Greensboro Photographer John Rash North Carolina Triad Piedmont Wedding Portrait Travel NC

老朋友，中国西安 Old Friend Revisited

2011-06-06T13:03:00.002-04:00

One of the most rewarding things about my travels to China is the wonderful people I've met. In 2008, I visited 西安 to see the 兵马俑. At the end of the day I was strolling about the neighborhood that sits behind the back gate and heard a man asking me in broken English "do you take photos?" The big camera hanging around my neck being all too obvious I confirmed, at which he proudly proclaimed "my dad smokes tobacco! Come with me... my dad smokes tobacco". A little nervous I followed the man through the narrow passages of the neighborhood to his home, where his 90 year old father sat outside smoking a pipe of tobacco. Not being able to communicate well, I captured a few photos and thanked the men for the opportunity. A year later this photo (top image here) had become a signature image in my portfolio.

In 2010, I returned to Xi'An specifically to reunite with this man, and to deliver prints of this image for the family. With no name or address I only knew to go back to the Terracotta Warrior site and to repeat my stroll from two years earlier. Confused and lost I began showing my photo to locals asking if anyone knew the old man. Luckily, I was only a few doors away and a neighbor helped me to reunite with the old man whose face I knew so well. The man was sick, still in bed in the afternoon, but woke up to greet me after being informed of the visit by his daughter. Despite his health he did a dance for me, called me 老朋友and smiled from ear to ear when looking at the photo I had captured at my last visit. My mission almost complete, only one thing left to finish... get a photo together with my old friend.

The bottom image was taken during my second visit in 2010.

L&L Twins. April 2011.

2011-04-28T11:44:00.004-04:00

Sinostory Photo Adventure

2011-03-04T00:40:00.002-05:00

Vote For My Top 100 Photo

2011-02-28T00:22:00.002-05:00

The below image has been selected as one of the top 100 images out of 5683 submissions at Chinatravel.net. Please take a moment between now and March 13th to visit their site to CAST YOUR VOTE. Thank you in advance for your support.

Thread n Needles

2011-02-28T00:08:00.003-05:00

Cupcakes, Cupcakes, Cupcakes

2011-01-23T01:03:00.000-05:00

Cherry Red

2011-01-11T23:25:00.000-05:00

Antiques and Cell Phones

2010-12-04T16:25:00.004-05:00

Antique ©2010 John Rash

Cases ©2010 John Rash
Experimenting with iPhone photography apps, I've found that some really nice effects can be achieved when processing photos through multiple applications. Apps such as Hipstamatic allow the photographer to treat the cell phone like a film based Lomography camera, with various digial "lenses" "films" and "flashes" which you must choose before taking your shot. It's a nice metaphor to film based photography in the sense that you have to make a commitment to your choice before releasing the shutter.

The social photography app Instagram combines retro film effects with a social stream of photos, comments, and the ever popular "like" button. Instragram allows users to process their shots after capture, or to choose previously taken photos from their library, which might be more appeal to those non-committal in choosing the effect of your film and filter choice.

Above you can see two photos I process using a combination of both apps together. Capturing originally through Hipstamatic and then processing through Instagram. Giving an effect unique and not available within any individual app alone.

Gate City Roller Girls Halloween Roller Derby

2010-10-25T15:44:00.008-04:00

Gate City Roller Girls made their debut with a Halloween match in High Point, NC on 10/25/10, showing that months of hard work and practice really do pay off in the form of athleticism and true entertainment. South Skate roller rink was packed full of fans cheering on the two zombie clad teams "Fangs" and "Brains", as they battled for to be the most rowdy Halloween scene queens. The Triad is already rallying behind these tough ladies in eager anticipation of their next match.

2010 Labor Day Wedding

2010-09-06T16:35:00.006-04:00

I photographed a fantastic couple this weekend at their wedding in Durham. They were really great to work with, and had a ceremony that was a good mix of traditional and creative. This is one of many creative portraits we took in a short amount of time just before the wedding. It's good to be back in North Carolina working on photos again. More to come in the future.

*Awarded "Photo of the Week" by WUNC 91.5FM show The State of Things.

