I Married a Photographer

Standing in the lush, green grass on a warm Summer day, I could almost hear it. I looked in front of me and if I thought hard enough I could have seen the hundreds of thousands who gathered there. I would have been there had I been born 10+ years earlier. In my life, I have only been to about 3 places where I really tried to relive the history that took place in those infamous settings. This was one of those experiences; the other two being the corner of Central Park West and 72nd St along with 5th Ave and 57th St both in Manhattan. Though time has changed this place -and every other place on Earth, I tried very hard to throw my mind back to 1969 and really take in what Woodstock meant. I envy people who lived during a time, when the nation, as a whole, cared about what we did and who we dealt with, when everything was not at your fingertips and that human interaction wasn’t just for parties. I missed my generation by a long shot, I made a mark on the world when the 17th most requested pop song was “Rainbow Connection” by Kermit (yes, The Frog), disco was taking a turn for the worst and purple eye-shadow was all the rage! Ugh!

Photographing people and events is really timing and luck. As an artist, you have to emphasize being in the right place at the right time. Thankfully, no two artists are alike which helps in the grand scheme of things -how boring would that be? While at the Woodstock area, we toured the museum. It was CSN’s 2nd appearance as a band, The Grateful Dead played in the wee hours of the night so a lot of participants didn’t even remember them and Jimi Hendrix’s performance was at 0900, Monday morning; I learned a lot! As a Beatle fan, I found that their mark on the musical world was mentioned frequently though they had nothing to do with the event itself. Man, I love the 60s! With all this said, we (Dean, our daughter & me) had such a great time strolling through the museum, piecing the events together, reading, watching footage and taking part in a sliver of life we all longed to be involved in. Dean did take a few photos, some of the Yasgur Farm located adjacent to the concert area. However, much of that area looks so very different, a poorly paved road cut through 3-4 parking lots, beautiful buildings housing oodles of art work, an amphitheater, port-a-potties, event tents in various sizes and a massive wooden gate to keep admirers off that coveted lawn. Which, in all honesty, if we visit again, I am going to take a running start to my longest log roll ever down that historic hill! The town of Bethel, NY seems quaint and sweet. The one major roadway housed several tie-dye experts, and abandoned toll booth building and a couple homes. We stopped to chat with one tie-dye merchandise seller, who was very hippie-esque. A 10’ x 10’ tarp roofed stand, nestled between what I assume was his house and the main road, he donned one of his own creations, helped me search though his products for the perfect T-shirt and gave us a steep discount, followed up by his business card -which also is tie-dyed! If you feel so inclined, please send some business his way by clicking here www.tyedyhippy.com Pics to come.

Joel B. Vincent, drummer for Blind Chitlin Kahunas

On a clear, balmy winter night, Dean and I approached the seemingly tiny bar just out of the Milton city limits.  With hopes of hearing a great blues band, we approached the door, the boom of music became louder and louder.  Opening the door, the smell of cigarettes wafting up my nares, we entered the single room bar, scanning for an empty area to perch.  Dean, equipped with only his 50mm lens attached to the D300 was hoping to get a few shots of the band.  The lighting was nonexistent, at least not for photographs, and the people seemed to be enjoying themselves.  Luckily, Dean was able to work around the low lighting by using his Nikkor 50mm prime lens at f/1.4, barely.  The inside of the bar was tight, which also limited the available shots. But he was able to get several that bring out the energy of the band and the personalities of the musicians.

After ordering beers and listening to The Blind Chitlin Kahunas  for a few minutes, Dean took the camera and made his way closer to the performers.  I stood at the end of the bar, guarding our beverages and took notice to a few key people in the bar who I was entertained with, the dancing couple (such a forgotten past-time) and common to every bar, the wall flowers.  The partakers of the festivities were an eclectic mix of local business class and trailer dwellers, all congregating in this loud, smoke filled, dimly lit room.  To appropriately illustrate to you  how the bar operated: my husband asked the bartender what Yuengling beer they carried, she replied “Uh, Yuengling.”  At that point, I was glad we had a beer or two already!

Waiting for a friend, Dean continued finding photo opportunities as I sat sipping my Blue Moon, soaking in the experience.  He took about 50 shots that night and once processed, here is what we came up with.  Leaving the bar, feeling full of bluesy-soul and beer in addition to topping off the night with the band’s talent on Jimi Hendrick’s “Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)”,  we’re excited to see them again! Enjoy!

Chris Bovard, guitarist Blind Chitlin Kahunas