Sunday, March 25, 2012

Photoshoot in Huntsville

Went on my usual weekend  photo jaunt yesterday. This time with the Houston Photowalks group to Huntsville. As usual when I have an early morning scheduled I couldn't go to sleep. Met Debi at 6:30 at Dennys and arrived at 8am at the Prison Museum on the outskirts of Huntsville. After touring the museum we went into town for lunch. I had not done an RSVP for lunch so I walked uptown and did what I very much enjoy doing—found a café on the courthouse square. This time it was the Café Texan. I really wasn’t hungry because I had breakfast while I was waiting. I planned on coffee and a desert but they had a fried catfish sandwich and a Texan chili cheeseburger that really sounded good. Told the waitress I was debating between the two and finally said, “Give me the catfish.” My order came out as a catfish lunch—way more food than I wanted. I realized it was my fault because I never used the word “sandwich.” I mentioned to the waitress that I had ordered the wrong thing and she changed the ticket to the price of the sandwich. I ate it every bit. I love catfish almost as much as I enjoy eating in small town cafes.


Bill Thomas, incarcerated March 2012, 20 years to life for photographing in a mall. Suspect in several photographings of Houston Metrorail.
At 1pm we met at the courthouse and a couple of tour guides walked us around downtown Huntsville. Learned a lot but the light was so bad I shot very few photographs. Bad time of the day. Afterwards Debi, I and several of the group drove over to the cemetery where Sam Houston is buried and then later out to the museum park that has a couple of his homes. It was a great trip, really enjoyed it. But I don’t think I have ever gone on a shoot where I shot as few photographs and got so few that I enjoyed. Would love to do Huntsville again, but at a different time of the day.
While everyone else ate lunch I got to shoot the girl scout parade
Waiting for lunch at the Cafe Texan--in business ince 1936


Matt Ferais and a fellow photographer conversing on the bench in front of the Roche's Denistery Office
Charlie Macaw Sits for a Portrait
Soda Jerk
Tomorrow at 5am I'm meeting Alcy at Dennys and we are heading out to the bluebonnet country again. A different route this time. Alcy likes to shoot flowers--I'll find something to shoot. She's promished that we can go to A Little Bit of Heaven and Martha's Bloomers. I guess that will make up for the Rose Emporium. I'll take the fisheye and the Lensbaby and come home with something that I like, surely. If not I'll just go back to A Little Bit of Heaven for more ice cream!

3 comments:

  1. I'm not sure why my last comment didn't post but I was telling you that I absolutely love the Texas Cafe shot. If the average photo gets a 3 second glance, this one was way over the average! I guess I'm homesick for Texas because I stare at it and think about what I could go inside and order! I'm noticing more and more than any photo with writing in it draws and holds my eye. Love it.

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  2. Jan, thanks. I love stopping in small town restaurants. I always try to find the places where the locals eat. Paul and I are discussing meeting in north Texas and doing a few days hitting small towns. Don't know if that will come to pass but I hope so. I would love to get the take of someone that has lived in New York City for most of his life. And as you know I have created this idealized world of small North Texas towns in my own mind. It is based on memories of a time when I wasn't quite so cynical. I know it doesn't exist but I love roaming around in it anyway. LOL

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  3. Well, if he agrees to the idea, I hope you can do it before it gets too hot! It would have been nice to have planned it for spring.

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