Old Age 1. Nanjing China, Tianmu Road. 中国南京天目路

2010-08-18T16:19:00.004-04:00

North Carolina Garden Spider

2010-08-15T01:31:00.001-04:00

Nanjing Normal University Student, Nanjing ,China

2010-08-09T02:43:00.001-04:00

Yangshuo County, China

2010-08-09T02:40:00.000-04:00

Seoul City

2010-04-30T12:47:00.000-04:00

SEOUL CRAFTS: LANTERNS

2010-02-03T11:15:00.001-05:00

K-SAD 100%

2010-02-02T09:35:00.001-05:00

Deli English Camp: Seoul, Korea Winter 2010

2010-01-19T06:49:00.002-05:00

Seoul Tower (N Tower)

2010-01-10T20:17:00.002-05:00

Seoul, Korea First Snow 2010

2010-01-04T10:03:00.002-05:00

Found Design: Hangul Signs, Seoul, S. Korea

2010-01-02T02:48:00.003-05:00

Cropped sign abstracts taken from near Gangnam Station, Seoul, South Korea.

Student Photo Exhibition

2009-12-07T22:05:00.001-05:00

Masae Pin Up

2009-11-27T23:21:00.003-05:00

UNC-Greensboro Moon Festival

2009-10-11T12:42:00.003-04:00

Killers of the 3 Kingdoms: 三国杀

2009-08-29T11:53:00.004-04:00

We spent an entire evening learning to play this Chinese card game (similar to "Magic: The Gathering) based on the John Woo film "Red Cliff". 三国杀 is a game with many technical rules, which was difficult to understand but eventually resulted in an evening of fun once surmounting the learning curve. This was an event hosted by the NC Triangle Chinese Language and Culture Meetup Group.

Beech Mountain, NC

2009-08-25T09:00:00.002-04:00

Baby and Palms

2009-07-31T00:25:00.000-04:00

World Wide Photo Walk Greatest Hits

2009-07-21T22:59:00.001-04:00

Good God!

2009-07-19T09:03:00.002-04:00

Objects found and arranged inside Elsewhere living museum during 2009 World Wide Photo Walk, downtown Greensboro, NC.

Christ on the Beach

2009-07-05T09:41:00.001-04:00

Grandparents: Western North Carolina

2009-06-25T02:46:00.001-04:00

Summer Solstice Face Painting (Greensboro,NC) 2009

2009-06-22T01:11:00.002-04:00

Butterfly Dancer

2009-06-21T07:09:00.001-04:00

John F Rash Leads Photo Walk at Duke Gardens

2009-06-08T00:20:00.005-04:00

Saturday, June 7, 2009. 21 amateur photographers met with John F Rash for a hands-on instructional photo walk through Sarah P. Duke Gardens in Durham, NC. Photo walks have become a popular way for photographers of all levels to meet like-minded people and share their knowledge of photography. All participants in Saturday's photo walk are also members of the Triangle Area Chinese Language and Culture Meet-Up Group.

Rash has also just returned from leading a group 11 photography students from Randolph Community College and UNCG to China in May. Members of the Triangle Meet-Up Group invited Rash to give a basic photography lesson and to share his experience from the recent trip to China. (Photos: Evan Brennan, Cynthia Qiu)

Duke Gardens: Frog Life

2009-06-07T15:13:00.000-04:00

Great Wall, Beijing 长城

2009-06-05T06:26:00.001-04:00

Lily Ma: 马莉出品人/导演/演员

2009-06-02T13:03:00.004-04:00

©2009 John F Rash
Lily Ma, Beijing based film producer, director, and actress. Photo taken at 798 Arts District, Beijing, China May 2009. Visit Lily's website at lilyma.com

Shanghai, Pudong Skyline

2009-05-31T17:15:00.000-04:00

Wu Zhen Morning

2009-05-26T20:21:00.000-04:00

Garden Flower

2009-04-19T11:38:00.000-04:00

Spring has landed in North Carolina. Finally the dreary days of winter have passed and the blooms have exploded with color.

Garden House, Winston Salem, NC.

2009-04-15T07:38:00.002-04:00

Beijing Newspaper Stand 报摊

2009-04-11T15:38:00.001-04:00

Reynolda Village Lake, Winston Salem, NC.

2009-04-05T23:48:00.000-04:00

2009 National Cherry Blossom Festival

2009-04-05T10:47:00.001-04:00

DC Row Houses

2009-04-05T09:56:00.002-04:00

North Carolina Chimpin'

2009-04-02T00:15:00.002-04:00

At the Library: Nanjing Normal University (南京师范大学图书馆）

2009-03-18T08:00:00.001-04:00

(Top: Student keeps communication while studying at the Nanjing Normal University Library.)

