CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNER – CHRIS FOWLER!
I’m happy to announce the giveaway of a signed copy of Rob Amberg’s Sodom Laurel Album and a print from the original set of duotones selected for the book. The silver gelatin print, found on page 128 of the book, is Amberg’s “Singing at the Grave Decoration, Rice Cove, Madison County, NC, 1977” and measures 5 x 7.5 (on 8 x 10 paper) and is signed, noted, and dated on the reverse.
For me, one of the most important things about the series Looking at Appalachia, is to collect work, stories, and conversations about Appalachian photographs as a way to foster discussion about how we look at Appalachia and what that means. Through conversations with photographers, by sharing their work and thoughts about Appalachia, and by examining issues of stereotype, place, and culture we can better understand this incredibly beautiful and complex place.
Rob Amberg’s first book, which showcases his beautiful portraits and narrative of the Madison County, North Carolina hamlet, Sodom Laurel, is a hallmark of Appalachian photography.
To enter the drawing, visit Rob Amberg’s website and go to the galleries section. Browse the galleries, find your favorite image, and copy the caption. Paste the caption, along with a description of why it’s your favorite Rob Amberg photograph, in the comments section of this page. That’s it! One person will be randomly selected from the submissions to receive the signed copy of Sodom Laurel Album and the print. The deadline for the giveaway is Friday, 7 December 2012, at 11:59 p.m. EST. The winner will be announced Saturday morning, 8 December 2012.
Nearly 1,000 new visitors have visited the blog since I posted the first part of Looking at Appalachia | Rob Amberg on 16 November 2012. Thanks to everyone who has visited, shared links through email and social media, and left comments on the blog. Please consider sharing this via social media and with your online photo communities.
Thanks!
Roger
Wow, tough choice. I went with, “Volunteer’s Work Gloves, Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, Louisiana” from the Assignments gallery. I like it because it reminds me of the paper mill where my dad worked for 43 years that shut down a couple years ago. All along the fence were the hardhats of the guys who worked there. I took a couple pictures, but they are nowhere near as good as this. I like all the color.
Easter Party, Wool Branch
This is my favorite photo by Rob. It reminds me of that wonderful time during childhood when our imagination is still alive and well. Anything seems possible and it’s so easy to get lost in other worlds…pirates, castles, Robin Hood..
I think part of growing up necessitates a loss of a major part of our imagination. Then it is forgotten. This photograph reminds me of that time. The friendships we have in our youth are unlike any other in our lives.
For reminding us of that precious time..I love this photograph.
Mark S. Orr
Rhonda Chandler Singing with Her Uncle, Joe Chandler (left) and Her Father, Arthur Chandler, Sodom, NC
I love the intimacy and the casualness; the history of music, the family affair, the man with his hands in his pockets, the fiddler slumped on the couch, the too-tight clothes on the girl trying to be a woman, and the far-off look on her face (daydreaming about the grand ole opry?) speak about certain complexities of the south: the ease and strain, the dreams and too-real realities.
Morris Norton Playing the Tune Bow, Sodom, NC
Wonderfully-framed portrait. I can feel the deep reverberations from that tune bow. Real picture.
JD Thomas Walking Away from his Burning Home Place, Sprinkle Creek, NC–from The New Road
I love the way the image is balanced, the “rhyming” apocalypses–one in the background, one in the expression and posture of JD. Beautiful inky shadows and that smoke, like something from the realm of dreams.
Berzilla Wallin (left) and Her Aunt, Zipporah Rice, Rice Cove, NC
This is a wonderful portrayal of the story of life. Two women, separated by age, united by kinship, and, in this image, united also by the simple act of the inclination of a head. Their experience is written deep in the lines of their faces. Beautiful.
Bunky Feeding His Chickens, Brunswick County, NC.
I like the sense of movement in the composition, but above all it’s how this photograph captures the relationship between the smallholder and his flock. The subtle and unusual dependancies it points out, or implies.
Tobacco Buyer, Asheville, North Carolina
– for the New York Times
This image is just one of my favorites, but I was drawn to it because I grew up on a tobacco farm. My family doesn’t grow anymore, but I still love the smell of cured tobacco. Other than the emotional ties that I have to the subject matter, the use of motion blur lets the viewer know that these men are on a mission.
