Giles Hoover

Photography and design for print production

Tag: new gallery

  • New Gallery: Sparta, Georgia

    New Gallery: Sparta, Georgia

    I’ve been meaning to take a camera to Sparta for a minute now; its downtown is small yet old and photogenic in a distinctly Southern way.

    Confederate State of Hancock County

    On that subject: let’s get the elephant in the room out front and center. Sparta is 85% Black, arguably economically and socially suffering, and yet this monument stands front and center. Why?

    Neglect: “It Suits Us”
    Lightbulb Moment, 12745 Broad St.

    However, there are signs of hope. More than one building downtown is being refurbished, and there are at least a couple of businesses that are surviving — perhaps even thriving — by providing a sense of community:

    The Sparta Ishmaelite (Printing)
    Hattaway Furniture, 12755 Broad St.

    By the way, those old buildings often have beautiful cast iron details:

    Building Detail, 12699 Broad St.

    I was glad to have made the trip, and hope that you’ll be glad to take a moment and look and Sparta’s downtown in the new gallery.

    Up tomorrow: Eatonton. Thanks for stopping by.

  • New Gallery: Talbotton

    New Gallery: Talbotton

    The county seat of Talbot (Wiki) was the primary destination of our recent photostroll, another of those places that are often passed through without stopping. A small, poor town — and county — its rich history absolutely deserves a home here amongst the galleries of Georgia.

    Monroe Street Storefonts, Downtown

    Founded in 1828, Talbotton was a center of education for the area; its architectural splendor reflects a wealth no longer present. Even the later courthouse (1892) is a beautiful structure:

    Talbot County Probate Court, 26 Washington Ave.
    Talbot County Court Tower #3

    There was one structure in particular that I wanted to visit: the Zion Episcopal Church, an 1848 wooden item, painted dark brown with white shutters:

    Historic Zion Episcopal Church, Circa 1848

    Unfortunately, Georgia’s early- and mid-century legacy survives intact. From the Zion Church’s Historical Marker:

    The choir loft at the east end of the structure opposite the sanctuary, above the narthex, is flanked on each side by a gallery, where slaves worshipped prior to the conflict which many believed temporarily destroyed Southern culture.

    Georgia Historical Commission, 1955

    The church is still beautiful, it’s still beautifully preserved and maintained, and I’m glad that we can, in 2022, look at it in the historical context it deserves.1Read more about Zion Episcopal and its place in Talbotton here.

    Zion Episcopal Church (Window Detail #2)

    See the church and all of Talbotton — 34 photographs in all — in the new gallery here.

    Thanks to Gerald for a pleasant Sunday of fine photography.

    • 1
      Read more about Zion Episcopal and its place in Talbotton here. ↩︎
  • Gallery Update: Madison (Part 3)

    Gallery Update: Madison (Part 3)

    As promised, I returned to Madison, Georgia, to complete the gallery my camera battery didn’t permit last time. Special thanks to Gerald, who accompanied me around the beautiful downtown historic district and on the lovely drive from here to there.

    This round is mostly details, taken with my stunning new Leica APO lens. (Introduced in this Macon post.) The whole line has been discontinued, so I am incredibly glad to have gotten one while they’re still available — every single photograph shows just how good this lens is. I’ll try to do it justice:

    Morgan County Courthouse #6
    Light Detail, 131 E. Jefferson St.
    Madison Welcome Center, Madison Square
    Flower Detail, Organic Market
    Building and Light Detail #2, W. Washington St.
    Hart & Crown Sign, Madison Square

    I’ve revamped the gallery with the new shots mixed in with the old. Several are improved versions of shots taken last time, meaning those were deleted in favor of the new ones.

    132 Madison photographs have been posted in all. Peruse and enjoy; remember to click on any individual photograph to start a slide show, and if you’d like, click “buy” to get options for fine art prints in a variety of sizes and finishes. Thank you!

    See also: Madison Part One and Part Two.

  • New Gallery: Madison (Part 2)

    New Gallery: Madison (Part 2)

    Continued from Part 1, below.

    According to Southern Living magazine, “In Madison, Georgia, you can witness the power of tireless historic preservation efforts and take in the glory of old Southern architecture — from Greek Revival to Victorian, this town showcases all the great architectural styles.” (Read their day trip advice.)