©2009 John F Rash

Beijing Hutong Door Knocker

2009-03-17T00:51:00.001-04:00

Suzhou Lao Jie 中国苏州老街

2009-03-15T14:00:00.002-04:00

Children and Parent: China 2009 中国家人

2009-03-13T00:15:00.004-04:00

火车站社会 Life at the Train Station (Shanghai, China)

2009-03-11T10:10:00.007-04:00

©2009 John F Rash

Chinese migrants arrive in the large cities of Beijing and Shanghai daily to find their life and their dream. Many fail to realize the dream. Choosing to reside at the train station, migrants refuse to return to their home towns or relinquish the dream of finding a life in the city.

Photographer Establishes Relationship with Nanjing Normal Univeristiy 南京师范大学

2009-03-09T01:15:00.016-04:00

3/5/09 Evening lecture to Nanjing Normal student population. (photo:张泽烨)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
John F Rash gives lecture at Photojournalism School, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing China.

March 4-6, 2009, John F Rash visited the school of photography and photojournalism at Nanjing Normal University. Rash met with the students and faculty through various organized exchanges. On the afternoon of March 5, Rash met with the entire Photography and Journalism faculty including head of the program and well-known Chinese photographer Dr. Pei Lin Li.

Thursday March 5, Rash presented an evening lecture, which was open to the entire student population of Nanjing Normal. Rash discussed areas of change in professional photography and journalism from the perspective of working American photographers, and also gave a presentation of his own work. Students were allowed to ask questions, working through a student interpreter who was chosen by the school due to her high level of English fluency. Rash spoke again with Junior and Senior photojournalism students the morning of March 6, presenting Adobe's Lightroom software in it's new Chinese language version.

During this visit to Nanjing, Rash met with the students and faculty to discuss future exchange opportunities between his students at Randolph Community College and those studying photography in Nanjing. Rash will travel back to Nanjing this May, on a photo exploration trip, accompanied by nine of his current and former students who will work together with students from Nanjing Normal to capture their photographic impressions of China.

3/6/09 Lightroom demonstration to Junior and Senior Photojournalism class. (photo:张泽烨)

3/5/09 Dr. Li Peilin and John Rash meet to discuss photo education in USA and China. (photo: 张泽烨)

VDAY 2009: Self Portrait Project

2009-02-14T04:47:00.005-05:00

NIght of the Duckies

2009-02-09T02:46:00.000-05:00

WUNC State of Things Picture of the Week 1/30/09

2009-01-31T13:01:00.003-05:00

©2009 John F Rash
Picture of the Week as selected by WUNC public radio show the State of Things. This image was captured at the East Carolina University 6th Photographic Image Biennial exhibition opening reception in Greenville, NC. Two works by John F Rash also appear in this exhibition as stated in a previous posting on this blog.

Brooklyn Bridge: Night Bridge NYC

2009-01-30T18:26:00.002-05:00

Hwy 64: Lost

2009-01-25T13:53:00.004-05:00

©2009 John F Rash
Being lost isn't always cause for aggressive driving tactics and white knuckle moments while trying to wrestle your automobile back on track. Accidentally navigating Hwy 64 this past Thursday, my driving blunder payed off with heavenly landscapes and painted orange skies. This landlocked Eastern NC sunset is the envy of any ocean dweller, or coastal tourist, to be certain. I managed to get a few frames from the side of the highway, using my door frame to stabilize the camera. Bragging mountains in the West, the sea on the East, and landscapes such as this in between, it's no secret that North Carolina is truly an amazing place to live. Sometimes it just takes an accidental wrong turn to realize the beauty that's lying undiscovered in your own back yard.

ECU Photo Biennial Opening Reception

2009-01-24T03:15:00.006-05:00

©2009 John F Rash

Students and community visitors attended an opening reception at the Wellington B. Gray gallery at East Carolina University for the 6th Biennial Photographic Image Exhibition.

Valentine '09: Love Chocolate

2009-01-20T00:20:00.007-05:00

©2009 John F Rash
Snowed in at home, due to a mild snow fall which rendered the roads powdery enough to cancel school for the day, I had some extra time to create a Valentine image. Not having anything remotely romantic on hand, I decided to hit the stores for some props. Once the snow had melted away I ventured out to Target, which resulted in a purchase of some new bowls and a $1 box of chocolates. For the time and money involved, a fairly nice image evolved by the end of the afternoon.

