A few weeks ago, my friend Lindsay and I decided to hit the beach. It’s been very warm lately and we were not the only ones with this idea. When we showed up, the beach was covered in this misty fog; I had to snap a few photos. It’s eerie, isn’t it?

So today when I went to Bishop I tried to focus on shapes and colors. How do you show what a place is with a tight, close up frame?

I also checked out the Canon 5D MarkII to shoot these with and let me tell you what, that camera is SO MUCH FUN.

So Stone Mountain is the largest exposed piece of granite in the world. I love that these pretty yellow wildflowers were creeping out of cracks. With the blue sky they look just right.

One of the coolest things about being on the top of Stone Mountain is being able to make pictures like these. The granite is beautiful, the sky that say was clear and the prettiest shade of blue nature can produce. And this guy in the red shirt looking off into the distance gives you the feeling of being on top of the world.

I really enjoyed our picnic, which was right next to the laser show field and in a clearing in the woods. There was just enough shade to keep us cool.

And of course, SHARK COOKIES. I encourage you to find these at your local Whole Foods because they are simply AWESOME. Everything tastes better in fun shapes.

Ten miles south of Broad Street, down highway 441, sits the small town of Bishop, Georgia. As a kid it was the last leg of the car ride before we would reach Athens. Our car would always slow down while passing through the old buildings and fruit stands. My eyes would rest on the cluttered yard full of lawn and garden art. The rundown white Trade-a-book building would peak my curiosity… and then it would be gone. We’d speed up again and make our way to Watkinsville, and eventually Athens.

When driving myself back to Brunswick, my hometown, I’d head down 441, through that small town without a glance. Only ten minutes into my ride and I’m already in a trance, pedal to the metal until I cross the marsh.

But on my return trips from Brunswick, passing through Bishop serves as one last moment of peace and comfort one can only find in a sleepy old town. I never stopped but I would slow down, take a deep breath and look around.

This past May I decided to stop in Bishop and learn more about the people that make the town for an article in my magazine writing class. Instead of an easy stop and look travel piece, I unearthed a community who struggles with identity and political problems the way that larger cities do.

In my advanced photojournalism class, we are required to have a semester long project that we will document visually. I’m fascinated by small towns and enjoy meeting the big characters in these communities. I decided to explore Bishop– learn more about the roadside stops and the people and families behind them. I hope to discover the most important part of their lives and how they live in such a small community so different from the college town it borders.

Please check out  http://meghanpittman.carbonmade.com

Here you will find sample images from photography assignments in Spring 2010. Also, a video project of mine is up on The Grady Journal. You can see my Energy Education video here. Tuesday I will be boarding a nice 6:25 a.m. flight to Boston. I’m tagging along on a trip with my Mom but I am using the time and location to scout out some possible future employers. I’ve made a list of 3 or 4 that I’m planning on visiting … I just need to map out a route and maximize my time! If there are any places I should check out, please let me know. I’ve had enough of the SLC so I’m heading out into the impending storm to watch a baseball game! Go Braves!

I took classes last May and June so this shouldn’t be new or dreadful to me. I guess looking out my window from my classroom in Paris and seeing the tippy top of the Eiffel Tower in the distance made a difference to my enthusiasm. As for Maymester, I was planning on taking two classes but due to some scheduling conflicts, I could end up only taking one. (Sometimes registering for classes really is difficult. When it shouldn’t be.) I’ll be sticking around Athens, hopefully working a little here or there, so picking up some classes in the remainder shouldn’t be a problem.

In the mean time, I’m going home for the weekend to celebrate Mother’s Day with the family. It will be a nice vacation for  a couple of days before I start the  6-hours-a-day world of Maymesters.

Here are some random photos.

When I was home last we went to Jekyll Island one afternoon with mom and dad. While I read on the beach, my silly mother and father went to collect all the washed up sand dollars that they could carry! It is almost like they had never seen one before.

Here is my cat, Zoey. She’s only slightly insane. Mom texted me last night saying “Zoey is running around the house like she is being chased by ghosts.” Are there any other crazy people who might want this crazy cat?

This is not a great photograph but I was really overwhelmed by my surroundings. On the way to Elberton on 72, you pass by this cute strip of old buildings. There’s a small mart and a couple of antique shops. In this particular shop there were old pieces of buildings, i.e. these doors that you could buy to fix up your own place. Look at all of these unique doors! There were old lamps, door knobs, hinges, windows… I can only imagine all of the amazing trinkets deep inside of this shop. I was in love.

