The Boys

I just wanted to put something up about some guys that have been through a lot in the last 2 years.

We ended up putting them out of the house in Charleston because of the baby and now they have been spending a lot of time on the road with me since I've gotten up in the Upstate.

Marty was a gift from my sister. He is a Lab/Golden mix. He was the smallest puppy in the litter and he was white. He was so cute. It's rough watching him grow up and now old. He's got some bad hips and can't get in the truck by himself any more. He lived with me in Virginia then had to stay with my Dad while I lived in CA. He's been by my side ever since i got back on the "Right" Coast.

Wriggly got picked up from the pound when he was about 5 weeks old. I'd told Dawn we could get another dog when we got our house because she said Buster would die (he's still kicking and just as mean and cranky as ever). They people at the rescue said he'd probably be about 45-50 lbs. Three years later he's 95 pounds of drool and farts.

Anyways, they can't read and don't understand what I say but I'm glad to have them. They've endured a year of riding back and fourth between here and Charleston about twice a week and get hardly any attention because we spend all our time with Haiden.

I just wanted to say "Thanks for being my friends!"

-a.hoglen

Pickens Flea Market

I think that I have an affinity for junk. I'm not like a hoarder or anything, I just like to see what some people are willing to throw away but at the same time attach a price tag to it. It's the same concept of antiques.

I love flea markets. I like the people that go to them. I like the interactions between the people there.  I even like the guy with booth that isn't selling anything other than his chance to preach that the country is falling in on it's self with any sort of change. It's all part of the experience.

You'd better have cash. Small bills too because these people "Don't make change!". I'm sure every person out there could find something that they want or need. I try to stay away from vendors there. They somehow manage to get their hands on unopened over the counter medication and "As Seen on TV" merchandise. You don't need any of that.

You also need to get there early. Skip breakfast. You can find it there. I try to get there a little before 7am. I park the truck and start walking the rows. I usually start fiending for a cup of coffee at about 7:15 or so. Not to worry! You can either go to a concession stand or just wait for the snack cart (a modified golf cart) to come to you. For about a dollar you can get a hot cup of coffee and a Krispy Kreme doughnut. Don't go overboard because there is more food to come.

I wander about in a precise manner. I make sure I get to every booth and try to glance at everything. This isn't like Wal-Mart. At Wal-Mart if you need an oil filter for a 2000 F-250 you know you need to head to the automotive section. At the flea market you might find that oil filter in a box of Barbie Doll parts labeled as Aristocrat Vodka. My point being that you have to thorough with your scanning.

You'll find some gems out there and might even make a friend or two. A smile and some conversation goes a long way. The more of that you do the lower prices become. Being rude or insulting might double the price.

Looking for some entertainment? Head toward the middle of the mass and you'll find a covered tent with about 10-15 extremely aged old men and women belting out mostly bluegrass and gospel music on guitars, banjos, harmonicas and a washtub bass. If you are real luck there will be a guy there with a pig on a rope that will let you pet it. He's a good pig.

When it's all said and done, you've seen everything. Time to go, right? Not yet. Time for second breakfast or brunch as some people call it. Head over to the taco truck for some delicious eats. These places may have gotten a bad rap a while back for sub-standard cleanliness, but the ones I've been to lately are spotless. You might have to endure some communication barriers, but as long as you keep your smile on things will work out. I usually get a few tacos and a Mexican soda. Can't go wrong with Sangria Soda.

When it's all said and done it's probably somewhere around 10:30 and you've got the rest of the day to enjoy your new acquisitions.

 

-a.hoglen

Cole and Landon

I had the opportunity to get together with some old high school friends while I was up in Asheville to get some pictures of their kids. We managed to get some pretty good light under the trees at Carrier Park near the French Broad River at around 3pm.

These guys were awesome! They were cousins. Landon had just celebrated his first birthday and Cole was 3 as he told me in one of the photos. We had a good time and I think these turned out pretty well. I'm going to post a few of my favorites but here is a LINK to the rest.

For most of these I had a 70-200VR or my 35 1.8(in FX!) mounted to my D700.

Thanks for looking and feel free to check out the whole set!

-a.hoglen

Bele Chere Concerts

Yes, another post about Bele Chere 2010.

I had the chance to get out on Saturday evening of Bele Chere and shoot a few concerts. I'll have the names of the bands listed before each groups of shots.

Pretty much all of these were shot with my D700 and 70-200mm VR lens at higher ISOs. It's a wonderful combination for these types of events.

Pretty much everything else I have to say about Bele Chere is Good Friends, Good Beer, Good Music and Good Fun.

Town Mountain

Bomshel

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

Thanks Again for Reading/Viewing! Leave some comments and check in often!

-a.hoglen

Keowee Keys Fire

I happened upon this fire in near Salem, SC one night a few weeks ago. I saw it as a valuable opportunity to get some photos of real firefighters in action.

This building was a maintenance building for the Keowee Keys Housing Community.No one was injured as the fire occurred at around 11:30pm and the building was unoccupied.

I would like to include a few notes about these shots:

-Take notice of the 2 500 gallon fuel tanks on the front side of the building. The Fire Dept did an excellent job of ensuring that these tanks remained cool and untouched by the fire.

-I did not interfere with any of the Fire Dept's response, control or extinguishment of the fire. It is very important in situations like this to remain as transparent as possible.

-These shots are excellent representations of what the D700 can do with proper post-processing technique in very low light situations.

Thanks for looking! These photos were used on all the local morning news channels and made front page on 1 of the local papers.

-a.hoglen

Bele Chere Auto X

I finally made it back to Asheville, NC to one of my favorite events, Bele Chere. It is a local street festival filled with food, music, arts and of course Auto Cross!

The event is sponsored and put on each year by Highlands Sports Car Club. This year was a little different though. The city has outsourced the planning for Bele Chere and hence funding was cut for the event. The City of Asheville did not provide funding nor a police presence. The club however, with the dedication of the members, managed to scrounge up the funding to allow the race to happen.

The event went off without a hitch and a total of 76 racers were able to live out their dreams of legally driving like a maniac on public streets(South Charlotte Street to be exact). Here is a LINK to the results page.

The complete set can be found here: 2010 Bele Chere Auto X

Here are a few of my favorites:

Thanks for looking. If you are interested in checking these types of events out for yourself or even competing to show your mad skills check out SCCA.ORG for local club information.

-a.hoglen