Robert E. Lee's Coffin

So it turns out that, when Robert E. Lee died in October 1870 in Lexington, Virginia, there was rain, serious rain. Rain enough to wash out the dock on the river, on which was stored the most recent delivery of coffins, resulting in a problem: The late, great general had no box to be buried in.

A pair of local youths set out downstream to search for the coffins, finally finding one washed up on a small island that divided the river. This was brought back and, though it was a bit small and required Lee's boots be removed to make him fit in, was used for the burial of Robert E. Lee.

Nearly 150 years later, local artist and entrepreneur Mark Cline rediscovered the story and decided to reenact it October 2016.

Here we see Mark's styrofoam reproduction coffin resting on the island's shore, not far from where the original probably landed, after floating downstream from Jordan's Point, where the original was washed away. A fun adventure for a warm autumn day.

What It Was, Was Football

Carrying my Leica with me as I work has become a bit of an affectation, although it often triggers good conversations with my story subjects that help break the ice. Often, that conversation turns to what I do with the Leica, as I'm obviously putting most of my efforts into shooting video, and the answer is that there are those occasional moments when I can put down the big camera and try to capture something artful with the little one.

Football -- a game laced with long pauses and surrounded with secondary, sometimes surreal scenes -- provides many opportunities for that, and our extensive coverage of high school and college football gave me many opportunities to make pictures with the Leica.

Every so often, when you shoot a picture you know, just know, that it's good. What you see in the viewfinder is exactly what you think a good picture should be. It doesn't happen often (I can think of maybe one other time for me), but when it does, it's magic.

This image, from an Alleghany High School game, was one of those moments.

These two are nice moments from Parry McCluer High School in Buena Vista. I like the differing attitudes of the refs as they wait, and the exhaustion on the high school mascot, though I wish I had been able to get in closer on him. He moved before I could get a second frame.

VMI, where the entire Rat class is required to attend home games and do push ups every time VMI scores (one for every point, plus one). It's all part of the exhausting regimen of one's first year at the military school, and in between cheering and push ups, the Rats take a moment to rest.

As with the refs at Parry McCluer, I'm fascinated by the attitudes of people at rest and in interaction with one another.

Apparently, as the next several pictures show, I'm also fascinated by Sousaphones ...

In the 21st Century, even football is not immune from people being more interested in their smart phones than in real life.

 At halftime, the Rockbridge High School band marches off ...

By the way, for those who don't recognize the headline, it's the name of Andy Griffith's first big comedy routine.

James Baker at VMI

Addendum:
Obviously, this is not the first time I have photographed James Baker, and I wanted to post a number of images. Unfortunately it proved impractical, especially for one in particular, an incident Baker mentioned in his speech at VMI, when Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze warmly said goodbye not just to Baker but his family (they had grown quite close) after a meeting in Washington. I knew I had made the picture, but couldn't find it until recently.

Scenes Patriotic

Fourth of July Bike Parade

Lexington, Virginia

2016

Veterans Day Ceremony

Roanoke, Virginia

2016

Backstage with Miss Virginia

Miss Roanoke Valley waits in the wings

Anyone who knows me has probably heard, sooner or later, my description of the idea photography assignment: to go to some major event (I usually use the Olympics as an example), but with strict orders that, should I come back with any pictures of the event itself, I'll be fired immediately.

In June, I got very close. Thanks to the Help of former Miss Virginia Tara Wheeler, now an anchor in Charlottesville, we got total access to the Miss Virginia pageant for a series of three stories.

As we filmed over three days, I of course had the Leica M3 with me with a 50mm f2, and I found a few moments to make some images.

The scene backstage between events 

Reaching Back

We were doing a preview of "The Nutcracker" at the Berglund Arts Center last December. They had the dancers our for us to add some color to the shot, and they sat on stage while waiting for their next appearance.

As I continue to go through the film, more (and more recent) to come ...

Disney, with Leica

We went to Disneyworld in March, with side trips to Sea World's Discovery Cove and the workshop of animatronic innovator Aaron Fechter (more on the last later). Naturally, rather than do the usual thing, like just depend on the iPhone for pictures, like every other person in the 21st Century might, I brough a Leica M3 with TMax black-and-white film.

In the hotel on the journey down, a typical family scene.

A high school marching band had been invited to perform; we encountered them almost immediately upon arriving at Main Street, USA.

The girls enjoy a ride on the giant carousel.

Outside, the infamous Disney zig-zag line.

On the bus back to the hotel; another visitor's day is done.

At Discovery Cove, a Nikonos II was required.

The Disney pictures were all shot with an M3 and 28mm lens. Typically, I carried a 35, 50, and 90 with me, but I don't recall ever pulling them out of the bag. The Nikonos had a 35mm lens. All of the film shows some damage, which I haven't really had the patience to repair totally in post-processing. I will eventually produce clean scans ...