“River Temple”

“River Temple”,
by Robert Leedy, 2010,
HDR image.
(click on image to see a larger version)

I spent another afternoon experimenting with HDR imaging. Michael Perry took me to see the covered bridge but it was too hazardous at this time of the year – with steep slopes, dense foliage and groves of poison ivy – to navigate our way to a good vantage point. I found the above, nearby scene just as interesting – perhaps more so. I’m learning what subject matter translates well. I liked the graffiti and boosted the color saturation to enhance it. I normally wouldn’t do this in “regular” digital images but HDR seems to enjoy this kind of treatment.

When we first arrived, a woman was there with her children and they were enjoying themselves along the river rocks and some of the kids were swimming. It was almost as if Michael & I were intruders and I wanted to send them  a non-verbal message that we were not there to disrupt their enjoyment. This got me thinking about the idea of water as a spiritual cleanser and how places with water in the vicinity always seem to draw people in a very strong way as if a magnet. Michael & I left to go look at some ruins of a 19th century mill or factory and returned to this spot an hour later.  The woman and her kids were gone. I scouted the surroundings for a good place to set up my camera and tripod. I noticed the peculiar green figure with graffiti and thought about the water and the idea that this may have been someone’s holy place. The graffiti and semi-urban structures among a secluded spot of nature seemed to mock the whole spiritual idea but then on second thought, in present day America, the idea was not so absurd after all.

Hauling camera gear up and down slippery slopes worked up a good appetite. I think Michael must have felt guilty about the bridge being inaccessible so we stopped for – and I am not exaggerating – some of the best barbecue I have ever eaten! It was in a nondescript, hole-in-the-wall building  that looked like it could have previously been a machine shop or used car dealer.

Staqs BBQ, Symrna, GA 770-438-4301
order collards and fried okra with your pulled pork!