Musician Hands

Hand With Bass, Asheville, NC  -  2015

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While watching Forlorn Strangers perform Sunday afternoon, I became fascinated by watching the musicians' hands and fingers on their instruments. Having never learned to play any musical instrument, I have always admired the speed, dexterity, and grace of musicians' hands, particularly on stringed instruments. I made several close up photos of just hands on the strings like the one above, which was my favorite of the bunch.

At The Peace Fair

Hindu Hand, Asheville, NC  -  2015

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During my wanderings around downtown Asheville Sunday afternoon I came across a small peace fair in front of a store on Biltmore Avenue. The "International Day of Peace" had several booths set up by local organizations promoting world peace. I spied this man wearing Hindu garb standing watching a trio of singers. As he had his arm folded against his back, the red on his hand and fingers caught my eye as the color red is apt to do. I don't know what the significance of the red on his hand is, but I thought it was an interesting splash of color.

Back On The Streets

Fiddlin' In The Park, Asheville, NC  -  2015

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It's still a little early for leaf lookin', so I spent yesterday afternoon in downtown Asheville searching for street muscians to photograph. The choices were somewhat slim, which was surprising given the nice weather. I did find one group, "The Forlorn Strangers" playing in front of a tiny wooded area on the corner of Patton and S. Lexington. I spent most of my time watching and listening to them.

I made a few photos of the entire five member group, and several individual photos. Each member of the group played several instruments, so I waited until this young woman grabbed her fiddle to get this shot.

Buskers

Clarinet Girl, Asheville, NC  -  2015

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Having grown up in the New Orleans area, I've seen plenty of street musicians and dancers. It wasn't until I moved to North Carolina, however, that I heard them referred to as "buskers". A busker, I learned after finding a dictionary, is simply someone who performs in public places for donations. Whatever you want to call them, I like listening to them and photographing them.

I found this young woman "busking" in front of the Mast General Store one Sunday afternoon last June. I remember it was hot downtown that day, and I didn't wander around too long because of the heat. Now that the temps have moderated somewhat, I want to go back looking for more buskers to photograph. Of course that will only be on Sundays when my Saints aren't on local TV!

Ten To Get One

Matt, Swain County, NC  -  2015

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My brother was passing near our area while riding the "Moonshiners 28" (Hwy. 28 from Walhalla, SC to Deals Gap, NC) over the Labor Day weekend. We decided to meet for a visit over lunch in Bryson City on Monday. I had been wanting to get some pictures of Matt with his motorcycle, so after lunch we found a suitable place on the side of the highway to make some photos.

Out of the all shots I made, I thought only one was really any good. That's why I always shoot several of each pose! With a digital camera it cost nothing but a little time to shoot ten instead of one. (Just don't show everyone all the versions of the same shot! I've never understood why some photographers do that. There's nothing more boring than looking at a dozen shots of the same pose or scene. Pick the best one, and show the best one!) I posted the color version on my Facebook page, but the more I thought about it, I decided a B&W version might be better. After tinkering with a few different approaches, I ended up with the version above. After finishing and comparing the two, I definitely preferred the B&W.

Sign, sign, everywhere a sign . . .

Rethink Bias, Candler, NC  -  2015

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I am forever on the lookout for interesting signs and billboards. I found this one on old highway 19/23 in Candler.

Street Photography

Travellin' On Poetry, Asheville, NC  -  2015

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Although I still would rather be wandering through the forests and mountains with my camera, when it's really hot and humid, or my time is limited, I find myself attracted to the wilds of downtown Asheville. I like that there are plenty of places to duck into for some air conditioning or a cold drink if the heat starts to get to me. Also, I can be home in less than 30 minutes if I'm pressed for time.

I just wander around, street to street, looking for interesting people or situations. I saw this young man with a sign, "Travelin on Poetry" with a plastic bowl displayed for cash contributions. Perhaps he would compose a poem for you on the spot for a little traveling money. The man on the left gave him some money, but from what I could see, he did most of the talking. The poetry man seemed content to just listen. I guess there's a market for that too.