mighty mississippi

I just realized that I never wrote anything about the flood that took (still is?) taking place in Mississippi that I finally got to see first hand at the beginning of June. Actually, what really is spurring this post is just wanting to share the pictures with you. It is a very strange thing when the favorite pictures you have taken in quite some time are of a natural disaster that is affecting people you actually know and care about, and in a land that is, quite literally, so near and dear to home. I feel like I'm learning more about photography these days and getting more comfortable with my camera/lens and photoshop (which is maybe the best gift my sister has ever given me). So I really like some of these. The time of day was so pretty. But you could argue that the content is not. Because of that, I see this huge juxtaposition between what is lovely about nature and how untamed (and in this case, harmful) it really is. I think that is fascinating.

And in a way, that poses some sort of problem for me. I don't want to think this kind of thing is beautiful. When I took these, I didn't want to make them look ugly to try to convey more of how tragic this sort of thing really is in our little part of the country. Some of that happened naturally of course. But some of the landscape I saw really was gorgeous. I'm telling you, it's hard to make a delta sunset look like crap. Maybe what's wrong with this event, these landscapes and these pictures isn't enough to cover up with is right.

Just a thought. 

Regardless, everytime I look at these, I hear Lissie singing "Oh Mississippi" in the background. I wish I could make that happen for you, but really all I can do is point you in the right direction.


Oh mighty river, oh Mississippi
oh all of the troubles your banks have seen
please take me with you
far from this land