HDR Self Portrait: Burlington, NC

2009-01-17T07:33:00.000-05:00

Rash Photographs Selected for East Carolina University Photo Biennial

2009-01-11T13:48:00.003-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
John Rash, digital photography instructor at Randolph Community College, has had two photographs selected for exhibit at East Carolina University's 6th Photographic Image Biennial Exhibition, which runs Jan. 20 - Feb 18 in the Wellington B. Gray Gallery on the ECU campus.

One piece, titled "Night Bastard," was selected as one of five top works to receive a monetary award and publication in the exhibition catalog. Rash said the image "was captured in the park beside the Grand Street metro station in New York. Local youth gather here to play handball and socialize on a daily basis. I observed the lighting conditions created by overhanging trees combined with available light reflecting from the park wall. The effect was a natural silhouetted image of the kids interacting under the tree canopy."

The other work that will be on display is titled "Connection Xi'An," which Rash took while walking along the city wall in Xi'An, China in May 2008. "I peered at eye level into a kaleidoscope of repeating cell-like apartment buildings, high above the ground level," said Rash. "This particular image captures a man speaking on his cell phone, caged behind the bars of his apartment window. He is placed into context of the Xi'An cityscape by means of a backdrop of rooftops, windows, TV antennas, and satellite dishes. Here, a lone man reaches for communication among a nation of billions who have been reeling from the quickest and most dynamic societal shift of our past century."

Rash has spent the past 10 years exploring the world through visual images captured by both traditional and digital photographic processes. A North Carolina native, he was born and raised in the mountain highlands of Avery County. After graduating with a BFA in Art Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2000, Rash worked for several years as a public high school AP art instructor. In 2004, Rash accepted a full-time faculty position as instructor of digital photography at RCC. Since 2006, he has embarked on several trips to China for both language and photographic opportunities. Rash has been invited to visit Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China, in March 2009 to present a lecture on digital photographic workflow.

If you would like to view Rash's work, the Wellington B. Gray Gallery is located off of Fifth and Jarvis Streets, Greenville, N.C., in the Jenkins Fine Arts Center. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. and Saturday, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. An opening reception and lecture by the jurors will take place at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 22.

http://www.randolph.edu/newevents/2009/2009-01-09.php

Chinatown Cafe

2008-12-30T23:04:00.003-05:00

Snow Chevy

2008-11-25T11:05:00.004-05:00

©2008 John F Rash
Last weekend was the first big snow of 2008 in North Carolina. As per usual, Greensboro just saw a mere dusting, yet my childhood hometown in Avery County accumulated quite a few inches. Looking for a chance to put my new Canon 50D to work, I tossed by gear in the car and headed for the mountains and snow. I imagined I would capture white wintery landscapes, trees dripping with melting icicles, and frozen moments in nature. However, I quickly found myself drawn to the folksy shops and tourist traps along the way. These pit stops, their over abundance of hand-painted signage and rusty Coca-Cola adverts, could easily be considered an eyesore. However, those elements become somewhat signature to the area, just as any modern beach town would not be complete with out Dicks Crabhouse or Wings surf shop. On my return home, I saw a blue Chevy truck with a flat tire parked under an orange streetlamp. The colors of the streetlight contrast nicely with the cyan truck body, but also cast some interesting anglular shadows. But what makes me love this image is that it warps me between my current life, and days of the past. This image of the snowy truck decorated with handpainted signage evokes nostalgia for my childhood in the mountains of North Carolina. Yet, seeing a Chevy truck parked in the snow with a flat tire, broken down but maybe not down for the count, also calls to mind the current situation with the GM corporation. Someone will have to fix this truck to make it work again, and maybe that same person needs this truck to navigate the snowy landscape. Are we lost in the frozen landscape, or are we merely broken down and just need to do a bit of work to help ourselves?

WINNER 2008 CHINA EXPERIENCE CONTEST: 1ST PLACE

2008-11-13T16:13:00.007-05:00

PRESS RELEASE
NOV. 13, 2008.
John F Rash was announced today as the 1st Place winner in the China Experience Photo Contest held by the North Carolina State University Confucius Institute. The photo "Hao Hai Zi" was taken in May, 2008 when Rash was visiting a school for migrant children in the city of Beijing, China.

The children seen in the photo are not provided free public education as migrants to the city. Hao Hai Zi Kindergarten is a small school which offers an affordable education to the children of migrant workers. Hao Hai Zi offers classes in History, Math, English, and Music, as well as hot daily meals for less than the equlivalent of US$4 eash month. John spent a day at Hao Hai Zi photographing the children, observing their routine, and talking with the owner and principal who built the school in 2006.

