Images from Port Hudson, La., reenactment

Here are a few images I took at Port Hudson this past weekend. Thankfully, the rains stopped early Saturday morning, but it was still quite muddy. The weather was spectacular. What did put a damper on the event was talk that state budget cuts might prevent the reenactment from being held in subsequent years. That would be a shame.


Torturing a Yankee prisoner

Steve from the Washington Artillery

Deputy provost marshals with a miscreant

Photographer Deborah Wood. Check out her website at www.DeborahWood.org

I have 2 images selected for a juried show

This made my month. Two images I took during a sojourn to New Mexico have been chosen by art critic Eleanor Heartney for the 2009 Southern Open art exhibit at the Lafayette, La., Center for the Arts. The show opens May 9.

Shown are the two submissions that were accepted. Both of these images were taken at two different mission ruins near Mountainair, N.M.

This picture above was made at the Abo ruins one cold afternoon in December. I liked the interplay between the shadows of the beams and the fence posts. This was made with a 148-year-old lens and only a small portion is in focus.

The image above was made the next morning at the Quarai mission ruins. My wife is standing in the doorway. To make a ghost-like image, I had her walk out of the picture after 2 seconds of a 4-second exposure. The lens really helped make this picture, creating a swirl effect of the masonry work in the upper left corner.

Marble bas relief at LSU Rural Life Museum

I've always wanted to photograph this small marble carving on the brickworks under the large bell at the Rural Life Museum, but I never had the time. At last weekend's Ione Burden Symposiu, I set up right by the bell, so I was able to make an image. This is on a 5"x7" glass plate.

LSU Rural Life Museum Symposium

This is a tintype I made of the gathering Sunday for the Ione Burden Symposium at the LSU Rural Life Museum. It was a wonderful day with great presentations on the history of media in the state. I had to follow Advocate cartoonist David Norwood, and he had the audience laughing at his cartoons through the decades.

I hope to attend the Springfield, La., reenactment this coming weekend. I'll probably just be there for Sunday.

John at DeRidder, La., reenactment

This is a little late, but it's an image I made Feb. 22, the weekend before Mardi Gras, at the re-enactment at DeRidder. Saturday was breezy, rainy and chilly, but the skies cleared for Sunday and temps were in the low 60s.

David, Killer and Rusty at Battle of Bogalusa, La., in Cassidy Park

This was taken March 1, using my new Dallmeyer lens. I was at the Bogalusa re-enactment for Sunday only, so I missed a big rainstorm Saturday. It was quite chilly, in the 30s, until the sun came out just before lunch. I didn't strike many images because folks seemed to be pre-occupied just staying warm and getting ready to bug out after the battle. Some participants from Mississippi left early out of concern that they wouldn't be able to travel north on icy roads. This event was even bigger than last year's, with double the number of troops. The Bogalusa Chamber of Commerce is considering the event for the 2nd weekend of May.

My next event is a demonstration March 7 at the LSU Rural Life Museum during the Ione Burden Symposium: http://appl027.lsu.edu/rlm/rurallifeweb.nsf/$Content/Symposium?OpenDocument. I may be going to the Civil War re-enactment at Springfield, La., on March 14-15. For sure, I'll be at the Port Hudson re-enactment, March 27-29.