“Baseball is like church. Many attend few understand.”
– Leo Durocher
There’s quite a bit of history in the churches of Old Town Winchester. Here’s a neat article on the Old Town Winchester site. | Order a print of this image.
In My Town
Senioritis
And so it begins. The last couple of weeks before my daughter is high school senior. The one thing she’s really looking forward to is the senior cafeteria. I’ve walked by this space countless number of times and never really knew what it was. According to my wife (and anybody who attended Handley High School pre-21st Century), this space used to be classrooms. Hopefully I’ll be allowed to roam through the hallways this summer and shoot more of this building – I’ve always wanted to.
A multi-purpose space at John Handley High School. | Order a print of this image.
Memorial
A man’s country is not a certain area of land, of mountains, rivers and woods, it is a principle and patriotism is loyalty to that principle.
– George William Curtis
One of the many flags that adorn the Shenandoah Memorial Park near Winchester on Memorial Day.
OG Winchester
“Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in.”
– Robert Frost
Apparently my family is very fond of The Olive Garden these days. It’s not uncommon for us to be there late at night even after they’re closing down. It’s nice feeling when you can, occasionally, just let loose and be stupid. And we get stupid. But it’s now been twice this week. I’m sure the wait staff cringe when they see us coming now.
Last ones out.
Go Play
Remember when you were a kid? What were some of the toys that kept you busy for hours? Do you remember? I do. Boy how the world has changed.
So many people are connected on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and so and so on and so on. Yeah, you get it.
I had lunch with a friend recently who posed the question “How do you turn this around?” He was, of course, referring to the culture of today where youth have lost touch with the simple fun of imagination and “traditional” play. My answer, in short – I’m not sure you can. Times have certainly changed from when I was a kid. I left the house in the morning, stayed out all day and came back in time for dinner. No mobile devices, cell phones, video games – sounds a little like Gilligan’s Island, not a single luxury.
Technology is going to keep advancing and today’s society is going to do its best to keep up. This is just how it is right now. So for all those people who have shunned technology, it might just be time to embrace it and see if you can use it to harness that youthful imagination that’s chomping at the bit. Oh, it’s in there. For those who are interested, I lead a team in a youth initiative when I worked in Loudoun County. I encourage you to look it up and learn about it – First Lego League.
Of course, you could always just install a bouncy castle in your house and just have at it – That’s how we roll at First Presbyterian Church.
What do you do when the children’s choir picnic gets rained out? You don’t cancel! You move it indoors.
Discover
“You don’t stop playing because you get old. You get old because you stop playing”
– Posted on a sign at the entrance to Winchester City’s Jim Barnett Park
There’s been quite a lot of change in the downtown area of Winchester (aka Old Town). One of the biggest changes, in my humble opinion, is the recent move of the Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum. Not only did it move off the Loudoun Mall (really only 1 block away), but it moved into a huge new building. The former space offered a fun learning space for kids, but the new space is enormous and it ads a roof-top component! It’s really cool that this downtown staple was able to find a space to expand its offering. Can’t wait to check it out.
The new Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum in Old Town Winchester.
“Delight”-ful
The entire time that I worked at TV3 Winchester, one of the more common misconceptions from visitors to Winchester was that the building where I worked was the welcome center. It was, after all, situated in such a way that if you’re coming off the interstate at the “main” Winchester exit you’d see the TV3 Winchester building straight in front of you, well, welcoming you to the city. The actual welcome center is just a few more blocks down the road and around the corner (within walking distance of what was TV3 Winchester). It’s right across the parking lot from the oldest house in Winchester Abram’s Delight.
I’m kinda getting to be a tourist in my own town as I make my rounds to create new images. | Order a print of this image of Abram’s Delight.
Steeple
I had a friend suggest a new project to me today which always makes the gears turn even faster. He suggested that it might be pretty cool to do a “Steeples of Winchester” motif. So, of course, now I’m noticing all the steeples. You know, kinda like the deal when you buy a new car and you all-of-a-sudden start noticing all those same cars out on the road. Yeah, that’s gonna be me with steeples now for a while. Just you watch.
They changed the locks at my church and now I enter through a different door on Sunday. Sometimes a slight change of routine will make you notice things that have been there all along.
Mall
It’s was an awesome day for a Kidz Fest on the Old Town Walking Mall in Winchester. After shooting an event at my church, I headed out and walked right into this. After all the rain and flooding over the past week, it was good to see blue sky again. As I walked up the alley to leave the mall, the smell coming from the new Cajun restaurant in the Taylor Hotel made me want to go in. I will be back to dine. Yum!
The Old Town Mall in Winchester, VA featuring the newly-renovated Taylor Hotel.
Millwood Mill
Another edition of “In My Town.” This one’s not technically in my town, but it’s close enough. I go on a group ride on Tuesdays that rides right past this Mill. Wonderful scenery in Clarke County, VA.
Some wonderful scenery in Clarke County, VA including the Burwell Morgan Mill.
