Category Archives: Expression

Playing in the Band

Posted on by cbaird

I love music. As such, when I came to Appalachia, I knew I wanted to explore the rich tradition of bluegrass, country, old time, and gospel music that still pervades the area. I have played guitar for many years and I recently started playing the mandolin, so I had an easy way to connect with people. I went to countless jams, festivals, performances, and eventually was invited to people’s homes.

These musicians are not famous country stars, nor do they have any aspirations to be famous. They are people for whom music is a natural part of their everyday lives. The play music purely for the joy of playing music. Much of the footage was gathered in the homes of the artists to showcase the lifestyle and cultural traits of the area and its people.

The short film, portrait series, and online archive will all be constantly updated at the website: www.banksoftheohio.com. The people of Appalachia were wonderful and generous in sharing their lives with me, and I realize that there will never be a shortage or musicians or generous people, so this project will continue for the foreseeable future.

Josh Birnbaum
joshbirnbaum.com
banksoftheohio.com

From left, uncle Jesse and aunt Linda, Larry and his wife, Martha, and I gathered for a jam at Martha's garage in Vinton, Ohio, on Sunday, May 23, 2010.



Doug Crabtree plays banjo in the backyard of Martha Whitlatch in Vinton, Ohio, on Sunday, May 30, 2010. Doug plays fiddle, banjo, mandolin, guitar, and dobro, just to name a few.

I started my project…

Posted on by cbaird

Wee Wrestling, just weeks into my winter quarter picture story class. Over
the course of about six weeks, I covered three matches and a couple practices with the Athens
Youth Wrestling program.





My favorite part about working with the wrestlers and their parents was how accepting they
were in allowing me to document their relationships with one another. While I do a large amount of sports photography work, I rarely have the chance to focus on the moments happening around the event. For Wee Wrestling, I did just the opposite, and got some of my favorite images of my career.





- Joel Hawksley

The first time I saw John…

Posted on by cbaird

Details from John's room: His prized copy of "My Sherona," one of his favorites to perform at the Skull. Wooden tiger heads that are on his window sill.

was on an early morning in my first quarter of graduate school. With few minutes to spare before being late to class, I was darting through a parking lot and caught some serious swagger in my periphery. On the other side of the lot was a man in a purple windbreaker and a big cowboy hat strutting with his hands in his pockets.

It seemed like once every quarter I would have some glimpse of him doing the same strut near the same part of town. Something about the choice of a proud cowboy hat before noon made me feel like he had some serious personality. I would talk to people about him as the story that got away. The circumstances were never right for us to connect.

When this quarter started, I was happy to be a senior producer for Soul of Athens. The thought of spending a few weeks helping develop other people’s work was exciting. Our first week back, a few of us went down the Smiling Skull to have drinks and were greeted with the blast of their weekly karaoke event.

John getting ready in his bedroom before going out.

A few sips in, I spotted John on stage singing a Guns and Roses song. I had my camera on me, so I started making some snaps and he looked over at me and waved. A few minutes after his performance was done, he approached me to deliver one of his homemade copies of him singing to a bunch of rock songs.

It was a total sign that this was an opportunity I needed to take. The coincidence in the timing was uncanny. This was the first break I took from working on the same story that I’ve been working on the majority of my grad school existence. I had forgotten all the things we go through while getting into someone’s life for the first time.  While his outward appearance is one that commands attention, John had me working to earn his trust. I hope the story reflects that.

Andrea Morales
“A Wild Man’s Freedom” – Expression
Senior Producer – Shelter
moralesfoto.tumblr.com
andreamoralesphoto.com