that has always been there for me. The one I prayed to on that day. I am certain that just like my dad, He understands my concerns, but doesn’t share them. As it approaches the time to stop sheltering in place and slowly return to life, I’m pretty sure that life will repeat itself. Just like before, I will say a prayer for this to be over. I will tell you I am fine even when that is not entirely true. But, ultimately, I will trust my Father to get me home.

Red Bluff Cycling Event

I had the pleasure to work with Bo Bourne on the Red Bluff cycling event in Monticello, Mississippi this past weekend. Red Bluff is a benefit for the Lawrence County Voluntary Fire Association. The event began on Friday in Brookhaven where cyclists registered and got to know one another. Professional cyclist Phil Gaimon, Frankie Andreu and Lauren Hall participated in the event. Phil Gaimon is a retired former seven-year professional cyclist and 2018 and 2019 Hillclimb World Champion. Frankie Andreu is a former nine-time Tour de France veteran and two time Olympian. Lauren Hall was a member of the USA Cycling National team for five years, raced in four different world championships and won three national titles in track cycling. She also was a member of the winning Giro Rosa team, the most prestigious women’s race in the world.

The Grand Fondo took place Saturday in Monticello, Mississippi on a challenging course of 103.5 miles and 5000 feet of climbing. The most difficult thing about photographing cycling is the fact that it covers over 100 miles. It takes some planning to stay ahead of the pack and capture them at the best places for photography. The roads were some of the oldest and most historic roads in Mississippi. The route offered some great opportunities for photography. I enjoyed being a part of this event and I want to congratulate everyone that completed the course. Images from Friday, Saturday and Sunday can be viewed by clicking on the links below:

https://markhinklephotography.shootproof.com/gallery/11727467

https://markhinklephotography.shootproof.com/gallery/11727531