John F Rash hopes to return to Beijing in 2009 to spend more time documenting migrant children and women who are facing the challenge of intregrating into the quickly developing cities of China.

John F Rash also received merit awards in the photo competition for two other photos taken during his visits to China in 2008 and 2006. All three images will be on display at the NC State D.H.Hill Library in November to help celebrate International Education Week.
------

Obama 08

2008-10-30T22:23:00.003-04:00

©2008 John F Rash

Barack Obama spoke to an estimated crowd of 28,000 in Raleigh, NC on October 29, 2008. With just a week before the general election, North Carolina is being seen as a battleground state for the first time in more than two decades.

Asia Snacks 1.0: Yan Yan

2008-10-16T00:25:00.002-04:00

Sepia Rose

2008-09-21T12:44:00.003-04:00

©2008 John F Rash
Testing speedlights on a Saturday night was never so much fun. A few pieces of black foam core, a few exposure checks - - - and a simple image with interesting light emerges. I haven't set up still life or object shots in quite some time, so this was a bit of fun practice after drinking too much coffee too late on a Saturday night. Insomnia can render creative results if you apply yourself!

Chinese Environmentals

2008-08-28T08:12:00.001-04:00

Home Grown Blueberries

2008-08-18T16:34:00.006-04:00

I visited Banner Elk, North Carolina this weekend and spent a morning enjoying the lovely mountain weather while picking blueberries. Rolling around inside my two gallon picking bucket, the range of blue and purple colors looked too delicious not to tempt continuous taste testing. The darker the berry, the sweeter the juice.

Chinese School Children 中国学生

2008-05-28T20:54:00.008-04:00

（c)2008 John F Rash

（c)2008 John F Rash

Migrant children pay less than $3 per month to attend this school in China. Public education is not free in China, meaning that opportunities for study are few and far between for the children of migrants who have relocated to large cities such as Shanghai and Beijing. Although these cities offer their parents job opportunities, living conditions and wages are still very poor.

*RASHPHOTO will soon have limited posters for sale, which will benefit this school in Beijing, China. Please come back for your chance to own a limited print and contribute to the education of the children you see here.*

Chinese Make Up Portraits: Cheung Chau Island, Hong Kong

2008-05-12T20:00:00.004-04:00

Each year in Hong Kong's Cheung Chau Island, a traditional festival draws over 50,000 attendees. Known as "the Bun Festival", this event concludes at midnight with local men and women scrambling to climb to the top of a 50 foot tall tower constructed of edible Chinese buns. Other festival activities include a parade full of street performers, musicians, dancers, and costumes.

Client: Wing Lam Design

2008-04-14T00:06:00.002-04:00

Flat design pieces for graphic design portfolio. Designer: Wing Lam Design. Photos: RASHPHOTO

(c)2008 John F Rash / RASHPHOTO

Abstrat Interiors 001

2008-04-08T23:20:00.002-04:00

Gay Bingo Sunday: Richmond, VA

2008-03-07T22:16:00.001-05:00

Twins in Metal: GIANT

2008-01-23T11:22:00.000-05:00

Zach and Isaac are brothers who have spent the past few years creating heavy, atmospheric, down-tempo metal in their band GIANT. I recently had a chance to see GIANT perform at the Green Bean, a tiny crowded coffee house in Greensboro, North Carolina, which was a very unlikely venue for a show of such mammoth sound. The crowd, however, seemed to appreciate the intimacy of the space and the night went without incident. Obviously, there is a full band behind this outfit, but I wanted to feature a shot of each brother here, each wielding their own instrument of audible destruction. Zach is behind the drums and Isaac is on guitar, just in case you were confused.

(c)2008 John F Rash / RASHPHOTO

Self Portrait / Self Promo

2008-01-15T21:02:00.000-05:00

Letter Press: Antique Market Barcelona Spain

2008-01-02T11:22:00.000-05:00

Barcelona Silhouettes: Parc Guell

2007-12-30T03:12:00.000-05:00

Barcelona Sweets

2007-12-28T12:36:00.000-05:00

Dawn Chorus Band Promo Shots

2007-12-17T23:35:00.000-05:00

Greensboro, NC indie rock band Dawn Chorus

(c)2007 John F Rash / RASHPHOTO

Holiday Sketches

2007-12-12T12:08:00.000-05:00

Ideas for Christmas cards. Lighting created using candle light and 580-EX speedlight.

