On my recent travels to visit my parents and my grandmother, I also visited a very cool state park in Missouri. At Elephant Rocks State Park, you can hike up and climb around on ginormous granite rocks. It's a very cool and unique place but it wasn't my ultimate destination. I actually wanted to visit the newly reopened Johnson Shut-Ins which is just a few minutes away from Elephant Rocks. I recently read somewhere that Johnson Shut-Ins was ranked as one of the top "natural swimming holes" in the U.S. Unfortunately, we had to walk nearly two miles to get to the swimming area from where we had to park. I don't have a point and shoot, so I decided not to lug my camera down to the water since I knew there wouldn't be a safe place to stash it. So, I don't have any pictures to post of the Shut-Ins.
The idea of photographs providing memories (think Blade Runner) intrigues me. I have memories for both of these places from childhood, but I wasn't sure if they're mostly because I've looked at the old photographs for so many years or if I truly remembered experiencing them in the first place. So, since my parents live pretty close, I was curious to see if each place would evoke any actual memories. It was oh so hot and humid the day we visited but the skies were beautiful and blue:
So, the first thing I realized is that there is a trail leading around through the woods and up to the top of the rocks that I definitely do not remember. Secondly, there are many trees now but I guess that can happen over the course of 25+ years. Once we reached the top of the rocks, I could not really recall any concrete memories of actually being there...I just kept picturing myself posing on top of and in front of the rocks, as a child, from the old photographs. It was actually a weird feeling to know I had been there around age 7 and that my memories where mostly from the photographs. It would've been cool to compare the old and new photographs but I forgot the grab the old ones of me in this place as a child.
In this photograph you can get an idea of how big the rocks are:
If you're ever in the area, you should definitely visit both Johnson Shut-Ins and Elephant Rocks State Park.
What memories do you have that only exist from photographs?
Although I have wanted to make it a goal to post to my blog more frequently, at least once per week, I haven't lived up to this goal for the past couple of months. I could throw out a lot of excuses as to why this hasn't been the case, but the reality is that I just haven't made my blog a priority. Along with many well-intentioned blog writers, I plan to work on making this change. My blog will continue to be focused on my work as a photographer along with a few related (and maybe unrelated) posts along the way.Even though the majority of my work has been in portraiture, I haven't really dealt with portraits since my suicide survivors series, The Last Best Place: Suicide in Montana, in the Fall of 2009. Sure, I've made some portraits here and there, but honestly, I wanted a break after the arduous task of photographing and interviewing those who have lost a loved one to suicide. So, during some of my travels this summer, I photographed my only remaining grandparent. I have actually been planning to do this for about a year. I ended up not getting as many portraits as I wanted, but I like to think of it as the start to a long-term project.
I don't see my grandmother very often for a variety of reasons. In fact, it had been a year and a half since I last saw her when I made the following portraits of her a few weeks ago. The last time I saw her at this location, at her home in Kentucky, was when I visited for my only grandfather's funeral. Unfortunately, it had been seven years since I had seen him. That is something I have to live with for the rest of my life. I won't go into the reasons, but no matter what the reasons were, I should have visited.So...moving on to a more positive note...I decided last year that I would make more of an effort to see my grandmother when I can. Living over 2000 miles away doesn't make this an easy task, but my parents live within three hours from her house so that will make it easier to visit her when I visit my mom & dad. That's exactly what I did on this rare summer trip "home" to spend some time with my parents.
My grandmother will be 89 at the end of this month and let me tell you, she is PROUD of that! There's nothing wrong with being proud of your age. Honestly, I think she feels like she looks mighty good for her age. I think so, too. When the weather is ok (not extremely hot or cold), she walks up to four miles per day. This is something she's done for as long as I can remember. She doesn't take any medication and from what I know, she is a very healthy woman. She lives by herself and still gets out in the yard to pull weeds or work in the flower beds (which sometimes causes her to get stung by bees - exactly what happened the day before I saw her). She probably pushes beyond her limits, but she is a strong woman. I know she must have passed on her love for keeping busy and staying active to my mom who in turn passed that very same trait to my sister and I.So, this is my Mamaw:
I didn't ask her for outfit changes or variations in her location.
I didn't direct her very much but just photographed the look she was willing to give me. Even though I had already planned to photograph her, this "session" materialized very naturally after my mom and I were looking through old family photographs. I simply asked her to sit in the chair nearest the window because I loved the diffused light coming through the sheer curtains.I also couldn't pass up the opportunity to make a quick photograph of three generations. This is me with my mom & Mamaw:
So this is a start of something new. A renewed commitment to my work and to sharing it here on my blog, and a commitment to initiate more contact with my only remaining grandparent. Since I never knew my father's parents, it seems all the more important to me, even at this late date, to make a better attempt to stay connected with my grandmother.
If you've read through this whole post...thank you for sticking with it! Would you become a follower of my blog, or at least check back often, and let me know what you think of my work and my words? Also, if you're lucky enough to still have grandparents, visit them as soon as you can.
And on a totally non-photographic end note...when was the last time you visited someone who really needed to see you?
Whenever I visit a new place, I always like to find at least one local thrift store. I love thrift stores in general and I often buy things used (especially my clothes). An added benefit to seeking out thrift stores in new places is that it takes me to parts of the city I probably never would have seen otherwise. In this case, I stepped out of the car and saw this lovely tire swing hanging right next to the road in the residential neighborhood where I found a thrift store. I immediately thought the scene was perfect for my Holga.
One of my favorite things to do on sunny afternoons when I just want to chill in the sun is to hang out at House Rock and watch the kayakers. Today I saw both kayaks and rafts. This first guy got turned around while coming around the rock but he let out a big "whoo hoo!"...I guess because he didn't flip over. I would be pretty happy about that also!
I wanted to share with you the work that my former MSU professor, Ian van Coller, is currently doing in his home country of South Africa at the World Cup. Take a moment to look at some of his first images of soccer fans and how they express themselves through their clothing and other regalia. Check out his photographs here: 
http://ianvancoller.blogspot.com/.
Here's another Holga image from my recent travels. It was so fun to just sit and watch these carefree kids running in and out of the fountains that randomly squirted from the ground. This little girl looked so hesitant as she stepped up to the edge of the fountain area while clutching her little skirt...but I knew she secretly wanted to get drenched!
I don't remember encountering this sort of fountain when I was a kid but my summers were certainly filled with the local pool and a backyard slip-and-slide! What's your favorite summertime memory spent in the water?
I've recently pulled out my Holga again to take along on our road trips. It's so fun to imagine what this dreamy, toy-like plastic camera will produce when I click the shutter. There's no pressure with this camera - just click the non-negotiable shutter and be done with it. The softness, vignetting, and potential for light leaks just add to the appeal of this no-frills semi-light tight piece of plastic. These things, and the fact that it is a medium format camera, are what I love about the Holga! This first image from my recent travels, a Ferris wheel sitting below a sky that's torn between the sun and approaching storm clouds, is one of my favorite. What do you think of the dreamy nature of Holga images? Take it or leave it?
If you're ever in the area, you should definitely visit both Johnson Shut-Ins and Elephant Rocks State Park.
