December 3 - December 11, 2013

Here are an assortment of pics I snapped in my free time around Huntington from Dec. 3 - Dec.11. All are of everyday scenes near 3rd / 4th Avenue.  Once again, I'm trying to capture people "at work" or interacting on the streets.  Not the most entertaining pics, but fun anyway.  I'm getting a better grasp of the camera settings and how to react to a variety of conditions...  Anyways, enjoy!

Lime dust at WV Steel

Lime Truck Driver

WV Steel representative approaches photographer

Construction worker on scaffold at The Frederick

The Frederick's Eye

Two men taking a break outside a store in downtown Huntington

Monday, November 25, 2013 - Thanksgiving Break

For these shots like many before, I didn't have a real direction in which to shoot. I just set out in my car and try to catch as many happening, sights, and occurrences as I can possibly capture.  Sometimes this yields good results, and sometimes I come up empty-handed or just don't hit the mark that I'm trying to achieve.  On this jaunt, which only lasted a little more than an hour, I found myself on 8th Avenue just past 8th Street by the railroads (For some reason I tend to gravitate toward the train tracks and back-alleys of Huntington...) at a building where there were four construction workers up on a scaffolding hammering out the loose bricks near the roof of the structure (presumably knocked loose from the windstorm?) and their foreman down below leaning up against the building beside it.  His leaning up against the building next to the one they were working on is what initially got my attention as I drove by.  These aren't my greatest shots, but I think they're compelling enough nonetheless.  Took over 50 shots, but only 4 made the cut (I'm struggling with exposure, still getting some blown out.)

Construction worker catches object

Construction worker attaches pulley

Worker and foreman hold scaffolding

Jeep sits on blocks beside train tracks

Monday, Nov. 18, 2013 - En route to photo class on Hal Greer Blvd

So, I was on my way to photo class this past Monday and I glimpsed over and saw a young "hippie" girl walking down Hal Greer Blvd. with a djembe strapped over her shoulder and no shoes on.  I essentially merged left immediately and put on my turn signal to turn left and turn around to catch up with her to see if she'd let me take her picture.  There were some upset people behind me honking their car horn as I waited at the stoplight, because the sign said no left turn, but I did it anyways, because I couldn't let this opportunity pass me up.  I finally turned around and parked my car at Advance Auto on Hal Greer and hurried up to catch up to the young hippie girl.  I got her attention after shouting at her a few times and got her to turn around.  I think at first she was a bit alarmed, but as soon as I told her my name and what my project was about, she warmed up rather quickly and was very receptive to me taking her pictures.  She said that she wasn't from Huntington and was trying to get to Chicago.  She kind of looked like a prototypical New-Age hippie festival girl, but was very sweet and smiled a lot when I talked to her.  I took about 50 pictures, but some of them didn't turn out very well, since I was still struggling with getting my exposure just right.  But here five pictures that I took of her which I felt expressed the range of emotion she displayed in the 10-15 minutes that I was there talking to her and snapping away.

Hippie girl looks up on Hal Greer Blvd.

Hippie girl smirks on Hal Greer Blvd

Hippie girl looks away on Hal Greer Blvd

Hippie girl looks surprised on Hal Greer Blvd.

Hippie girl smiles on Hal Greer Blvd.

Marshall Memorial in Spring Hill Cemetery on the anniversary of the plane crash - Nov. 14, 2013

In the thirteen years in living in Huntington, I had never been to the Spring Hill Cemetery to view the Marshall Memorial until this evening. I felt it would be befitting to pay my respects on the anniversary and hoped to capture a few scenes of people there before the sunset. I met some very nice individuals there taking pictures and showing their own respects. The older man name in the photo with the Marshall jacket on was Glenn and he said that he actually witnessed the smoldering wreckage on that fateful night.   He said that he was meeting his granddaughter there tonight who knew every line in the movie, We Are Marshall. When she arrived, she quoted the entire pep speech scene from the movie line-for-line as her mother videotaped the whole thing from her phone. I captured her photo while she was mid-speech. Awesome and chilling.



