Southern Dreaming is an ongoing photography project which I am currently pursuing. In one of my intermediate photography classes I was forced to use a Holga for a good portion of my work. At first, I dreaded this after seeing some of the student work that my peers had done with the Holga in previous terms. I even went so far as to collect a few other toy cameras so that I would not have to use the Holga as much. However, the more I used it, the more potential that I saw for creating images of intense, surreal beauty. When shooting with silver, if composed and focused properly with the aid of a range finder, the Holga was capable of rendering negatives that are very reminiscent of early 20th century motion photography. It lended itself quite well to one my favorite subjects: graveyards. After the class was over I still found myself using this particular paintbrush as often as my nice digital camera and my favorite vintage pieces.

It was during my a photo safari to Providence Canyon that I came to realize the Holga's true potential. During this particular trip, I bought a bunch of color film to experiment with that particular media. In the past, I had always used a digital camera for color photography and film cameras for my silver work. Though I was quite pleasantly surprised at some of the rich images that I got from my other cameras, it was the imagery from my Holga that totally blew me away. Once color was added to the Holga's palate, it became a transparent window into the land of my dreams.

I am a southerner. I grew up in the verdant green hills of Arkansas. I have been in nearly every state that was once part of that fairyland that was known as Dixie. It is a strange, surreal place where many struggle to preserve a tainted, idealized past. "Stars and Bars" can still be seen flying in yards and even a few public places. It is also a place where many work hard to create a new vision for the South, bereft of the mistakes of the past. It is the birthplace of sweet potatoe pie, kudzu, and the Blues. It is where I dream, when I dream of Home.

This but a taste of what is to come. Keep posted for new material.