Tag: macon

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Updated Gallery: Downtown Macon

As is typical in July in Georgia, it was hot yesterday — but not so much that I didn’t spend a few minutes wandering around with the camera and superb 90mm. Especially since I was down on MLK, an area of downtown Macon I don’t frequent as much as, say, 2nd St.

Macon Rocks Mural (401 Cherry St.)
Music Marker (MLK and Mulberry)

Some detail shots (as usual):

Studio Door, Serenity Entertainment, Cherry St. Ln.
Visit Macon’s Keyboard Building Detail, 450 MLK Blvd.
Decorated Transit, MLK and Cherry

Side note: I was completely unaware that Steve Martin and Edie Brickell had teamed up for Bright Star, a musical set in the Appalachians. (I presume, unfortunately, that the 2020 season at Theatre Macon might not have shown.) It probably won’t surprise that I enjoy a musical now and than — and am a big fan of both Martin and Brickell — so was glad to find it on Tidal.

Bright Star (Painted) Poster, Theatre Macon, 3rd St. Ln.

In any case, 23 new photographs have been posted to the Downtown Macon (2022-2023) gallery. Peruse and enjoy — and thanks for visiting.

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Updated Gallery: Downtown Macon

It’s hard to understate how much downtown Macon has changed for the better in the last fifteen years: new residents (and lofts), new restaurants, new shops, a high-end hotel, and more — all without losing its feeling of an historic Southern city.

Balconies, 389 1st St.
(Sign of) Hotel Forty-Five, 401 Cotton Ave.

On the subject of Southern, I’m glad to see the completion of the new Cotton Avenue Plaza, a pocket park that replaces not only an awkward intersection but one that had, at its center, a Confederate celebratory statue. Something everyone can share is a big upgrade:

Cotton Avenue Plaza (with Lawrence Mayer Building)

Meanwhile, it wouldn’t be a gallery post without some of my signature detail photographs:

Flower Detail #2, Mulberry St.
Eyes on Cherry St. (Window)

The downtown gallery (2022–23) is now up to 132 photographs — check ’em out. (Once you’ve followed the link, click on any photograph for a larger, captioned version.) And, if you’re interested in the city’s downtown evolution, see also the 2020–21 and 2008–2018 galleries.

As always, thanks for stopping by.

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Updated Gallery: Downtown Macon

I had the occasion to have lunch downtown yesterday, a day of simply beautiful spring weather — which I absolutely used as an excuse to take the camera for a spin.

The vast majority of the time, I use what I call my standard lens: 35mm. (Some would argue that 50mm is the “standard,” but I really prefer the wider angle of view due to its additional context.) This time, however, I was using Leica’s superb — and, sadly, no longer available — 90mm macro. The detail, the color, everything about this lens excels:

Leaves and Berries, Poplar & New Sts.
Veteran’s Flame and Flag, Macon-Bibb Government Center, 700 Poplar St.

It’s sometimes a challenge to be creative in an area you’ve photographed often, but I enjoy trying to spy new details:

L.C. Rick’s Place, D.T. Walton Sr. Way & Poplar St.
Kudzu Signs and Building Cornice, 512 Poplar St.

Or revisit favorite architectural items:

Post and Turret, 690 Poplar St.

23 new photographs have been added to the Macon Downtown (2022–2023) gallery, bringing the total to 110. (Don’t forget about the 2008–2018 and 2020–2021 galleries, either.)

Remember, once in a gallery, clicking on any photograph will start a slide show, with much larger images, titles, and more. Peruse and enjoy!

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Gallery Update: Downtown Macon

The first Friday of fall saw Gerald and I out celebrating the beautiful weather — and his new “creative camera,” a Leica M8 in pristine condition:

M8 @ Bearfoot (#3)

Which of course meant a quick spin around downtown. I was using my favorite lens, the 90mm macro, resulting in lots of detail shots:

Capitol (Theatre) Details, Second St.
Windowmaker, Mulberry St. Ln.
Peeking Across Third (Street), Downtown
Street Art Detail, Cherry & Third
Street Art Detail, Poplar & Third

With these latest additions, the Downtown Macon (2022+) gallery is at eighty photographs. Take a look.