Man reads Marshall Memorial on anniversary of crash

Teenager recites the pep talk scene in "We Are Marshall" at the Marshall Memorial on the anniversary of the crash

Two men look at the Marshall Memorial

Remembrance

 

 

 

Veteran's Day at the Veteran's Home in Barboursville, WV - Nov. 11, 2013

All gave some, some gave all

Two disabled veterans playing bingo on Veteran's Day



Two veteran's sitting on a bench outside at the Veteran's Home



Veteran from Logan, WV

Veteran in wheelchair plays bingo at Veteran's Home

Veteran stands beside the mural he painted



American flags outside Veteran's Home in Barboursville, WV on Veteran's Day

Friday, November 1, 2013 - 10:00AM - 4:00 PM - The Day After the Wind Storm - Batch 4 of 4

End of the afternoon jaunt: Huge fallen tree laying against a house in Southside

The very last stop on the day's travels was at a house on the Southside of Huntington,WV near the intersection of West 3rd Street?, I believe.  The wind storm had caused an enormous tree that (I'm sure it had been there over a hundred years) to fall over and collide with the house beside it.  The immense scale of the tree compared to the loggers attempting to cut it down was incredible and very striking to say the least.  I talked to one of the loggers (the one in the closeup all by himself) that was working on cutting down the tree and he stated that they all were from Mason Co., which happens to be where I am originally from.  He said that he was a construction worker through the week and that this was his gig on the weekends. 

Fallen tree rests against house in Southside, Nov.1, 2013

Logger stands on top of fallen tree in Southside, Nov.1, 2013
 

Logger man poses in Southside, Nov. 1, 2013



Logger wraps chain around tree limb in Southside, Nov.1, 2013

Two loggers standing on the limbs of the fallen tree in Southside, Nov.1, 2013

Friday, November 1, 2013 - 10:00AM - 4:00 PM - The Day After the Wind Storm - Batch 3 of 4

Afternoon jaunt on the "Day After the Wind Storm," November 1, 2013

After Hunter left, I stayed briefly at home, but went back out and see if I could capture any more incidents, happenings, or subjects that were about and about on the "Day After the Wind Storm."  I went around, this time on the West End of Huntington poking around the antique district for a short spell, where I met this antique store owner sitting outside her shop.  She had a very plain, elegant, and natural appearance to her.  She was so finely aged and pretty, with her wrinkles so distinct and distinguished.  She was fine with me taking her picture and was quite pleasant as a matter of fact. So I snapped a few.

West End owner clutches item outside her store, Nov. 1, 2013

West End antique owner takes a break outside her store, Nov. 1, 2013

After that, I wandered around the back side of the West End, in areas where I hadn't wandered around before.  If anything, I think it's been pretty fun navigating around town in some the lesser known areas around town, that were unique and refreshing.  In these shots, I captured a variety of situations: a man walking four dogs on a leash, a fence that was damaged by a fallen tree and two men (only one pictured) working on sawing down a fallen tree and clearing away the brush caused by the wind storm, and a very odd alley near St. Clouds commons where these two ramshackle, miniature houses sat on the edge of the alley feet away from each other.  Both were obviously condemned and very dilapidated but striking nonetheless.

 

Fallen tree crashed through fence on West End, Nov.1, 2013

Man walks his four dogs on West End, Nov. 1, 2013

Ramshackle house on West End alley, Nov. 1, 2013



Ramshackle window with clouds in reflection, Nov. 1, 2013

Friday, November 1, 2013 - 10:00AM - 4:00 PM - The Day After the Wind Storm - Batch 2 of 4

So after watching the logging crew dismantle the tree, Hunter and I made our way to the center of the park where wet met Scott (?, I think that was his name) Miller, the GHPRD supervisor, who was in charge of another crew at the park who were using the wood chippers to clean up all of the fallen limbs and brush that was strewn everywhere.  He was really cordial and, since we introduced ourselves as teachers, he mentioned that he had two twin boys, Kyle and Matt, who just recently graduated from HHS.  Both Hunter and I remembered them as we both had his son(s) in class.  Really great kids, great athletes, soccer players at that.  Here are a couple shots of him and his crew clearing out the brush.

