Monday, March 02, 2009
There WAS snow in Florence!
Contrary to popular belief there was some snow in Florence on Monday, March 2, 2009. I was tasked with trying to find some weather photos. Myself and the majority of the Pee Dee expected to see some snow but it didnt’ happen. I drove around early trying to find some type of cold weather picture, since I thought there was no snow unitl I spotted a car covered in snow on North Irby Street in Florence. I promise this is a real picture, and I had to do a double-take to make sure I wasn’t seeing things. Upon further investigation this car had a North Carolina license plate and I am assuming that it had just come from there, where there was actual snow. One of the things I love about my job is that I never know for sure what I’ll see. This was definitely the case. Enjoy!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Veterans Day at St. Anthony’s Catholic School
On Tuesday, Veterans Day, I attended the Veterans Day event at St. Anthony’s Catholic School in Florence. While I was there I was able to meet and talk to several veterans from various conflicts. It was nice to sit for a moment and talk with them and hear their stories of service. Everyone I met is proud of their service and in my opinion deserves to be honored for it. It is just as important to not forget those currently serving our country and support them as well. This picture I took is of Air Force veteran Charles Wanner, who served from 1976 to 1983 in the Grenada conflict. This picture is similar to the one that was used in the newspaper and it was a toss up as to which one to use. So here is the other one in black and white. Thank you veterans and active duty military for your service. Morning News/John D. Russell
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
My day at The Grove.
On Wednesday, October 29, 2008, I accompanied long time co-worker and friend Libby Wiersema to The Grove, a Bed and Breakfast in Marion, SC. She is going to write a story about it for Inner Views magazine in the November issue. The owners of The Grove, Denley and Ann Caughman, were very nice and told us a lot about the history of the house built in circa 1895. I don’t want to give away too much, you’ll have to read Libby’s article to get the full story, but it is a beautiful old Victorian era home. Throughout the tour and my taking pictures I couldn’t help but wonder through history what the house has seen and what people that have visited or lived there. Denley was showing me the barn where he likes to make furniture by hand. We were walking down the alley way of the barn on the way out when I had one of those, “wholly cow I really need to take a picture moments”. This was the picture I made. I feel like it’s a timeless photo that could have been taken a century ago. Something draws me into it. Thank you to the Caughmans for showing us there Bed and Breakfast and thanks “Lib” for another neat story, I can’t wait to read about it. MORNING NEWS/JOHN D. RUSSELL
Monday, October 13, 2008
Florentine and NASCAR’s first Chief Photographer T. Taylor Warren dies at 83
Myself and Morning News reporter Dwight Dana were fortunate enough to sit down with Mr. T. Taylor Warren this past July, in Florence. When I first moved to South Carolina, working in Sumter at the time in 2000, I attended my first NASCAR race at Darlington. One of the first friendly faces I saw was Mr. Warren’s. He always wore a smile that complemented his Goody’s Headache Powder yellow hat. From the beginning I always got a feeling that he had seen alot and in fact he had, as NASCAR’s first chief photographer. I treasured the time recently when I was able to sit down and talk with him. As a photographer I can’t begin to fathom the things he had seen over his more than 50 years at the race tracks. Thank you Mr. Warren for giving everyone a smile and most of all your contributions to auto racing. John D. Russell/Morning News
Friday, August 29, 2008
Long time GOP delegate Charlie Appleby
Earlier this week I had the pleasure of meeting and talking to long time Republican party delegate Charlie Applebby of Florence. It was interesting to hear his stories about meeting different high profile polititcians like Ronald Reagan and George Bush among others. Charlie has decide not to attend the convention this year, after attending them since 1984, due to health concerns. He assured me that he would be glued to the TV watching it all from home. It was nice to meet you Charlie and hear your stories from past conventions. Thank You! Morning News/John D. Russell
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Florence School District One Back to School Convocation
Almost every year that I have lived in Florence I have covered the annual Back to School Convocation for Florence School District One employees. Each year it proves to be a highly motivational event to give teachers that little extra enthusiasm to start the school year. There have been many great motivational speakers over the years and this year was no exception. One part of the event that I always look forward to is the music. The faculty and staff chorus got the crowd fired up with the song ‘We Are Family’, check out Wednesday’s paper for those pictures. Also performing was a young man, Roman Lin, who captivated the entire audience with his piano playing. His execution seemed effortless as his fingers moved at seemingly lightning speed. Whether you like classical music or not Lin’s performance made you stop and pay attention.
