2007 August » Paul Lester Photo

The start

Aug 022007

Nearly every day, I get up early in the morning. I’ve always been a morning person. This morning was nothing unusual in that regard. I took my faithful pal, Hobbs, out to do his morning duty and then just sat on the patio for a few moments, soon, magically, I had my camera in hand.

I enjoyed feeling the cool morning breeze pass over my skin, the distant rumble of the highway, a rooster crowing somewhere way off in the distance, and the cry of a hawk. All treats to my ears. I really like this time of morning. The light is very faint and the shapes that we have named, such as trees, leaves, feeder, birds, etc. are but vague outlines. It’s a time that is unencumbered by such things as names. A peaceful time.

So, with camera in hand, I just decided to play a bit. I’ve tried lots of experiments at this time of morning. I’ve been trying for years to get a successful twilight shot where I feel that I have portrayed my version of twilight, yet, they all have fallen short. Mind you, I’ve had some that I’ve been happy with, but not totally satisfied. I continue. It’s the journey that is fun. After all, what would I do if I were totally successful with it? I’d have to stop!

In the end, we just sat there quietly and listened to the sounds, took in the smells, felt the breeze, and soon watched the birds, who were becoming a bit impatient waiting for us to leave. They wanted access to the feeder. They were doing fly-bys waiting for my departure. I granted them their wish and now they feast.

I’m happy that I never get tired of this, not just the photography, but of the sitting and watching. I’ve been able to do since my earliest memories. I hope to never be so busy as to not take time to do it.

No longer Mayberry

Personal, Photography 10 Responses »

Aug 012007

I know that some of you are probably familiar with The Andy Griffith show. It was a big hit from 1960-1968. As I was born in 1962, I got to see reruns of it during the 1970s. It was a story about a widowed sheriff raising his son, Opie (Ron Howard), in a fictional town called Mayberry, NC, somewhat based on a real North Carolina town, Mount Airy, which is a couple of hours north of Charlotte, right before you get to the Virginia border.

A friend of mine, Erica, likens Charlotte to the fictional Mayberry. She moved from Atlanta, GA and thinks that Charlotte is a small, backwards, little one stoplight town. Here, everyone knows everyone else and their business. There aren’t a lot of entertainment options, etc. It’s all a matter of perception, I guess.

We moved here because it was a lot smaller than Dallas, which meant less traffic. It’s nice to have a consistent 25 minute commute home. There are trees everywhere, including some in the downtown area. There isn’t a lot of job diversity, though. If you are a developer, for the most part, you either work for Bank of America, or you work for Wachovia.

However, since my arrival 3 years ago, there have been notable changes in the amount of traffic on the highways. Construction of new homes continues at a brisk pace and more and more farmers are selling their lands to the developers. There is a road that I travel every day, Rocky River. When we first moved to our house this was a somewhat sleepy FM (Farm to Market) road, occasioned by a few hay haulers, and for the most part, the people who lived in the unincorporated part of Charlotte. Two years ago, Charlotte incorporated the area and ‘improvements’ began. They are widening roads, adding additional utility capacity, and coming soon there will be a Lowes super grocery store and plaza.

I rather enjoy the somewhat peaceful drive down Rocky River, as it is bordered on each side by farms. Each day while going to work and returning, I get to see the cows grazing peacefully in the acres of grass that border, the now very busy, Rocky River road. I imagine that soon, that scene will change as well as soon as some developer can come up with enough money to entice the farmers to sell.

Charlotte is changing. It is already the 2nd largest financial hub in the US. Only New York has more money flow through it. Yes, it’s ahead of Chicago, too! It will continue to grow. Meanwhile, I’ll sit back, watch, photograph, and marvel at the changes. Change, after all is inevitable.