Some things not school related:

• I have been spending a lot of time by the pool! Reading for school, of course. I consider it a crime to read indoors during the day. I won’t do it.
• I’ve always kind a vision for what my dream house would look like. And then this morning I woke up and found prints for it! I love most of these, especially the coffee one.
• I’m looking into starting to apply for jobs. I’ve found some interesting possibilities, but I just don’t know how to get there. It’s a very, very strange feeling.
• I’m so excited about taking French in the fall. I’ve been doing a lot of research of the globalization of media in France and I’ve been reading and translating many articles.
• Speaking of globalization. I need to read some more Noam Chomsky, ASAP. Picked him up while in Paris this summer and really need to pick up another. Same with Richard Florida. I’ve read most of Thomas Friedman’s stuff, and now I’m finding it a little bland. I’d love to hear any of them speak.
• I made cookies to take to the library tonight. Maybe that will help me trudge through some of these articles.
• Surprised to find an article in a book of mine today that not only helped an argument in a paper of mine, BUT confirmed that I’m not the only one thinking these silly thoughts about tourism being essential to modernization. Traveling is not some silly recreation.

Okay, I lied, a lot of those are school related, but I’m too focused on school for it to not be. I’m going to try to write more often, about what I’m researching and presenting on. But until then, to the library!

Well I made a few mistakes.

The international affairs’ major has a language requirement, I was foolish enough to stick with my love of Latin instead of branching out into French or Spanish or another language that would help me more. Not to say that Latin has helped me, but out of high school I learned as much as I needed too — I had an excellent teacher, and I wanted to continue to feel that love in college. I should have known I would not find the same love and appreciation in college Latin, but I stuck through 4 semesters of grueling Latin translations when I could have learned one or two other languages.

What else did I do wrong? Hindsight, I should have spread out my extracurricular activities. I’m so heavily media obsessed, I ignored many resources and organizations that would have been so valuable to me. I could have become involved in many international organizations that would have helped me refine my interests. I could have found something, the thing I’m looking for now, and started earlier.

I also would have been smarter about class choices. I also would have immediately started off as an IA major, instead of thinking I was really devoted to JUST American Political Science. How boring!

There are many other mistakes, nights I spent goofing off, opportunities I either did not notice or shyed away from, boxes I packed myself in — but what did I do right?

I studied abroad, for one thing. Studying in Paris and surviving a jaunt around Europe aftewards is responsible for many joys and woes in my life. I have these great experiences that I have built character on but I also suffer the woes of wanderlust — I dream of cobblestone streets in Brussels, warm nights in Venice, mysterious overnight train rides with five other complete strangers. I crave that is which unknown. Now I have a desire to learn. A greater one. But it also solidified my desire to work with people. I love people, I love their stories, even if I can’t understand them. I connect in some way with everyone.

I also got involved in a community service organization I believed in. Something I learned from my family, maybe the most important influence I’ve had — is my desire to help people. I love to help people in anyway I can. If it’s playing bingo with the elderly or helping 3rd graders with fractions, people are a passion of mine. Not only do I get that warm fuzzy feeling associated with service, but it completes me. I’m not tough, I can’t shut myself off from a difficult situation. Instead I let the emotion fill me in, and I try to use that to help people, not make me shy away from it. Sometimes I fail at this, but I’m getting better.

I have allowed myself to have many and I mean MANY different interests. I have a lot of open doors because of them. I have also remained overly ambitious, and eager to learn. I  never became too good for something, I’ve maintained a humble sense of self (let’s be honest, I have no room to profess any expertise at this point, at anything) and that allows me to connect with people.

I am sure I’ve made other good decisions.

So where is this all going to take me? I think I’m starting to figure it out. I’ve been trying to find a way to incorporate as many of my passions into my future and I’m starting to see where I’m being led.

In addition to his normal gear, AP photog David Guttenfelder used his iPhone to capture images from Afghanistan.

Check them out.

The images were processed in a polaroid app, which some comments dislike. I think the images are stunning and raw and different from the complicated images we get.

My favorites are 16 and 27.

As a student of photojournalism, I’m still finding that balance between technique and storytelling. Sometimes I get the story right but struggle technically. This is such a great example of not needing the gear to tell your story — he used his iPhone camera!

I wouldn’t mind having a couple of these framed somehow.

Where in the world did March go? I guess between Spring Break, crazy weather and projects galore we’ve fast forwarded and found our way to April. Which is scary. I think we’re five weeks away from finals? Oy!

Just like November is the crazy month of the Fall, April is the crazier month of the Spring. There’s projects, presentations and papers in my future, capped off with a couple of prefinal tests at the end of the month. What makes April worse than the terrible fall month of November, is that I will have to fight the urge to go outside and waste hours walking when I should be stuck in front of this computer screen. The weather has been quite moody, but it looks like there are some nice days ahead…

This weekend I will be returning home for Easter for a very needed break. I have not been home for Easter the past two years, and since it looks like it will be pretty difficult to get home this summer for more than a weekend, I’m going go ahead and make the trip. I’m very excited to be home to cook for the family and enjoy the weather.

Nothing so exquisitely exciting has happened in the meantime, I’ve been on a fabulous picnic, watched Health Care reform in C-SPAN, edited so much audio my ears my bleed… you  know, the usual.

I am determined to not be late to my first class I should run, but expect a full  post of Elberton images soon. I’ve got them all edited down and ready to go.