Mr. Miller and his crew in Ritter Park, Nov.1, 2013

Mr. Miller speaks to the crew in Ritter Park, Nov.1, 2013

City worker in Ritter Park, Nov.1, 2013

After hanging out there for about 15 minutes taking some really great shots, we meandered onto the end of Ritter Park bordering 8th St.  There was a tree that had fallen down and knocked over the stoplight and pole holding it up, laying it entirely across in the intersection.  We took a variety of shots of the workers who were disassembling and moving different parts of the stoplight post (signs, lights, etc.) and putting them onto the backs of a couple trucks that were there at the scene.  They allowed us to get extra-ordinarily close and take shots of the scene, without as much as a murmur from them about our presence.  For that, I was grateful and happy that they were so polite about letting us get their pictures, especially that close-up.  WSAZ news cameras were there the entire time we were there, getting set up for a news update by local anchorman, Bill Murray, who arrived by the end of our shoot.

Worker carries crosswalk light at Ritter Park, Nov. 1, 2013

Worker carries Museum sign at Ritter Park, Nov.1, 2013

Worker passes stoplight at Riiter Park, Nov.1, 2013


 

We decided to go to one last location before we headed back and call it a day; the Neighborgall building on 12th St and 7th Ave.  It's entire roof had been ripped off by the night's gales.  Pretty amazing scene to say the least.  We got there right around noon, right when the sun was beating down on us from above.  This scene was a little more difficult to shoot.  In addition to the sunlight, you could only get so close and get a decent shot, since it was on the second floor, and my macro lens could only get so close to the action.  But interesting shots nonetheless.  I only got a few of the workers in action, since their lunch breaks were just beginning...The one shot I took with them walking on the roof is when they all were heading to the ladder to climb down for break. 

 



Construction workers walk along Neighborgall Building rooftop, Nov.1, 2013

 

Construction workers repair the Neighborgall Building roof, Nov.1, 2013

 

 

Alright, on our way back to my house and at a moment's whim decided to swing back around and get some shots at Po Boy Tire off of Hal Greer Blvd.  There was a guy sitting in a chair that had piqued my interest as I quickly glanced over at the shop when we drove by. I know, the subject matter was totally off-topic from the rest of the shots we took today, but this guy had captured my interest in that instant and I also thought it might be good to capture other things that were occurring through the day in addition to the carnage. After taking the initial shot of the man sitting in the chair (he scowled at me after he noticed me and slunk down, turned around in the chair, and then ended up getting up and scurrying behind the row of semi trucks as to not to have his picture taken anymore.) Also, some of the customers were getting a bit perturbed at my taking pictures at the shop (one was really fond of my attendance and was flipping me the bird the majority of the time).  One particular woman briskly came over from the store, I customer I presume, and very bluntly asked what we were doing.  We very politely and matter-of-factly told her what we were doing and what our goals of the project were, and I think she felt disarmed and was polite from then on out. 