    DAR Statue and Morgan County Courthouse, Downtown

    It’s certainly worth taking some time to visit — and for this guy and his camera, the restaurants, shops, stroll-worthy streets, and simply spectacular historic district represent a great opportunity to add to the treasure trove of Georgia architectural photography.

    Building Detail #2, Madison Welcome Center, E. Jefferson St.
    Building Detail #1, The James Madison Inn
    Gazebo and Stage, Madison Town Park
    Metallic Sculpture, Madison Town Park
    Train and Silos, Madison

    A total of 90 (!) photographs have been posted to the new Madison gallery. Once there, click on any photo to enlarge or start a slide show.

    I’m not done, either: I had two lenses with me, but only one battery — which gave out before I could make a round downtown with the second lens. I’ve got another trip through the area scheduled, and will absolutely make the time to return, camera in-hand, to complete the gallery. Stay tuned.

  • New Gallery: Madison, Georgia (Part 1)

    New Gallery: Madison, Georgia (Part 1)

    The past couple of days represented a much-needed break from the recent heat wave — an opportunity to get out of the house and celebrate a stunning morning with camera in-hand.

    I pass through Madison regularly (it’s along the route from Macon to Athens), and have been meaning to stop and take some photographs for literally years. Today, the first of two parts this week, with more to come soon.

    We start at the Madison Morgan Cultural Center and loop through the historic district — and its many, frankly stunning buildings — south of downtown:

    Madison Morgan Cultural Center (Detail #4)
    507 S. Main Street #1
    411 Old Post Road #1
    413 S. Main Street, Photographed from Old Post Road

    There are a few detail shots mixed in, too, like this one from the Presbyterian Church:

    Madison Presbyterian Church (Door Detail)

    See the first 34 photographs in the new gallery. (Remember to double-click on a photograph to see larger.) Next time, downtown. Happy Monday!

  • New and Updated Galleries: Woodland, Thomaston, and Yatesville

    New and Updated Galleries: Woodland, Thomaston, and Yatesville

    The end of winter here in Georgia means beautifully warm days, flowers and trees budding, and photography. Gerald and I took a road trip this weekend, enjoying almost 200 miles of driving — and four photostrolls.

    We’ll cover three today, heading west from Middle Georgia:

    Yatesville Peach Blossoms #1

    See everything from Yatesville, pop. 408, here.

    Next is an update from Thomaston, whose downtown square is typical of Georgia:

    Upson County Courthouse (B&W Study #2), 2022

    That gallery is available here.

    Lastly today is a new stop: Woodland, in west-central Georgia, near Pine Mountain and Warm Springs, northeast of Columbus.

    Woodland Antiques
    Postal Angel (Awning to be Free)

    Woodland, whose population also happens to be 408, has a gallery here.

    Many thanks to Gerald for the company and good day. Next up: FDR State Park, likely tomorrow.

  • New Gallery: Jackson, Georgia

    New Gallery: Jackson, Georgia

    This past weekend’s road trip included five stops, including Monticello and Barnesville, which I covered in the last post. However, there were three more stops in the middle.

    Jackson Dam, which forms the headwaters of the Ocmulgee River — and which has a fishing area with this neat scene:

    Walk and Deck, Jackson Dam

    Jackson Lake, formed by the Yellow, Alcovy, and South Rivers:

    Jackson Lake (Wideangle)

    And Jackson proper, which has a traditional (for Georgia, at least) town square with a courthouse:

    Butts County Courthouse #5, Jackson

    Also, this — with perhaps too cute a title:

    Downtown Door During Reconstruction, Jackson

    All of these have been added to a new gallery. Check it out.

  • New Gallery: Vassar College

    New Gallery: Vassar College

    Many, many moons ago, my late sister attended Vassar College. I had an occasion to stay in Poughkeepsie, NY, where Vassar is located, and went over on a beautiful morning and spent some time wandering around with the Leica.

    Chapel Hall, Vassar
    Film, Vassar

    It’s a beautiful campus; a mix of modern, mid-century, and classic architecture — with a little mid-century thrown in:

    Architecture mix, Vassar

    For many years, Vassar was a women’s (-only) college, and it was nice to find the National Landmark observatory building — a reminder that even in the 1800’s, women were doing scientific research:

    Vassar Observatory

    The New England building:

    New England Building, Vassar

    An enjoyable visit, a beautiful, incredibly well-tended campus, and a tranquil late summer morning at a renowned college. I was delighted to visit, and pleased with the resulting photographs. See the rest here.