This picture gives you an idea of the number of School District One employees present. By listening to Roman, a freshman at Wilson High School, play the piano so expertly is a true testament to his performance ability. When I talked to Roman and asked him how long he has been playing he said he has played since he was 6 years-old. Way to go Roman and keep up the good work!
Monday, July 21, 2008
South Carolina Dance Theatre Ballet Fairy Tale Camp
On Monday, I went and covered a ballet summer camp. It was cute to see all of the participants in their tutus. When they stopped to do crafts I couldn’t help but notice all of the ballet slippers standing in row. One thing in particular that caught my eye was 5 year-old, Lauren Olsen’s feet. She stood up on her toes while coloring like it was no big deal. The camp was neat and I appreciate the SC Dance Theatre allowing me to come and spend some time with them.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Joe Waters memorial on Cherokee Road.Last Friday, June 20, 2008, a friend of mine at the Fitness Forum brought to my attention that Joe Waters had passed away. In hearing that I didn’t immediately know who she was talking about. I knew of him from the Fitness Forum, where I am also a member, and Mr. Waters was for a long time. He made an impression on me at the Forum years ago. He always had a smile on his face and always had something nice to say. Many in the community might remember him as the guy who was commonly seen hitting golf balls on West Cherokee Road at the corner of South Franklin St. His obituary said, “Mr. Waters had many friends and never met a stranger.“ I sincerely believe that to be true. The full obituary can be found on http://www.scnow.com.
Flowers and a few golf balls sit in an open lot at the corner of West Cherokee Rd. and South Franklin Street on Friday, June 20, 2008. The flowers were put there as a memorial for Joe Waters, who died on Monday, June 16, 2008. Waters was known by many in the community but those that didn’t directly know him new of him if they ever drove down Cherokee Road. The empty lot was one of Waters’ favorite spots to hit golf balls and was seen there quite frequently by passersby.
A golf ball is inscribed as “Old Joe #1” in an open lot at the corner of West Cherokee Rd. and South Franklin St. on Friday, June 20, 2008, in rememberance of Florentine Joe Waters who died on June 16, 2008. Waters was known to frequent the lot to hit golf balls.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Florence Mayor Re-countThursday was the day that the Florence County Elections Commission met to go over the provisional ballots from the primary the previous Tuesday. This was of much interest because both mayoral candidates, Stephen Wukela and incumbent Frank Willis, were seperated by one vote in the election. I was assigned to cover the event and the whole thing was an experience. I learned alot about voting and how certifying an election works. Here are two pictures I thought were interesting. Enjoy!
The 5 ballots, out of the 17 up for consideration, were deemed fit to be counted by the commission. The attorneys for both mayoral candidates watched intently as elections officials tallied the votes in secrecy behind glass. All the media that was there gathered around on the opposite of the glass hoping to catch a glimpse of the happenings. I thought it was ironic that the banner on the back wall read, “Every vote matters and every vote counts.“
When the day of the recount was over and it was announced that each candidate received one more vote Stephen Wukela was still ahead. Immediately after the announcement both candidates were wrangled for interviews. I thought it was kind of humorous that at exactly the same time both candidates were being interviewed by two different and competing television stations.