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Updated Galleries: Macon Downtown x3, Automotive

FedEx pulled up around 8:30 this morning and dropped off a new lens. (It wasn’t due ’til Tuesday — bonus!) Given that it was an absolutely beautiful morning, I shelved my plans for the day, picked up the camera, and headed downtown.

Verdict? It’s so a keeper. See for yourself:

Catholic Cross, St. Joseph’s, Macon
Purple Hydrangea, St. Joseph’s, Macon
(Funeral) Chapel, New St., Macon
552 New St. (Brick Detail), Macon
Public Art (Detail #1), D T Walton Sr Way, Macon
Tree and City Auditorium, Macon

Wound up with sixty new items posted. However, the downtown Macon gallery was getting almost too big — confusing, even — so has been separated into three parts:

One more thing: Four photographs have been added to the Automotive gallery, including this rare Mitsubishi Lancer Evo:

Macon Lancer Evo (Wheel Detail)

Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend!

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Macon Downtown Gallery Updated

Macon TT Downtown Aged

Took the TTArtisans 50mm ƒ1.2 for a brief stroll today after lunch with Gerald. Gotta say: this thing is fun:

Macon Downtown TT Sign

Note how the sign is into the bokeh practically before you’re through the sign’s second letter. This, too:

Macon TT Downtown

Does it begin to challenge Leica, or even Voigtlander? Certainly not — it’s a $98 (!) Chinese manual-focus crop lens shunned by almost all “real” Leica shooters. But for this short-depth-of-field fan, it’s worth the embracing the flaws. The updates are at the bottom of the page, marked, “Macon-Downtown_June-2021-x.” Enjoy.

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Mercer University Gallery Updated

Memorial Day weekend brought what is likely the last of the spring-like weather to Middle Georgia, and while it lasted, I was out with the camera. This time, the beautiful, historic Mercer University campus here in Macon:

That building is from the 1800’s. The bear — and the building in the background — are not:

Had my black-and-white “classic camera” filters handy, too (same building in the background, FYI):

Mercer2021-3

Thirty new photographs join the Mercer University gallery. Peruse, purchase, or just enjoy.

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New: Cochran and Dublin Galleries

Spring is fleeting here in Middle Georgia — a heat wave next week promises triple-digit weather — so took the camera for a wander. Cochran and the other Middle Georgia State University was up first:

Cochran - MGA

A few shots from Cochran’s downtown, as well:

Cochran - Downtown

See the new Cochran gallery here.

Next up was a brief stop on Chester — single photograph posted here — then Dublin, where Martin Luther King made his first public speech, in 1944. There’s a little park to commemorate:

Dublin - MLK park

Downtown, alas, prominently features a Confederate monument (like so many places here in Georgia):

We’re working on it. Meanwhile, check Dublin’s new gallery here.

Last but not least, added a few shots to Macon’s miscellaneous gallery:

East Macon fire watch tower

Check the whole thing, covering almost fifteen years, here.

Special thanks to Prof. Gerald Lucas for the continued use of his Voigtlander 21mm ƒ1.8.

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Downtown Gallery Updated (and… Updated)

As mentioned yesterday, Gerald purchased a Voigtlander Ultron 21mm f1.8 — a very nice, German-owned (Japanese-made), manual-focus lens — last month, and he was kind enough to loan it to me for a couple of days.

We — that is, the lens and I — went for a short photostroll in downtown Macon this afternoon. Check the results in the updated gallery.

Edit, 6 March, 2021: I’ve rejigged the Macon galleries, and the featured photograph from this post is now in the Macon – Miscellaneous gallery (as the Catholic church is up the hill from downtown).