Giles Hoover

Photography and design for print production

Tag: regional imagery

  • Updated Gallery: Franklin Delano Roosevelt State Park, Pine Mountain

    Updated Gallery: Franklin Delano Roosevelt State Park, Pine Mountain

    As I mentioned yesterday, Gerald and I enjoyed a lovely first-of-spring drive out of middle Georgia. Our destination was Pine Mountain, home of F. D. Roosevelt State Park. Needless to say, there were cameras involved.

    Starting on Dowdell Knob, FDR’s favorite picnic spot — with its amazing valley overlook:

    Roosevelt’s Grill With a View, Dowdell Knob

    Next was the park’s office and overlook complex:

    FDR State Park Office (B&W Study), Pine Mountain
    Stone, Shutters, and Stars and Stripes
    FDR State Park Overlook: Rocks

    Peruse the entire gallery here. And when you have some extra time, all of FDR State Park is worth a visit; it’s got everything from hiking trails to cabins to the Callaway Gardens Country Kitchen in its 9049 acres. Enjoy!

    Bonus: Georgia Public Broadcasting, at the premier of its film A President in Our Midst: Franklin Delano Roosevelt in Georgia, said:

    Franklin Delano Roosevelt had a very special relationship with the State of Georgia. This compelling documentary spotlights the mutual benefits that the friendship provided to both the president and the people of Georgia. The film is based on the book, A President in Our Midst: Franklin Delano Roosevelt in Georgia.

    It’s no Ken Burns, certainly, but if you’re not familiar with FDR’s extensive time spent in west Georgia, it might be worth your time. See it here.

    Bonus gallery: Callaway Gardens, from 2008.

  • 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.

  • Monticello and Barnesville Galleries Updated

    Monticello and Barnesville Galleries Updated

    February has been beautiful here in Georgia, with spring just beginning to show — which means the Leica and I are out and about again.

    Let’s start in Monticello. (Although named for Jefferson’s estate of the same name, it’s actually pronounced “Monti-sello.”) The tractor’s still there:

    Monticello Tractor (Pinhole)

    And my chase of architectural details continues anew:

    Cornice and Corbel, Collected

    More to see in the updated gallery. (A reminder: once there, click on any photo to start a slideshow.)

    Next, Barnesville:

    Red Southern Caboose Against Blue Sky

    Across Main Street is this:

    Whitewalls of Thine Increase

    Enjoy that updated gallery, too.

    Bonus Update: Gave the 235 some exercise, too — which means a couple of photographs.

  • New Gallery: Bristol, VA/TN

    New Gallery: Bristol, VA/TN

    “Twice the city, twice the fun,” Bristol’s tourism web site says. While some might talk extensively about the Bristol Motor Speedway and its associated draws, I was only there to spend some time on the way to and from Maine. Using the superb Bristol Hotel as a base, I not only enjoyed the Blackbird Bakery and the Bristol Bagel & Bakery (no web site, alas) — both a great way to start a day — but also the excellent Vivian’s Table for dinner. That’s only the food; plenty more I didn’t get to, as well. Nice all around.

    There were opportunities to take some photographs, too:

    Downtown @ night

    State Street downtown straddles the state line, meaning that this guy was in Virginia:

    Metal street art (VA)

    While this corner, two blocks down on the same street, is actually in Tennessee:

    Architectural styles juxtaposed

    And here’s the best of both worlds: foreground in one state (TN) while background in another (VA):

    Two state photography

    Bristol was a pleasant surprise; will definitely return when the opportunity presents itself. In the meantime, enjoy a virtual visit with the new photography gallery.

  • Macon Downtown Gallery Updated

    Macon Downtown Gallery Updated

    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.

  • Dublin gallery updated

    Dublin gallery updated

    Gerald and I had an opportunity to return to Dublin last week, and as a result, the Dublin gallery has been updated.

    As usual, it’s a combination of my detail shots with some old-fashioned stuff.

    See the entire Dublin gallery here. Thanks for looking!

  • New: Cochran and Dublin Galleries

    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.