Jimmy McDonald Photography Blog

A comedic, romantic and serious love story.  Jerry and Katie have always carried a serious torch for each other.  But, they come from different worlds…different sides of the track, so ultimately they can’t stay together.  Katie marries into her upscale society, but when Jerry finds out he has a daughter he was never told about…how far will he go to be a part of her life…and her mothers?
 
For other questions, contact:
Richmond Community Theatre
111 East Washington
Rockingham, NC  28379
910-997-3765

www.richmondcommunitytheatre.com

I enjoy shooting receptions/parties and capturing people having a good time.  This reception took place at the Fair Barn in Pinehurst, NC.  It was built in 1917 for use at the Sandhills Fair, one of the major country fairs in the Southeast from 1915 through 1925.  The facility is very beautiful and provides some great shooting opportunities. This was my first reception of the season and I am glad that Stephanie and Melvin asked me to shoot for them.  The D.J. did a great jopb of keeping people on the dance floor. Everyone appeared to have a great time dancing and socializing.   Congratulations to Stephanie and Melvin!

I had the privilege to shoot some photos of Kris again this past Sunday afternoon. The original plan was to get meet at a former Walmart building to shoot Kris with her umbrella while it was raining. It never rained hard enough to get some downpour shots, but that didn’t stop us from getting some great shots. Kris naturally worked for the camera with various poses. She needed very little direction from me and this made it easy for me to keep the session within the one hour time frame that I prefer when shooting random portraits.

There will be many more sessions with Kris during the coming months. Kris has chosen photography as her senior project due in December and I will be her mentor for the project. I look forward to many more evenings of random shooting with Kris.

A family.  A musical group of brothers and sisters, a sound, a style of music, a way of life, a volcanic explosion of  talent and energy, intense emotion, and feral passion.

Leahy is a Canadian powerhouse of eight musical brothers and sisters who have been playing together their entire lives.  The band’s three acclaimed CDs—Leahy, Lakefield, and In All Things—have world-wide sales of over half a million copies.

The St. Andrews Presbyterian College Pipe Band was founded in 1991 as a project of the college’s Scottish Heritage Center. Since its founding the band has become one of the top competing pipe bands in the southern United States. The band is a member of the Eastern United States Pipe Band Association and competes successfully in Grade III, the highest level of competition currently available in the Southeast. Membership in the band has been comprised primarily of students from throughout the United States and Canada, though local and regional membership is also welcomed.

The St. Andrews Presbyterian College Pipe Band followed by Leahy performed on Marfch 10th before a sold out audience at  Cole Auditorium and Community Center at Richmond Community College in Hamlet, NC.

Opening day for the Rockingham Middle School baseball and softball teams had favorable results for the school.  Both teams were down early in their respective games.  The softball team played a for nearly two and half hours and battled Spring Hill to win 11-10.  The Rocket baseball team rallied from a 6 – 1 deficit to win 12-9.  There were many spectators out enjoying the games in very pleasant weather.  More photos are posted at www.flickrpictures.com.

Yesterday I shot photos of Alyse Player for her new CD/promo package that is due to be completed in a few weeks.  Her parents wanted some photos taken at their church so we planned to meet immediately after their service.   The stained glass windows were beautiful and the inside of the church was well lit.  This made it possible to shoot Alyse with the colors from the windows in the background.  Alyse’s little sister followed us around and smiled the entire time.  I had to get some shots of her too.  She was too cute to miss.

Take a moment to visit the website www.alyseplayer.com to find out more about Alyse Player.

I have a habit of shooting signs and storefronts.  Not sure what my obsession is with them, but I take notice when an unusual sign is near.    These four photos were taken in Myrtle Beach, S.C.   I was driving and shooting at the same time.  Otherwise, I probably would have several more signs to post here.

These are a few of the additional shots that I was able to take during the early morning walk on the beach to get my sunrise shot.  I enjoy watching the colors change as the sun begins to pop up from the horizon.

I enjoy going to the beach and have made several trips in the past few years.  During each visit I  have planned and successfully made it out to shoot a sunrise shot .  This morning was almost unbearable.  It was 25 degrees this morning out on the beach and the windchill had to be close to zero.  I’ve never been on the beach to shoot a sunrise shot in temperatures  below freezing.  My hands are still numb as I post this photo. The beauty of the morning sunrise on the beach was worth the discomfort of the cold temperatures.

When someone requests to use one of my photos in a publication, website, report…etc I take that as a compliment.   Today one of my Cascades Falls photos is featured on the home page of the National Wildlife Federation website.

Revel’s Bar-B-Q that was located on Highway 74 has been demolished to make way for the new Highway #1 bypass.  The restaurant was once a place for local business events and civic club meetings.

The Revel’s classic neon sign design dates from the 1950s, and originally featured animated pig’s hands and a flashing arrow. The sign was redesigned in the early 1970s by its original maker and is no longer animated. The redesign also changed  ”Chicken in a Basket” to  ”Fried Chicken”.

I remember visiting my grand-parents in Rockingham and eating at Revel’s Bar-b-q.  The restaurant was usually busy anytime of the day and their bar-b-q was packaged and sold to local grocery stores.  My Father work at Revel’s during his high school year in the early sixties.  I remember his stories of walking to work very early in the morning to help keep the fires going and “flipping pigs” all day long.   My family moved to Rockingham in the late seventies and I remember seeing the sign and wondering why the pigs arm no longer move up and down.   My brief research confirms that the sign was remodeled and the animated arms were not restored.  I also remember attending several company Christmas parties at Revel’s when my father worked for Pepsi Bottling Company.  As more restaurants opened in the area the Revel’s business appeared to diminish.  Sunday lunch traffic was not a frequent as it had been in the past and the building appeared to be aging fast.   The plans for a US#1 bypass on the property was the final sign that this location had served it’s purpose. Plans to move the restaurant to another location have since stalled.

I am glad that I shot this photo to help cherish the memories of delicious Revel’s bar-b-q and the cool sign with the waving pig.

For 3 days the weather forcast confirmed many times that our area would received some significant snow fall from a weather system that  would “swoop” down to Atlanta and move up the east coast during the weekend.  We watched the weather channels and online weather websites for updates throughout the day on Sunday.  The snow finally began falling Sunday night then sleet, then rain. I double checked the forecast at 12:30 am to see if there were any major changes.  Richmond County would recieve 2-4 inches over night.  Morning came and there was not any snow?  Some streets were dry? What happened.  There were many disappointed children making their way to school this morning.  I wasn’t mentally prepared to have a normal work day today.  Looks like I will have to change gears and playout this Monday as I usually do.