For one of my photography class assignments, I had to take a self portrait. I don’t care to take photos of myself. In fact, most every photo I have on Facebook is of my son and usually someone else. But there was no getting around it. As part of the assignment, the portrait could be conceptual, tell the viewer more about the individual than just by the face. That part, I figured I could do. I decided I would be brave and venture back down to the Thunderbolt bridge. But after I saw all the trash, graffiti, and used items left behind by others before me, I sort of lost interest. It was, however, a great opportunity to test out my shutter remote, which turned out to work not as well as I had hoped. I had even brought a prop, my favorite book that I read once every year, Kate Chopin’s The Awakening. After a few shots didn’t turned out like I hoped, I packed it up, hiked back up to the truck (which was a bit more difficult through the sand and muck than on the way down), and headed over to Bonaventure Cemetery, a place where I shot frequently during my high school photography classes. There is something amazingly peaceful about a cemetery, and Bonaventure has one of the most serene views in Savannah. I often went there on my lunch and free periods my senior year to shoot or just think to myself. I loved that no one else was around, and took full advantage of having the bluff to myself this afternoon. I absolutely love oak trees, and I found just the perfect spot. I had a bit of an issue with shadows, so I kicked on my off camera flash and boom, got a shot I just love. You still can’t see my face but hopefully you can see just how peaceful I was feeling… despite having exactly 8 minutes to finish up my shoot and get out of the cemetery before the gates were closed on...
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