 

Man sitting in chair outside Po-Boys Tires on Hal Greer Blvd., Nov.1, 2013

 



 

We left that scene shortly thereafter and made our way to a street merchant's sidewalk setup, right beside Po Boy's on the other side of the alley.  It was a basically a couple of long tables set up with a variety of merchandise laying and hanging around, complete with sunglasses rack full of designer-looking sunglasses, copies of DVD's and CD (legally distributed, I'm sure), and replica purses abound.  It looked interesting enough to shoot, so I immediately started taking pictures from the sidewalk at the sidewalk salesmen and his customer and one employee.  He immediately walked up to me and appeared very agitated that I was taking pictures of his setup. I didn't ask for his permission to fire away shots, but since I was on a public sidewalk I did so without his request.  He angrily talked to me about manners and said I was rude by not asking permission, so I retorted that it was public property and I was allowed to do so .  Trying to calm the man and be forthright, I asked right then and there if it was alright if I could take his picture albeit it was after the fact. Then Hunter and I began to tell him what the project was about and that we were teachers at HHS, he changed his tune and became rather pleasant thereafter; almost extra chummy and by the end of our meeting was inquiring whether or not there were any positions available in Cabell County Schools and if we had any connections about helping him get a job.  His name was Derrick Jackson(?).  He said he had a college degree in something not teacher related, but that he was getting his Master's in Adult Technical Ed or something like that. So after we got his blessing, we exchanged contact information and watched him and his associates deal with a couple more customers as I continued to take some pretty candid shots.

 

Sidewalk salesman on Hal Greer Blvd., Nov. 1, 2013

Sidewalk salesman and customer on Hal Greer Blvd., Nov. 1, 2013

 

Kid jumps in the air on Hal Greer Blvd, Nov. 1, 2013

 



Friday, November 1, 2013 - 10:00AM - 4:00 PM - The Day After the Wind Storm - Batch 1 of 4

So the day after the big wind storm, I get a call from Jedd Flowers early in the morn telling us that school was cancelled due to power outages. Sweet! Then moments later, another automated call came through that informed us that although school was cancelled for students, staff still had to report on time as usual.  Bummer.

So I get there at school and quickly find out that the only power in the building is the emergency power used to light the hallways...Bummer once more.  So the staff had to just hang out in the hallways until we finally got the call from the Central Office that school would indeed be closed for all staff at 9:30 AM...  Yippee Skippy!  In the hours waiting in the hallway, Hunter Roush and I were talking about random topics in the hallway.  I told him that we should go out and get some shots of Huntington if we got dismissed early from school.  He agreed to do so and he met up with me at my house after we were dismissed from school and we went on an excursion to take shots of the night's carnage from the windstorm.  A quick visit to WSAZ online revealed that there was a considerable amount of damage in two locations:  Ritter Park and the Neighborgall building on 12th Street.  So that was our compass for the morning and early afternoon.  These pictures tell the story of the cleanup from the destruction from the previous night.  In addition we stopped at Po Boy's Tires on Hal Greer Blvd. on the way back from the Neighborgall building and talked with a few individuals there and around that location.  Enjoy!



Stop, November 1, 2013


The next several shots are of "shirtless logger man in Ritter Park."  This guy was the living, walking, and breathing definition of a "man's man."  Half of the time he had a cigarette dangling out of his mouth whilst scaling the disabled tree 30-40 ft in the air and using a chainsaw to cut down the behemoth.  Grizzled and unfazed by our photo op, he continued about his work like it was a typical day at the office.  Talk about being plucked right out of the New Deal era.  He might be my most interesting character I've shot so far.



Shirtless logger grimaces, November 1, 2013

 

Shirtless logger climbs down tree in Ritter Park, Nov.1, 2013

Shirtless logger turns head while sawing tree in Ritter Park, Nov.1, 2013

 

 

Shirtless logger saws out a chunk in the tree at Ritter Park, Nov. 1, 2013

 

 

Here are also a few shots of the other workers who were on "shirtless logger man's" crew.  The guy with the massive beard was the yin to "SLM's" yang, helping out as needed.  And the crane operator was the guy behind the scenes talking to the supervisors on his phone about the progress being made.

 

Two loggers prepare to saw down tree in Ritter Park, Nov.1, 2013



The logger crew in Ritter Park, Nov.1, 2013

 

More shots of "The Day After the Wind Storm" to follow!  Stay tuned!