“Antique” or “Old Timey”
Either way, it’s a cool car – the Excalibur. I usually go to the Apple Blossom Weekend in the Park, but this weekend kicked my butt. I’ll settle for snapping a few shots in my church’s parking lot of all the cars that the celebrities ride for the parade. This one was just sitting there oozing style. Those menacing clouds off in the distance never really produced anything the entire day (at least not on our parade).
Another successful Grand Feature Parade.
Vendors
I’ve never liked the vendors concept at Apple Blossom – especially the street vendors who roam the parade route with the grocery cart full of goodies that just drive all parents bonkers. My kids are grown and have almost OUTgrown the stage where they want stuff from those carts. I’ve never liked the vendors…until now. You see, the “in” items now all have lights. Sure there are still plenty of noise makers, but the lighted toys seem to be more popular than ever. And not just with the kids – I like them, too. It’s kind of like a pre-fireworks show for me.
The light show for me started about 30 minutes before the first firework!
Disco Fever
I’ve been in Winchester now for 14 years and have “attended” Apple Blossom each year. I say “attended” because I’ve really only gone to the parades and the carnival/midway when the kids were younger. I’ve really never been one for the crowds and all that goes with them, but after tonight I can see why some people go overboard and nuts for all the events. This doesn’t necessarily mean I’m going to start attending more, but I can appreciate why some people do. I’ve got so many more photos to rummage through before it’s all said and done, but this one summed up my evening.
Miss Apple Blossom & Miss Virginia on stage with the “Right On Band.”
Tracks
Every photographer has a huge pile of images that have either gone horribly wrong. Or maybe said photographer thought, at the shoot, that the image was worth shooting, but got back to their desk and realized how horribly wrong they were. I took this image back when I first started dabbling in HDR processing and haven’t gone back to that set of images…until now. I’m posting the three images that made up the final just so I can remember how bad I thought the original images were.
And here’s the final image after some typical post-processing – I could do without all the noise, though.
These are the train tracks that cross Millwood Ave, in Winchester. I took this image in 2012 and am just now processing it.
Stairway
Another take on the incredible architecture inside the Handley Regional Library in Winchester. My next project is going to be shooting the inside of Handley High School. That place has got some architectural awesomeness and I’ve wanted to shoot it forever. Stay tuned…
The main staircase that leads to the second and third levels at the Handley Library. | Order a print of this image.
Library
I was near the Handley Library as the sun was setting and as luck (or design) would have it, I had my camera with me. I just wish there was a more interesting cloud cover this evening. Ah, well. Not bad for an impromptu shoot.
The Handley Library was constructed in 1913 with a major renovation in 2001. It’s apparently also featured in a photography book about libraries that was just published, but I’m unsure of the title.
Stained
In worship an increased power steals its way into the heart sanctuary, an increased compassion grows in the soul. To worship is to change.
– Richard J Foster
I took this one on Easter morning, but never had the time to process it.
Composition
“How do they know what they want when they haven’t even seen it?”
– Steve Jobs
Frame your next photograph with this thought in mind – only show them what you want them to see. It always amazes me to see what goes on behind the scenes of any video shoot. Any that I’ve done. Any that I’ve seen. I can’t watch any video anymore without the production gears in my head spinning out of control. It’s just fascinating. The lights, the flags, the reflectors, the people, the gadgets and doodads – all just out of the frame. But all there to make what is in the frame that much better. Just fascinating. And that’s just it – only show them what you want them to see. So grab a camera and start shooting those extraordinary scenes that may just be smack dab in the middle of a bunch of chaos. But once you frame all that junk out, you’re left with insanely great images!
This doorknob just stood out to me as unique, but I had to look past all the distractions to really see it.
Work The Scene
I’ve mentioned before that I try to shoot various angles of any scene I’m photographing (unique angles). But I keep thinking that for every individual image that I post here, I’ve got close to 5-10 other decent images that may get pushed aside and forgotten about. This also helps me out on those days where I haven’t shot at all. I shot today, but am having a tough time nailing down the part of the image I want to feature. So while I figure out how to proceed with that one I thought I’d post another one from the day I shot in my church’s sanctuary.
I’ve always found it difficult to shoot in this sanctuary due to the hot spot at the altar. The HDR post-processing technique certainly helps.
Happy Accidents
There’s a lot of value in the various “accidents” that are made while editing. Whether it’s photos or videos, it happens all the time. The trick to editing, after all, is the feel or the rhythm that you get into while it’s happening. And as you’re in the zone, you can easily make creative choices on the fly that you didn’t really intend to pursue, but then you sit back and think “Wow, that could really work.” This happened to me as I was editing today’s image so I figured I’d post both the intended version and the “Happy Accident.” So play around with your edits and make all those mistakes. Some of the best products happened from crazy, unintended creative choices.
The main sanctuary at First Presbyterian Church, Winchester. Order a print of this image.
The “Happy Accident.” Order a print of this image.
Cedarmeade Studios 