As I was leaving Conway yesterday I knew I had to find a place to pull over to stop and photograph the rising full moon. The wispy clouds were trailing across the face of the moon making the scene beautiful but yet a little creepy looking. The clouds and atmosphere made it hard to get a tack sharp image so I didn’t bother pulling out the tripod.
As I turned the car around to head back out on the highway, I saw that everything in the West was bathed in a very intense orange.
There are two existing timber trestle roadway bridges, still in use, in Arkansas. One is the West James Street Overpass in Redfield and the other is the Fourteenth Street Overpass in North Little Rock.
West James Street Overpass, Redfield, AR built in 1924
Fourteenth Street Overpass, North Little Rock, AR
Fourteenth Street Overpass, North Little Rock, AR
Thanks to Google Maps I have a new, and quicker, way to get to Scott, Arkansas from Cabot. I went to Scott yesterday to photograph the still smoldering remains of Cotham Mercantile.
Along this new route are several historic farms and at least one historic plantation. The biggest surprise was seeing an old sharecroppers house, so cool. It’s rare to find them standing, let alone one that is still in pretty decent shape. This one won’t be for long though with the metal roof sheets peeled back like they are.
One picture is taken with my Nikon and the other with my phone. Can you tell which one is which?
UPDATE November 6, 2017:
Apparently, a storm that came through the area really did some damage to this old place. I almost started crying when I turned the curve in the road and saw this:
Cotham’s June 23, 2015
Built in 1917 Cotham’s has been a treasured Arkansas landmark for the past 100 years. Once used as a general store, Army commissary and as jail for those awaiting trial it has been a restaurant since 1984. Down home cooked plate lunches, it’s famous “Hubcap Burger” and everyone’s favorite Mississippi Mud Pie are always on the menu.
Unfortunately, the historic Cotham’s was completely destroyed by fire on May 30, 2017. It’s legacy lives on however as it’s sister restaurant, Cotham’s in the City, has been serving customers in Little Rock since 1999.
Update:
Cotham’s May 30, 2017
Stop Motion – Nikon D3400, 18-55mm at 38 mm, 1/320 sec at f/8, ISO 200
The waterfall at Davies Bridge on Petit Jean on Saturday was really moving after the last round of rain and storms that rolled through the area on Friday. It was the widest I’ve ever seen it. I wanted to get the classic shot of the falls taken from the middle of the creek through the bridge but the water was still too high. I probably would have put on the water shoes and waded into the creek if someone had been with me but I was alone.
I took two shots of the waterfall from the top of the bridge. One to stop the motion of the water and the other shot to blur the motion. Unfortunately the water was moving too hard and fast to get much of a smooth silky look without completely blowing out the highlights.
Slow Motion – Nikon D3400, 18-55mm at 38 mm, 1/30 sec at f/32, ISO 200
The 44th Annual Territorial Fair at the Historical Arkansas Museum was this past Saturday, May 14 from 10 am to 4 pm.
The emphasis at this years fair was Historic Arkansas Foodways. There were pioneer cooking and dutch oven cooking demonstrations using 19th century pioneer recipes.
Other activites at the fair were living history performances, live music, maypole dancing, blacksmith demonstrations, pioneer games and crafts.
Y’all know I love my Nikon D800e but it is HEAVY, really HEAVY! Add on to that the weight of a lens and it gets hard to hold for long periods of time. The arthritis in my hands is getting worse and I have really been needing a lightweight camera.
Last week I took pictures at the Pioneer Village Spring Open House in Searcy and by the time I got back to my car, a couple of hours later, my hands hurt so bad that I had trouble the rest of the day even holding on to the steering wheel. Sunday the joints in my thumbs kept locking up and no over-the-counter drugs even began to help the pain.
So, Tuesday, I saw an ad on Bedford Camera and Video Facebook page that I just could not pass up. I was on the way to a job interview and I told myself if I got the job I would get the camera advertised. I got the job.
Bedfords Facebook Add May 9, 2017 – sale ending soon:
The Nikon D3400 is the lightest Nikon on the market. It is an entry-level camera and weighs almost nothing compared to the D800e. I’ve been wanting a lightweight camera for travel for a while now but could not afford a good camera with the lenses I would need. This kit comes with the Nikon D3400 Camera and both a 18-55mm and 70-300mm lens plus a bag (like I really needed a new one, lol).
The D3400 also connects to mobile devices through bluetooth using the Nikon SnapBridge app. Although I cannot use my smartphone to connect for some reason both my Android Tab and iPad both connect without a problem as long as I am capturing in JPEG and not RAW.
Here are a few images I took while getting used to the camera:
Of course, I’ll still carry the D800e for wildlife and more ‘important’ shots but the D3400 will be my ‘go to’ camera for candids, event and travel photography.
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