Cally

(image copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

Portrait of my son's friend Cally.

My Grandfather's Wheelbarrow

My Grandfather's old wheelbarrow leans against the wall of the grainery in our barnyard.


If you have been following this blog, and I hope you have, you may notice that I have been shooting a lot lately near my home in Gray's Chapel and my studio in Old Greensboro. I would love to be able to share images with you from Venice, or Scotland, or Yosemite, or even the Outer Banks of North Carolina, but unfortunately, no one has been willing or able to pay me to go to those places lately, so I am spending a lot of time close to home. This has actually been sort of inspiring. I have begun to see that there is a world of things to shoot just outside my door. The wheelbarrow is less than a hundred yards from my deck. My neighbors provide an ample supply of characters for portraits.

I've had a lot of downtime lately (ie, no jobs), so instead of sitting around and waiting for the phone to ring, I'm making an effort (and it is an effort in slow times) to produce images of what's around me. Must be the anthropologist in me coming out. The worst thing a photographer can do is not shoot, so I'm shooting what I have, and it's fun. Comments are welcome.

(images copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

Randolph County American Gothic

(image copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

Weekends on our farm can sometimes be quite entertaining. Neighbors Chris and Cathy were in need of a rooster for their flock, and since we had extras, we offered them one. After about thirty minutes of six adults pursuing one small chicken, we were successful.

Greensboro Tire Store

(image copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

I pass this very graphic wheel and tire store every morning on the way to my Greensboro studio.

Greensboro Product Photography

(image copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

Though perhaps not the most exciting subject, the photograph today is indicative of my everyday business. Over the last 30 years I have shot a tremendous amount of product photography, in fact for several years, it was the basis for my business. Take a mundane object and show it in the best possible light. Create a sexy sock. A simple idea, but sometimes not simple to pull off.

Rainy Day in Greensboro

(image copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

The drive in to work this morning was a lot like this image from Virginia International Raceway.

Deep River Revisited ... Franklinville

(image copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

View of the old Franklinville cotton mill on Deep River in Randolph County, North Carolina. From an ongoing project documenting the old mill buildings along the river.

Twins

(image copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

Identical twins Roxanne and Rachel visited the farm Saturday for an afternoon outing with my son Devin. They are taking part in a nutrition study at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. My son Devin works as their host.

Friday Fashion ... Teen

(image copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

Photo of teen model for a local promotion.

Old Randolph County Home Place

(image copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

Cows sun themselves in the front yard of an abandoned home place near Ramseur in Randolph County, North Carolina. This old house hasn't faired as well as some, though the cows seem to like it.

Farrier

This morning our farrier (a person that shoes horses) Charlie Stone came by and shod our 28 year old mustang horse Rienzi. Charlie has been shoeing Rienzi since my wife adopted her from the U S Bureau of Land Management some 27 years ago. Charlie's care is one reason Rienzi's feet are in such good shape still. That and the fact that she has never worked a day in her life.


(images copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

Melancthon

A local landmark in my community that I drive by almost daily is the old Melancthon Lutheran Church in Melancthon, south of Greensboro, in Randolph County. Largely unused now, it is one of the few rural Lutheran churches I know of in our area. Simple and white, it has stood the ravages of time since it's organization in 1850.


(images copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

Truck Driver

(image copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

Following behind yesterday's images, the photograph above gives a sense of scale. Shot for a workwear POS piece.

Construction Equipment

Maybe it was growing up on a farm, or maybe because when I was a kid I played with toy trucks and tractors, but I love heavy equipment, the bigger the better. I love to shoot them and I love to operate them. Something about having that much power to move dirt.


(images copyright by Dan Routh)

Kerry

(image copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)

Model image from workwear job. When you are casting for lifestyle photographs, it's important to cast models that look natural (and good) in their environment and are comfortable doing things you ask them to do. A simple statement, but it surprising how often models are cast for the wrong job.

Junk Car, Etcetera

One man's junk is another man's treasure, at least visually. From a Sunday afternoon drive in Randolph County, North Carolina.

(images copyright 2009 by Dan Routh)