(c)2007 John F Rash / RASHPHOTO

Brother Reade. Winston Salem, NC 11/30/07.

2007-12-03T20:33:00.000-05:00

Action Patrol Reunion 12/01/07

2007-12-03T00:18:00.000-05:00

(c)2007 John F Rash / RASHPHOTO

(c)2007 John F Rash / RASHPHOTO

Almost 12 years have passed since the Richmond, VA spaz-core punk juggernaut Action Patrol had their final curtain call. Or so the world was left to believe. I was fortunate enough to be at that show, and still have the flier in a box of other such nostalgic punk memorabilia somewhere in my attic. Someone once told me an Action Patrol reunion was a fools dream--- an impossibility never to materialize. That was good news to me, as I am not a fan of reunions, and certainly not happy to see a band of has-beens slowly and sloppily making an embarrassing attempt at recreating their historic material.

This past weekend, the impossible became possible, and a band who were never meant to play again reunited, and despite the odds, they kicked ass. In fact, it was as if the band never ceased to exist, and the songs we loved over a decade before sounded just as crisp and energetic as ever. Hairlines may be a bit higher, bellies a bit lower, but the tunes were just as fast, just as topical, and just as well executed as ever. I have been proven wrong... the reunion show might not be such a terrible thing. The REUNION TOUR, however, is another story altogether.

Blue Books.

2007-11-27T20:12:00.000-05:00

(c)2007 John F Rash
Images from a recent shoot with actress/model Lily Wang. You may recognize her from an earlier shoot titled Shanghai Tan. Lily was involved in a locally produced independent film named "Dogs of Chinatown"

Thanksgiving at Grandma's

2007-11-27T00:53:00.000-05:00

My grandmother, like most grandmothers, makes the best food you can imagine for Thanksgiving dinner. Here is a sample of the tasty treats found on the table this year. I think my family was a bit overwhelmed by my "big" camera swinging around my grandparent's small house. Either way, I think I gained 5 pounds in desert alone.

Wedding Slides 11 10 07

2007-11-18T11:38:00.000-05:00

Last weekend I ventured into the field of wedding photography. This is a game I don't often play, and had enlisted the help of a former student and excellent photographer, Sarah Holmes (http://www.sarahholmesphoto.com) to help cover the wedding. I wouldn't exactly say she was an "assistant" as we both certainly pulled equal weight throughout the evening. It was a beautiful wedding, and quite organized compared to others I have seen recently. Above you can watch the 12-minute slide show I created using Joe Weiss' fantastic SOUNDSLIDES application.

Shanghai Tan 2

2007-11-04T11:24:00.001-05:00

Halloween Wood Fairy

2007-10-31T22:25:00.000-04:00

Halloween Portrait

2007-10-30T10:36:00.000-04:00

I discovered a flyer for a "zombie kick ball" game last weekend. Little did I realize what I would encounter was more of an exercise in performance art than sport. The players seemed to be trapped in the role of "zombie" as they slowly dragged their undead limbs across the baseball diamond "chasing" the ball, moving from base to base, and eventually across home plate. Bodies were on the ground more often than not, and the game moved at a painfully slow pace (even compared to a normal baseball / kickball game). I was fairly sure the participants were not so much interested in being competitive as they were in being zombies. This was confirmed an hour or so later as the game abruptly ended and someone yelled "Game Over. The zombies win!"

Legscene

2007-10-27T11:38:00.000-04:00

Winter Glow

2007-10-27T11:29:00.001-04:00

Shanghai Tan: Greensboro Photoshoot

2007-10-24T11:40:00.001-04:00

(c)2007 John F Rash / RASHPHOTO

Lily Wang & Huyen Thi came to Greensboro a few weeks ago for a collaborative photo shoot with make-up artist Susan Boyoung. These were shot using two speedlights (one with a small softbox), and the little available light at our location. We all felt the shoot was a success and produced many images like the ones you see here. These are my current favorites, however everyone involved in the shoot seems to have their own set of preferred shots.

Make Me Up

2007-09-19T12:11:00.001-04:00

Barton Carroll (folk singer)

2007-09-17T01:02:00.000-04:00

September Rain

2007-09-15T23:56:00.001-04:00

Tennis Promo Piece

2007-09-03T23:27:00.001-04:00

Mantis! Surprise!

