Foggy Panoramic Vista in Jefferson County, Alabama

Foggy Panoramic Vista near Brookside, Jefferson County, Alabama

Foggy Hillsides near Brookside, Alabama

Foggy Hillsides near Brookside, Alabama, in early November

   As I began the drive toward Marion County in early November, keeping in mind my goal of photographing something along the way, I got on Corridor X and was almost immediately brought to a halt.

     The rising sun was streaming into the fog-laden valleys to my right, bringing into view a scene that "picturesque" only falteringly begins to describe.

Fog-Laden Valleys in Western Jefferson County

Foggy Valleys near Brookside, Jefferson County, Alabama :: Canon T2i, EF 24-105 f/4 L

Darby Does Not Love Her Party Hat

Darby turned a year old on October 24, 2012, so we had a little birthday celebration for her, which included this party hat. She protested wear quite vigorously, and even treats had very little effect in persuading her to wear it. She found much more utility in attempting to eat the hat. Nevertheless, it was a good party, and she has made our lives a little brighter (albeit inestimably more stressful) over the past year.

Darby does not love her Birthday Party Hat, not at all :: October 24, 2012

YouTube's Instagram-like Video Editor Features

It's getting ever more difficult for casual video-makers to justify purchasing video software when there's so much freeware floating about. But even more than that, YouTube has made available a video editor that has options, similar in effect to those made available by apps like Instagram. It requires very little technical knowledge (though moderately more technical settings are available) and only desire to find a pleasing aesthetic, and almost instantly ("almost" in that it takes a couple of minutes [depending on the length and files size of the video] for the changes to take place and be viewable), you have a video with a little, or alot, more pop and pizzazz than you had before and likely would have had at all.

The above video was shot with my Canon T2i and EF 24-105 f/4 L, and is more-or-less straight out of the camera. The video below was altered using YouTube's enhancement features, including: "Stabilize", "Auto-Fix", and lomo-like color and vignetting changes. Enhancements can be chosen that are as subtle or outlandish as you like. Although there are significant limitations as to what's available, for the casual user, it will be more than enough.

Tranquil Scene at Newfound Creek, below Baines Dam, in Gardendale, Alabama

At the Fultondale Bark Park with Darby

It's been a while since we've had a Darby update on the blog, so I thought it was time again. Darby's life took a significant change a couple of months ago, when I began my new job. Gone were the days of endlessly lounging about the house with Dad, and daily trips to the park. Instead she now suffers through her weekdays mostly alone. Of course, the alternative was that she starve to death without me having an income. Nevertheless she has survived, and on weekends and holidays, we still get to make those trips to the park. And she is no less rambunctious for having turned a year old last month.

At the Fultondale Bark Park with Darby

Gardendale's Inaugural Turkey Trot

On a crisp Thanksgiving morning in Gardendale, Alabama, a group of thirty runners congregated in the Gardendale Civic Center parking lot to partake in the inaugural Gardendale Turkey Trot. With no t-shirts or medals, no bibs or cheering masses, these runners met merely for the fellowship and the love of their sport. The effort was coordinated by Gardendale's David Crockett, who also got Donut Joe's to provide some post-run treats, that almost certainly replaced all the calories we had just burned.

Perhaps this Turkey Trot will grow in future years to include many of the runners in Gardendale and Fultondale. Or maybe it will remain a smallish group. Regardless, all of the runners expressed their interest in it becoming a regular part of their Thanksgiving traditions.

Pit Run Vista, Wade Sand and Gravel, Birmingham

And finally, this is my favorite from the Wade Sand and Gravel Series, because among all of the photographs this one most reminds me of the seeping vistas of the Rocky Mountains. This is also the conclusion of the series as we move on to other things.

Pit Run Vistas at Wade Sand and Gravel, Birmingham, Alabama

A Return to the Badlands, Wade Sand and Gravel

A Return to the Pit Run Badlands of Wade Sand and Gravel, Birmingham, Alabama

Delineated Gravel Dunes, Wade Sand and Gravel

Drawing a Line in the Sand, Wade Sand and Gravel, Birmingham, Alabama

Gently Sloped Dunes, Wade Sand and Gravel

Gently Sloped and Shaded Dunes of Wade Sand and Gravel, Birmingham, Alabama

Weather-Beaten Mountains, Wade Sand and Gravel

This is the continuation of a series of photographs from pit run and gravel dunes at Wade Sand and Gravel in Birmingham, but which more closely resemble the roughest terrain of the Badlands or Rockies, or the windblown dunes of New Mexico and Utah. I love the photos of themselves, but am allthemore a fan because of their deception.

Mountains of Pit Run at Wade Sand and Gravel, Birmingham, Alabama

Colorful Characters at Jefferson County Courthouse

Colorful Characters at the Jefferson County Courthouse, Birmingham, Alabama :: iPhone4s

Cast of Characters at the Courthouse, Birmingham

Waiting in Line for Tags :: Jefferson County Courthouse, Birmingham, Alabama :: iPhone4s

All Quiet on the Republican Front

Marion County Republican Party Headquarters, Hamilton, Alabama

Early on Wednesday, as the day was just beginning, and shops and corner cafes were first opening their days, the city of Hamilton, Alabama, began to bustle. But one building, across the street from the front doors of the courthouse, seemed particularly desolate, despite its banners and patriotic  signs. An air of disappointment emanated from the place, not but a few hours removed from concession.

 

Canyon Walls, Wade Sand and Gravel, Birmingham

This is the continuation of a series of photographs from pit run and gravel dunes at Wade Sand and Gravel in Birmingham, but which more closely resemble the roughest terrain of the Badlands or Rockies, or the windblown dunes of New Mexico and Utah. I love the photos of themselves, but am allthemore a fan because of their deception.

Canyon Walls made Pit Run at Wade Sand and Gravel, Birmingham, Alabama

Pit Run at Wade Sand and Gravel, Birmingham

This photograph will serve as the commencement of a series of photographs from pit run and gravel dunes at Wade Sand and Gravel in Birmingham, but which more closely resemble the roughest terrain of the Badlands or Rockies, or the windblown dunes of New Mexico and Utah. I love the photos of themselves, but am allthemore a fan because of their deception.

Reminiscent of the Badlands at Wade Sand and Gravel, Birmingham, Alabama

Upcoming Photography and Blog Related Goal

As it turns out, my new job has really negatively affected my leisure time. My opportunities to photograph and subsequently contribute to this blog that I (and hopefully, you) have enjoyed for the last couple of years has been significantly inhibited. So it's time to reassess and establish new goals.

With my associate position at Webster Henry, it seems that I am going to have plenty of opportunities to traverse the State in order to attend hearings, depositions, client meetings, and things of that ilk. So my new goal is to take at least one worthwhile photograph on each of these trips. While my opportunities to photograph may be more limited, hopefully, this in-state travel will enable me to broaden the scope of the State of Alabama that is shared on this blog.

To test out my resolve and hold myself accountable, I'll share with you that this week, I have trips planned to both Millry and Hamilton, Alabama. So if anyone knows of things I should be looking for on the way down/over from Birmingham, I'm all ears.

Found on the way to Columbiana, Shelby County, Alabama

Golden Hour at the Jefferson County Courthouse

Awaiting the Opening of the Courthouse Doors on a Crisp November Morning
Jefferson County Courthouse, Birmingham, Alabama :: iPhone 4s

Dilapidated "Triumph," Birmingham

Slick Finish, Birmingham, Alabama