A Piece of America

Months ago I mentioned a trip I took to Virginia that brought me to the town of Floyd. My cousin Ron, who is a musician, square & contra dance caller, as well as husband, dad, and owner of a few self-serve car washes in Pittsburgh, brought me to this tiny town where music seems to thrive. I was excited.

First, I was excited to see him play. Plus, I love string instruments. I can't really explain it. I have no idea how to play them, but I am drawn to their beauty. I love the shape and look of the wood. I could watch people play them for hours.

Lightning Jack. His real name is Bill.

And he didn't stay seated for long.

At first I sat on a chair in the circle, next to Ron and Lightning Jack. But like Jack, I couldn't stay seated for long. Some moments could be captured from the angle the chair provided, but I quickly needed to change my angle, my viewpoint. Since I can't grasp what musicians are doing when they play their violins, fiddles, cellos, and guitars I tend to fixate on their hands. Which is where I end up pointing & focusing my camera.

Ron, keeping up with Lightning Jack.

When I look at these photos I can remember how Lightning Jack seemed to be playing off Ron the most. Perhaps because he was new and unfamiliar, but also because he seemed to like how he played. He got out of his chair and kept getting closer and closer to Ron as he played. He was listening to something I would have never heard. But I could watch. It was, for lack of a better description, pretty cool to witness.

People gathered to listen. Ron's face shows him listening to another man in the circle, who had not been playing for long. But I was focusing on Lightning Jack's hand.


Beyond the music circle you can see other musicians starting to gather in the streets. This is the scene on Friday nights in Floyd!

And how else would I have been able to witness this if not for my camera? There are details that present themselves when you have a camera that maybe you wouldn't notice otherwise. Not only did I spend a lot of time watching their hands, but also their eyes as they followed each other and tried to keep up or figure out each other's style. I noticed this ring Lightning Jack was wearing and took several shots trying to show it off. I kind of made my own assumption that there is a story and some meaning behind it. Just like so many things in life.

Ron and Lightning Jack playing off each other. At one point Lightning Jack stopped playing, smiled, and said "Man, where you from? I like how you play!"

I am not a musician, which may be why I am fascinated by watching those who can do this craft. I'm also from New England, and this scene was so different from what I normally see in my own town. But part of what I loved about this night in this part of the country was this sense of community. A small town community, a community of musicians and artists supporting each other - listening, playing, creating. It's the stuff that makes America great. And why it's so good to leave the comforts of home every once in awhile.



A piece of Floyd, VA - the country store where these musicians were gathered next to. Friday nights of music continue inside the store once it gets dark.
...

Single Photo Friday:: Friday Night Fun

Well, it's Friday again. It's after 2pm, and I've been putting in some serious time on this computer today. Is it ok for me to confess that I sat down at the computer as soon as I grabbed my first cup of coffee, have barely left, and here I am at 2pm realizing I'm still in my pj's?

The joy of being self-employed.

And last Friday I was in VA at a family reunion. I opted to make it a non-working weekend, and therefore did not post to the blog. Instead I hung out with family, floated down a river on an inner tube, went to an amazing Friday night music event, celebrated the 50th anniversary of my aunt and uncle, and listened to an 8 year old tell me about all the adventures she's been on.

Of course a non-working weekend does not mean I leave my camera behind! Just the computers. I would have been beyond mad at myself (and not very dedicated to my craft) if I didn't bring my camera to this fabulous part of the country.

Here is a photo I took while in Floyd, VA at their weekly Friday night music event.

 I photographed these 3 teenage girls with matching tap shoes until my camera nearly got clogged.

Musicians take to the streets, playing with friends and strangers, and filling the air with the sounds of traditional Appalachian music. Then later The Floyd Country Store has bands on stage, and people clogging (as in, the type of dancing) on the dance floor.

It was a pretty amazing evening. I am saving all the photos of my cousin Ron playing on the streets with Lightening Jack for another post! Too many to cut down to one for a Single Photo Friday event.


...

Single Photo Friday:: Ride

Getting back on the road after a brunch stop on Sebago Lake.

 

Welcome to warm weather, friends! The Weekend Warrior and I hit the road this past weekend on our bike. It was an awesome first ride of the season, and remains on my mind as I sit in front of my computer on this sunny Friday.

What kinds of outdoor things do you have planned for the weekend?

...

Scaling Back: a Photographic Exercise

Choppy waters just beyond the Golden Gate Bridge.

On November 4 I boarded a plane in Portland, Maine to cross the country and land in San Francisco. The family was congregating in the city that my youngest cousin now calls home, so we could all attend his wedding. I was beyond excited.

First, I was excited to finally get to see San Francisco, and that the Weekend Warrior was coming with me (knowing he would finally see the Golden Gate Bridge, which he seems to have a mild obsession with, was fueling my enthusiasm). This was the final wedding of my 2009 season, only this time I was going as a guest. No pressure on me, aside from the fact that I would be required to put some serious effort into my outfit, and (*GASP*) wear heels.

Walking around the streets of San Francisco made me really thirsty.

I thought about how I would actually sit and eat an entire meal. I would hit the dance floor and dance for hours. I would hang out with my family, laughing and talking and watching my cousin have his moment. And I would get to see another photographer in action! I love to watch people who know their craft work, so this was something I was really looking forward to.

