She's a Brick..House....I promise I'll stop singing

Before now, I didn't think I would ever include this photo. Or if I did, I'd hide it in the series (wait til you see what's coming! I'm sitting on pins and needles.) of my next abandoned place. However, I changed my mind. I'm a woman. I'm prone to do that.

So, here's a tip for my budding and experienced photographers. When you're hunting out a place, check for anything that has names (in this case, a brick that doesn't match its surroundings) or dates. If you record street names, Google maps can even be a powerful source for naming old landmarks. I love uncovering a good mystery, especially since it has paid off well in my adventures.

So, I looked up Acme Standard, which is a brick company founded in 1852. The name Perla confused me, but thankfully their website gave a great line of the company's history. In 1943, an Acme plant was in a town called Perla. The plant in Perla was one of few that employed German POWs (oh my word, what people would say about that these days...).
Acme Standard has experienced great success, except for two periods of its existence: the Great Depression and the current economy (I'd insert my point of view here, but you can make the connection for yourself). Found: http://www.brick.com/company/history.htm
Have a great week! And have a better weekend!

Take a Long Look

Photography, as we all know, is not real at all. It is an illusion of reality with which we create our own private world.

Arnold Newman

Meet my Jumanji house (seriously, doesn’t it remind you of that Robin Williams movie?). It’s taken over by vines as thick as my arms. At first glance, you might wonder why it’s my favorite (I know, because I’ve been asked many times why I love decayed buildings.). But take a second, longer look. It’s not your typical beauty. It stays hidden. Its potential is amazing. It sits in wait for the day it will be restored and loved.

I love finding the diamonds in the rough. It’s an exciting challenge for me. And when I create something like this that I am so excited about, I’m sharing a piece of myself. And I’m grateful for those who have seen that I have potential and have encouraged me, even in my weirdness. You mean the world to me.

And if a day goes by without my doing something related to photography, it’s as though I’ve neglected something essential to my existence, as though I had forgotten to wake up. I know that the accident of my being a photographer has made my life possible.

Richard Avedon

The Lakefront and the Promos

The Lakefront will forever be one of my favorite locations. It holds some of my best memories of many moons ago. It was tragically destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. But I’m so excited about all the work that is being done to restore the area! Hopefully some post-beautification pictures can be added soon, but let’s face it, I’m the girl who loves the ugly.

Switching topics…Ever since starting my business, I have realized the importance of knowing all the hottest trends on this internet thing…ugh…I’m trying to keep up with everything! All I really want to do is focus on growing in photography! So, here comes my plug on not only the internet, but also in growth. My newest love- meetup.com! And, as I’m writing this, I realize just how much it sounds like a dating site…Sign up to meet others (as in plural.) who have formed groups based on common interests. I just saw this one group in New Orleans who go out to eat at different restaurants. Oh my WORD, I nearly fainted! A club, all about the joys of eating! I must stay strong…I can’t do it…

So, pertaining to photography, I started meeting with the PhotographersExperience group. They are just the greatest group of people when it comes to learning photography!! We all work together to learn new ways to photograph different scenarios or people. It doesn’t matter how much or little a person knows, but they are extremely welcoming. And, if you haven’t been able to connect the dots on what this promo has to do with my lakefront shots…well, it was our group outing one weekend. My other promo is a big THANK YOU to my awesome brother for telling me to start connecting with this group (among many, many other countless things he’s done for me. Really, he’s amazing! Although, I’m still on the fence about whether or not he’s just trying to make up for how much he tortured me as a kid. just kidding!)