Saturday was the Second Annual Worldwide Photo Walk. Somehow I fell off the planet and only just found out about it on Thursday, two days before the event. I have NEVER been accused of paying close attention to…um…details. Anyway, the general Atlanta metro area was hosting no less than 7 different walks in 6 different locations. Of course, most of them were already filled to capacity. Did I mention this MAMMOTH event only came into my consciousness on Thursday? Late on Thursday? VERY late on Thursday?

I decided to attend the walk in Marietta.  I live in Midtown.  I figured it would be good to expand my horizons, visit a different town and break out of my comfort zone.  I set my clock for early.  Early for a Saturday morning.  I arose, showered, ate and departed.  I drove and drove.  Then I drove some more.  I arrived in Marietta, dutifully followed my googlemaps directions…and completely FAILED to ever find the group.  I must have circled that darned town square 15 times.  Stopped and asked for directions, guidance, donations and prayers.  NOBODY had a clue where Depot Street was.  It’s a small downtown.  I’m looking right and left for a group of 50 people with cameras.  You’d figure they’d stand out like, well, a large group of people with cameras.  No.  So, after 30 minutes of driving in circles around the Marietta square,  I cashed it in and headed home.

But.  I REALLY wanted to participate.  I mean, it was a WORLD event.  Turns out there was a massive group convening in Midtown.  Two groups rolled into one mob of 100 people.  That group was ‘technically’ full.  No vacancies.  But I figured, lookit, it’s a Saturday afternoon for cris’sakes at overcrowded Atlantic Station with a million loose cannons rolling around on deck.  HOW, I ask you, was anyone gonna know I was a gate crasher?  Exactly.  I mean, who do they think they’re dealing with here?  I’ve stiffed a New York cabbie!  Whoa.  Hold up.  That was a lie.  What do I look like, someone with a death wish?

And that’s how I came to be out and about on a beautiful, but slightly warmish July day in overrated Atlantic Station.  Beautiful, because the humidity was stunningly low for Atlanta at this time of year, where one usually expects to slice it with a knife.  Not so beautiful in the light category however, as the event kicked off at 4:00 pm.  The light doesn’t get really good this time of year until almost 7:00 pm.  The good news is, I met 3 really nice people.  Camille, Dan and Nat, consider this a ‘shout out’…whoop whoop.  Nat, if I’ve misspelled your name, you have only yourself to blame.  Little mister ‘I don’t have a card’….

My role in this misadventure was to play the ‘Hyacinth Bucket‘ part.  I was bossy, overbearing, talkative and just in general, my usual sparkly self.  I’m nothing, if not self-aware.  If either of my daughters is reading this, they will snarf liquid through their nose.  I didn’t photograph much, as I’ve already spent a fair amount of time in the vicinity, camera in hand.  Plus I was talking.  A lot.  However, I did get a few shots that make me feel happy to look at, so I’ll share those with you now.  Ladies and gentlemen, my impressions of Midtown on Saturday, July 18, 2009.  Drum roll please:

As mentioned previously, I live in Midtown, so I’m often out and about with my camera.  Below are some images I shot at Atlantic Station a few months back, when the light was most tasty.

© Deborah Wolfe for Studio on a Shoestring, 2009. All rights reserved.| Permalink | 2 comments

That is me up in the ‘cherry picker’ basket of a state of the art, quarter million dollar service truck! Oh. My. Gawd. I thought I had died and gotten a lift right up to heaven!!! I swear to Good Golly Miss Molly, I had SO MUCH FUN I would’a almost PAID the company that hired me to do it! Okay, just how many is TOO many exclamation points?

So, here I am, preparing for lift off with the driver/operator, a really nice guy by the name of Eddie. We’re right smack in the middle of downtown Atlanta on Peachtree Street. This is after Eddie so sweetly and precisely maneuvered that basket right down to the sidewalk, so I could practically walk right in.

Here we begin our ascent.

Going….

Going…..

Gone.

Here I am photographing the ground crew, who was photographing me : )

This is a view from the top looking north on Peachtree.

A slightly different, vaguely queasy making view.

Another shot from the ground crew, showing the scintillating action!

No matter how high I go in life, I still love the little people……down there on the sidewalk.

And here I am , all safe and sound, but completely JAZZED about the whole experience. Most of the people who know me realize I’m really just an overgrown 10 year boy in a 50 year old woman’s body. The 10 year old HAD A BLAST AND WANTS TO DO IT AGAIN!!!

Oh…..before I forget. So, what exactly was it I was photographing?

This:

Now don’t tell me life ain’t grand.

© Deborah Wolfe for Studio on a Shoestring, 2008. All rights reserved.| Permalink |