Shaving Cheyenne, Anderson Branch
I find this image confusing and frightening; that’s a good thing. It seems to be some sort of dystopian tribe that forces any living thing, in this case Cheyenne, to fit the image/look of the tribe. Resistance is not an option. How “Romantic”!
I like the details: the clothing, the haircuts, the tattoo, the collection of the fur (for what purpose?) and what’s up with the milk?
Bizarre and amazing.
Cathy and Althea Bennett, Cargile Branch
Everything in this picture reminds me of my upbringing in Madison County and my traveling about the county in the 1980’s as a home health nurse.
The clothes hung on the line of the front porch. Strings of drying food strategically placed to catch the best light. A child on a rocking horse..a long proven toy that provided me much pleasure as a child and of course what seems to be a proud mother watching over the whole operation.
I generally like all of Rob’s photographs, but this one speaks to me.
Hazardous Waste Workers, Mitchell County, North Carolina
– for the North Carolina Independent
I like this image because it could be from 50 years ago…I wonder if they even understand what they are doing. I’m sure they do but the image reminds me of the days when college students were sent out with DDT to canvas the country while spraying for insects- with virtually no personal protections.
It’s tempting to choose Denise Norton in the barn; having just listened to her sing on Friday, seeing her as a child singing is powerful. But I keep coming back to this one:
Dance Class for Low Income Youth, Asheville, North Carolina
– for the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina
The composition is arresting, as are the girls’ eyes and faces. The image is at once classical and modern, the girls seem at once vulnerable and powerful. I would hang a print of this image in my children’s room.
Hi Roger – thanks so much for sharing Rob Amberg’s work. It has been some time sense I turned through the pages of Sodom Laurel Album (not my own) and would be thrilled to have a copy! So on to Rob’s Galleries. I was most captivated by Rob’s series Shatterzone. The full introduction to Shatterzone hits closest to the parts of Appalachia I am familiar with here in North Carolina and at the same time completely unfamiliar.
The image captioned “Receiving Line at Paul and Sylvia’s Wedding, Anderson Branch” is the one I choose to highlight in this series. In looking at this image I had an overwhelming sense of the old and new coming together in this joyful moment amidst the complexities this age brings to mountain communities in Appalachia.
Dance Class for Low Income Youth, Asheville, North Carolina
– for the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina
I think the silver that radiates from this picture is what struck me initially, I found it completely arresting. So on a formal level, the texture of the dancers’ outfits and their skin, both enhanced by this delicate light are invitations to look more closely at the photograph. The girls seem wise beyond their years and totally aware of what they’re projecting to the photographer, which is both a kind of struggle, both also a sense of solidarity and unity. There are no distinctions between race or age or size or any of the other preoccupations that might otherwise figure into a pursuit such as dance. It’s a very open and honest picture.
Farmer Walking Over Fallow Ground, Boone County, KY
Reminds me of Andrew Wyeth… an individual, isolated amongst nature.
Receiving Line at Paul and Sylvia’s Wedding, Anderson Branch
I think this image is very captivating. It doesn’t force any kind of story. It allows the viewer to come up with their own idea of what the image could be about. It’s timeless. The movement from the slow shutter may suggest this timelessness, along with the greyscale. The odd poses of the men and the blurred face helps add to the idea of coming up with our own idea of what this image is about. I feel photographs are far more interesting when the idea of the image is up for interpretation and thought.
So many fantastic images to choose from, but I’m going with 4th of July Party, Anderson Branch. You have to love the caption. In conjunction with the image, it really conveys that feeling of the fringes of a party — the chronological or spatial edges where the celebration fades. Just a beautifully composed portrait.
“Barn, Marshall” is my favorite photo, from my favorite gallery, “Shatter Zone”. It was a tough decision, because I love so many of Rob’s images. But,I am just crazy about old barns with sayings or advertisements on them.
Rob Amberg has so many photos I love, It was hard to choose, and I considered many of the ones above, as well as others. I finally settled, at least for now on
This picture is mysterious and sad, calling on the viewer to ponder the narrative. What came before, what will happen now?
Bunky Feeding His Chickens, Brunswick County, NC
it’s an affecting image, but the composition is so subtle that its power kind of sneaks up on you. It stays with you though.