Friday, June 06, 2008
It’s Hot
Thursday, along with everyone else on the photo staff, I had the task of getting pictures to represent the current heat wave. Every year I know at some point the photo staff will need to cover it. Everyone knows that it’s hot that’s for sure. A mentor of mine once said, “our job as photojouranlists is to make people experience the world around them in a different way.“ In other words anyone who lives in any community sees the same things, or just about, every day. Our job as photojournalists is to show those every day things in a different way through our pictures. With that in mind I set out for the day, about 3 hours to be exact, taking that challenge head on. For several years now I have been stalking this picture of the railroad tracks. I find it interesting that of all the places in the Pee Dee the tracks seem to have the best heat waves. I have known that there was a picture there to be made but hadn’t quite pulled it off to my liking. So after some experimenting with time of day, camera exposure and temperatures through the years it just seemed to have come together. I like how the heat waves make the background look almost like a painting. Is this a perfect heat wave picture? I’m not convinced of that but I feel that I got a little bit closer. Have a good summer, by the way it hasn’t officially started yet, and stay COOL! John D. Russell/Morning News
Monday, May 19, 2008
Hines Funeral Home gets a new carOn Monday I had an assignment with reporter Dwight Dana to go to Hartsville and interview Franklin Hines, owner of Hines Funeral Home, about his new hearse. One of the things I thought was really neat was the 1930’s era Rolls Royce hood ornament. The car as a whole was a sight to see!
The hood ornament on Franklin Hines’ new hearse is from an early 1930s Rolls Royce, just one of many details on the hearse. John D. Russell/Morning News
Franklin Hines, owner of Hines Funeral Home, stands near his newest funeral vehicle, Monday, May 19, 2008, in Hartsville. Hines had the vehicle handmade by his specifications taking more than 2 years. John D. Russell/Morning News
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Olanta Photographer Milton MorrisOn Tuesday I went with reporter Dwight Dana to talk to photographer Milton Morris in Olanta. Morris grew up in Olanta on a farm and eventually headed off to New York City to learn his craft. As a photographer myself I was amazed by his large format camera. The camera is absolutely massive and I found it un-heard of that he occasionally takes it with him on some shoots. Here are two pictures from the interview. Check out the Morning News next week for the full story and other pictures.
Milton Morris talks about his 11x14 camera that he will occasionally use to take pictures with. The camera is at least 50 years old. Morning News/John D. Russell
Milton Morris sometimes uses an 11x14 Deardorff view camera that he had restored that is close to 50 years old. Morning News/John D. Russell
Monday, March 10, 2008
Goodyear tire testing at Darlington Raceway.Monday was the first time that race cars were allowed on the track after Darlington Raceway finished re-paving the track Too Tough To Tame. Three NASCAR Sprint Series drivers were in attendance, Jeff Gordon, Greg Biffle and Ryan Newman. Media coverage of the actual testing on the track was very limited, probably 5 minutes total of on track racing. Plenty of media was there from all over. Here are two shots I hope you’ll enjoy.
This picture is the exact opposite of the one that ran in the paper. This one has the car in focus and the track blurred, as opposed to the other way around.
I am continually amazed at the media circus that an event like tire testing at Darlington can draw. In this picture there are two groups of media, one huddled around driver Ryan Newman, left, and the other gathered around Greg Biffle. Can you count how many video/still cameras there are?? Count carefully….....I got 10.
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Darlington Raceway finishes re-paving of the Track Too Tough To TameOn Tuesday, I was able to attend the very last section of asphalt being laid which completed the paving at the historic Darlington Raceway. I couldn’t help but realize that I was watching history unfold before my eyes. Here are some more pictures that you did not see in the paper.
Darlington Raceway President Chris Browning, center right, talks with construction worker Danny James as the last piece of asphalt is laid on Tuesday, March 4, 2008.
The asphalt paving equipment creeps down the backstretch on it’s way to complete the paving process.
The asphalt crew carefully blends the seam joining the asphalt surface.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Math competition outtakesOn Friday, February 22, 2008, I was assigned to cover the 12th Annual Math Competition sponsored by Florence-Darlington Technical College. To my surprise a few things I saw I couldn’t help but get a picture of. Here are two of them.
I thought this little frizzy haired character looked rather at home on the table next to the computer at the 12th annual Mathematics Competition this past Friday. I would imagine quite a few students competing in the competition felt the same as this.
The students at the math competition didn’t seem to be the only ones baffled by an equation or two. Even the faculty of Florence-Darlington Technical College seems to be stumped.
