Biedenharn Candy Co., Vicksburg, Mississippi

A few weekends ago my friend Allen was in a “Get Out Of Town” mood, so she asked if I’d like to ride over to Vicksburg with her for the afternoon.  Since I live in a “Get Out Of Town” mood, I was all for it.  We piled in the car with Everest and hit the road.

The plan was to go to some galleries in the old downtown section of Vicksburg so Allen could shop for a painting, then head out to the Vicksburg National Military Park so I could take some pictures.  However, the late afternoon sun was providing such wonderfully warm light on the west facing brick buildings that I just had to start shooting.

There was a small logistical problem with this, though – a small problem named Everest.  He’s a Shih Tzu and not very fond of the oppressive Mississippi heat.   He had to stay in the car with the air conditioner going, which meant one of us had to stay with him; so we took turns.  Allen would go in a gallery and do her shopping while I scoped out anything I wanted to shoot.  When she got through, she’d get back in the car; and I’d jump out and do my thing as quickly as possible.  Then we’d drive down the street to the next gallery and repeat the process.

I particularly wanted to get some pictures of Biedenharn Candy Co., famous for being the first place Coca-Cola was bottled.  Naturally, I didn’t want cars covering up the front of the building, so I worked hard to find angles that had the most aesthetic appeal with the least automotive distraction.  I thought I managed to get some fairly decent ones, so I headed to the car.  On the way, I glanced back and noticed a motorcycle parked on my side of the street and immediately thought of my friend Marvin, who loves to ride.  I decided I’d get a shot of Biedenharn’s with the motorcycle in front of it as a nod to him.  I took the picture, jumped back in the car, and off we went.

Well, the picture that was really an afterthought turned out to be the best one of the day!  That’s the way it goes sometimes, though; your instinct takes over without bothering to tell your brain why.  So here’s to Allen and Marvin, my two friends who made this shot possible.

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I’ll admit up front, this is one of my favorite photographs. The contrast of the colors, the beads of water, the vivid purple – I just love it all. The best part about it, though, is that I took this right in my own back yard. No expensive travel was involved, no scouting for locations; I just walked right out my back door, camera in hand, and started shooting whatever took my fancy. Needless to say, I was thrilled with the results.

Sometimes I think we forget there’s beauty all around us, even right where we live. All we have to do is open our eyes to find it. It may takes a bit of intentionality to discover it, but it’s out there waiting for you. When was the last time you walked out into your back yard on a safari for the sublime? What are you missing that’s right under your nose? I challenge you to go on a photo scavenger hunt this very weekend. You may be amazed at what you’re missing! Happy hunting!

If you hare interested in purchasing this photograph, click here.