Then it came time to pack my equipment. I wasn't responsible for a wedding or portraits or film stills, so perhaps I could really scale back. I could bring just what I'm comfortable carrying on me for hours. I could finally do something I've wanted to do for a long time: One camera body, and one lens. But not a zoom lens, that's almost cheating. A 50 mm, nothing else and see what I get.

I loved how the sun was hitting this little building, begging me to take its picture.

In my twenties, before the days of auto-focus and extra bells and whistles, I went everywhere with a Pentax K1000 and a 28mm lens. I got very used to shooting close to my subjects or making negative space work in my favor. Things are different now, to say the least, but the desire to scale down and simplify is still with me. Excessive gear doesn't mean much. The important thing is to be comfortable and skilled with the gear you do have. Bringing only a 50mm lens is an excellent exercise for any photographer. If the shot doesn't work you either find a way to make it work or you move on to the next thing that might. It's an exercise in finding new ways to see (or a reminder of how you used to see, before all the auto-focus zooms came into your life).

Down at Fisherman's Wharf, in what I called 'Crab Alley'.


The end of Larkin.

Not to mention, it's a very compact and light lens making all day excursions with a camera around your shoulder much easier, especially when renting bikes. All of the photos in this post were taken on that trip, with a 50mm f1.4 lens. I'm looking forward to the next chance I get to stretch my photo brain like that.

I love the texture and color of this. Rusty metal things do it for me.

The touristy shot. I went under on a boat and across on a bike.

This little exercise stretched my creativity and left me wanting more. This is what scaling back did for me. What do you think it could do for you?

...

Witness to Happiness

This is what content looks like, in case you haven't seen it in awhile. The highlight of his whole trip, hands down, making all the work to get there totally worth it.

A chance to see San Francisco is worth it anyway, and now I get to be one of those people who walks around saying "San Francisco is such a great city!" since I have finally seen it. Pieces of it, at least. This photo will remain one of my favorite moments, and a reminder of what I love about photography: that chance to witness people's happiness over and over.

...

Rules to Live By

A window in San Francisco promotes one of my life mottoes.


..

Another Pretty Place

Pretty.

Maine is a pretty place to live. But I love finding new places with nice views, and luckily as a photographer I get chances to do that. I spent the past weekend in Pawley's Island, South Carolina. Unplugged from technology, my weekend consisted of my camera, a wedding, watching the shoreline, and talking for hours with good friends and strangers.


Not only was there no internet, but no keys for the doors. Many of the showers were outdoors. A hammock on one of the decks took turns calling out our names. The crazy rush I went through in the airports to make all my connections was erased by sitting in a rocking chair on the porch and listening to the surf with a cup of coffee in my hand. More than once I thought how similar this coast looked to Maine, and yet I felt like I was a world away. And with my camera I often feel like everywhere I photograph is just an extension of my own back yard. Another place to find pretty stuff.

Another gem to add to the 'Go Back There Someday' list.

South Carolina or Southern Maine?

..

The California I Saw

The blog has been sitting silent for a little while. This seems to be a common theme on many photo blogs, followed by apologies and often promises to do a better job updating. I'm not sure any apologies are needed. Sometimes life just happens and things get busy. I had hoped to update roughly once a week, but that doesn't always happen. And for the most part, that's ok.







What I have been doing is lots of photographing and some travel and general life busyness, all in the name of photo goodness. Not to mention it's FALL! The best time to be living in Northern New England. But I decided to leave my favorite place during my favorite time of year and spend a few days out west. Los Angeles, to be exact. While I was there I took a few photos...








I love that feeling of being in a new place. Seeing things for the first time makes my creative energies come alive and my photographic eye go into overdrive. I had been down some of these streets earlier this year, but still had that excitement of being in a new place. Several of these were taken on my morning walk to find coffee. Sitting and watching, while consuming the necessary caffeine doses, gave me a chance to take in what was going on around me and make some images of the California I saw.

I'm starting to believe that 4 days away is the answer to any lack of inspiration or motivation. We all hit those points, no matter what we do for work or with our lives. Disappearing for even a small amount of time is often just what we needed to get back on track /recharged / ready to start anew.

What happens to you when you go to new places?


...

If Walls Could Talk...

..they would promote hugs, smiles, and people who love cameras. At least that's my theory.

My first post and the photo of Ben in Brooklyn reminded me of other photos I took on that same trip. I walked around Williamsburg and found the remainder of a street fair. This led me down a side street and to some very photo-worthy walls. I have had nowhere to share these photos until now! Blogs are awesome.

..

SO, here it is - the official blog of Judy Beedle Photography! First, thanks for visiting. Second, I appreciate your patience as the blog gets built and takes on the shape and look I am hoping to achieve.

My goal is to post once a week, and my posts will always include a photo. The photo might be something I took in the past week, it might be an image I have loved for years. But they will be images created by me and my pal, the camera. We've been getting along great lately.

During the past year I started a Photo-a-week project, which I posted on my Picasa page. It was a great exercise in accountability towards my craft as well as a helpful tool in learning the new digital camera I purchased just over a year ago. The first year of palling around with my digital camera has proven to be as rewarding as it has been challenging. This new blog will help me take the challenge one step further.

As part of my first post, I am including a photo from this year's PAW (Photo-A-Week) project. This one is of my friend Ben during a Brooklyn visit this past summer. I guess I'll also point out that he is talking on his new iphone, which makes him very cool and hip.

Get used to seeing Ben, as he makes many appearances in my work!