2007-09-03T09:53:00.001-04:00

Saturday I took a day-trip to visit my sister and her family in Raleigh. After a few hours of playing UNO and DDR with my nephew I set on my way home, stopping for dinner at the Tower Vegetarian Indian restaurant in Morrisville. After a few dosas had filled my stomach to maximum capacity I found something resembling a large stick perched on the top of my car. Just then, I imagined some prankster had thrown their trash on my car before zooming out of the parking lot. From a few yards away it was difficult to recognize the praying mantis resting on my car. I grabbed my camera, a speedlight, and a small softbox I had in trunk, before the mantis flew into the night. The car top offered some nice reflections,and the store lights in the distance contributed some interesting backlight effects as well.

Chinatown Silhouettes

2007-08-21T11:44:00.000-04:00

Dionaea Muscipula (Venus Flytrap) Sarraceniaceae (Pitcher Plants)

2007-07-09T09:30:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I forget the magnificent aspects of living in North Carolina. With the mountains in the west and coastal plains in the east, the diversity and accessibility of natural beauty can be easily taken for granted. Growing up in the mountains, I lived just a few miles from the Blue Ridge Parkway, countless hiking trails, and gorgeous waterfalls. Nature scenes usually seen in documentaries were just steps beyond my back yard. Yet, at the time I felt the area to be uninspiring and constricting. Only after leaving for college did I appreciate the beauty of my hometown and the state in which I’ve always lived.

On the east side of the state, people visit places like Wilmington for fun on the beach, exploring the famous battleship, or drinking at the downtown bar scene. However, in the most unlikely location, some locals recently brought me to see carnivorous plants, which grow natively there. A bog rich with venus fly traps and pitcher plants sits just behind an elementary school, just a few steps away from the major shopping mall. Some species, unable to inhabit any other global location, live here, of all places. This year has been particularly dry, with a drought in full effect. These plants survive due to bog lands and special climate conditions. Needless to say, the plants are not nearly as beautiful as usual, but still seem to have a romantic, if not prehistoric, look even when dry and withered. This is a documentation of what plants have survived through the summer heat, promising a future of lush greenery when normal weather conditions return.

Rural North Carolina Factory Demolition

2007-06-10T18:15:00.000-04:00

Saturday June 9, 2007. I traveled to the foothills of North Carolina, close to the South Carolina border, for my annual visit to Forest City. This is my grandmother's hometown, most of her family remains there, and other than visiting relatives it tends to be a sleepy, if not utterly uneventful town. Each year I make the drive down from Greensboro for a family get-together, usually involving potluck lunch, group snapshots, a few rides around the church on a 4-wheeler, and getting back on the road before the afternoon is in full swing. My drive is certainly much longer, in either direction, than the actual visit. I suspect the same is probably true for most folks on family reunion weekend. This year, as I began my drive home, I made a few purposeful wrong turns, discovering a demolition site for an old cotton mill in Cliffside, NC. Many years have passed since I last scaled a fence or ignored "no trespassing" signs but perhaps that was the appeal. It's possible I just needed something a bit more dangerous in my afternoon than a 3-hour drive and the freshly loaded queue of Chinese language pod casts awaiting inside my MP3 player. So, between the crack in the fence I crawled, and spent the next hour in 100 degree sun gathering images of broken windows, piles of bricks, and toxic water gathered in the remains of a building that formerly employed a large percentage of the Cliffside population. This story is common across North Carolina, as the age of American industry seems to have turned the page in favor of cheap, overseas labor and profit lines. In the past, textiles were an important contributor to the North Carolina, but these days one would have a much easier time finding partially demolished or condemned mills than plants which are still functional or actually in operation. These are the ghost towns of North Carolina, the mills and factories which have left hundreds of workers in their wake and employed a generation of rural folk who were forced to find other means of feeding their families when doors were closed and the American industrial landscape changed forever. I have no knowledge of the specifics of this particular mill, only that my grandmother says that it was a cotton mill and some of my distant relatives were once employed there.

©2007 John F Rash / RASHPHOTO

©2007 John F Rash / RASHPHOTO

©2007 John F Rash / RASHPHOTO

©2007 John F Rash / RASHPHOTO

©2007 John F Rash / RASHPHOTO

©2007 John F Rash / RASHPHOTO

©2007 John F Rash / RASHPHOTO

©2007 John F Rash / RASHPHOTO