Zirkle, Channel 2 news and other news

Brantley Telephone Company is working on a new local TV channel and last week they called about getting footage of me making pictures at Zirkle and the Little Satilla River. This morning Robby came over and took video of me doing my thing that may be used later. Also he interviewed me and went back to Jerry J's restaurant in Nahunta where a lot of my pictures are on display and took some video of them.

I entered two pictures in the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts show in Valdosta and last week found out that out of 464 entries I made the top ten overall and finished 3rd in the photography portion. (They paid money to the top two so I got a purple ribbon out of it.)

I have always wanted to go to Alaska and in June we are flying to Anchorage, renting a vehicle and driving around for a week.

I have finished sending pictures for my book on the Satilla River and waiting to see the finished product. Hopefully they will be out and for sale later on this year. My passion for photography still remains as strong or stronger than ever and I still look forward to seeing what I can photograph every day. The Satilla is still my main subject and seems like everytime I go I find something that I think is unique.
wayne

Kase Morgan Crews

Last Sunday a beautiful baby boy was born to my daughter and I became a grandpa. I've been hearing for a long time that there is nothing better than having a grandchild come into your life and now I know what they mean. Within a couple of days of them coming home from the hospital Kase slept on my chest for 3 or 4 hours while I held him in the recliner. I was the one with a big smile on my face and a tear in my eye... all at the same time. I can't wait until he gets to come home and spend the night with grandma and grandpa and when he gets to go with me on the Satilla and make some pictures. I am already thinking about how I can get pictures of him holding a fishing pole or sitting in the boat or just sitting on the river bank.
Our world has changed.

My photography book is coming along and I hope to have something to look at before too much longer. I have decided to go back to the original plans and do one strictly on the Satilla River (Little & Big) and some of the things I've seen around it including much of the wildlife.
wayne

Disappointed in Yellowstone

09-02-2010

We left last Monday morning on a trip to Montana and see Yellowstone and all of its beauty. I have to say there is a lot of it and I only had one week to stay. I got pictures of a grizzly, bald eagle, elk, deer and lots and lots of scenery. There is so much to see out there that if it would have been me by myself I would still be a long ways from being through. If I had more vacation time and money I would be out there for a very long time.

The Beartooth pass coming out of Yellowstone on the northeast side is an adventure in itself with the winding roads on the edge of the mountain with very few places that had guard rails. At one good looking place I yelled at my brother-in-law Johnny to STOP! and he wheeled our rental car right over to the edge. About that time my sister-in-law Debra started screaming and sliding way down in the seat. "DON'T DO THAT! You don't have to listen to everything Wayne says!" and would not look over the side.

After getting to the top of the almost 11,000 feet elevation a couple of men flagged us down at a pull-off. After stopping we discovered an elderly man sitting under the steering wheel of his car with his left hand folded into a tight fist and pressed up against his chest. His wife said they had been to all of the states but four and this was the last one to visit. He complained that he didn't feel right and collapsed where he was sitting. We helped get him to the passenger side of their Virginia vehicle and tried to get her to let me drive them back down the steep mountain but she insisted on doing it herself. Someone had went ahead and called 911 and they met them about half-way. We followed them down and came on back to the cabin in Ennis, Montana.

The Buffalo out there are roaming all over the place and we almost ran into a Grizzly and a couple of deer. I watched as two elk were feeding and gradually got too close and started to rub their antlers together. I don't think they were actually fighting - more of a pushing match than anything until the smaller one had enough and walked off.

The Grand Tetons are amazing and I really could spend a lot of time making pictures of them all times of the year.

We flew 2,500 miles and met a couple that live in Pierce County about 20 miles from home in Georgia. Max and Molly live in Montana part of the year and Pierce the other part. They took us to places that I would probably never have found and really enjoyed what they did for us. The cabin was wonderful and everyone we met around the small town was so nice.

Bonnie didn't get to shop as much as she would have liked on our trip which is totally my fault. For her first time flying I think she can handle it from now on. She kept me straight once we reached each airport and found where we needed to be with no problems.

My biggest disappointment about Yellowstone was having to leave the place and come back home.......but I will be back.

wayne

Grandparents and 2010

06-18-2010

My daughter invited us and Brandons mom and dad to eat lunch with them last week. After we were through eating she slipped into her bedroom and brought out four envelopes - two pink and two blue and told us to open them up. Each one had a pregnancy test that with all of the hooping and hollering going on by Bonnie must have read positive. My vision was kind of blurry and I couldn't see too well about that time. We are going to be grandparents and the youngun' is due in February!

The year 2010 has been a great year for me so far. I was named 2010 Brantley County Citizen of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce. I've sold enough pictures to pay for the cabin rental in Montana that we are going to fly to in August. A great friend donated frequent flyer miles for us so our tickets are paid for. I did a photo shoot for Stormwatersystems that installed the litter catcher in Waycross and sent them a bill that they "disputed." They sent me a check for double what I asked for because of my work above and beyond to help the Satilla River. And did I mention that we are going to be grandparents also?! Looks like I'm going to have another subject to take pictures of.

I've done several big shows this year and the new Jerry J's will be opening soon and I've already been asked to hang several pictures in it.

These are two pictures I've taken lately. Butterfly in my backyard and the trees are in Trudie Lake. Did I mention that we are going to be grandparents??????

wayne

Citizen of the Year

2010 Citizen of the Year

I was named the 2010 Citizen of the Year for Brantley County last week but the one that truly should be named Citizen of the Year for Brantley County was sitting out in the audience at the awards ceremony the other night. After seeing the latest Robin Hood movie I started calling her "muh Lady." She has sacrificed so much over the years and done without things that I know she would liked to have had so I could work on my dream as a photographer. She has told me that I've got three wives and their names are Sony, Nikon and Bonnie and we've been married almost 26 years now.

Years ago when I first started photography one of the first photos I was ever able to sell went to a little white haired lady from Jacksonville. It was of a curved dirt road taken in the fall of the year that I called the Road to Strickland Landing. She had lived in Brantley County as a small child but her family moved away to Florida. The picture took her back to when she was walking down a road just like this kicking a Campbell soup can without a worry in the world and brought back lots of fond memories. Before she retired from her job at an insurance company Sibyl was looking at the picture while standing near a copying machine when her supervisor walked up. He watched her for a while and said "I don't know where you were at but you weren't here" and she told him about the little girl on a dirt road.

I think one of the best things an artist can hear from someone is first of all - I'd like to buy some of your work and next would have to be - your work tells a story and stirs an emotion. I've been very blessed for several people to tell me this.

I've met so many great people through my photography and many Brantley County photos of mine are in possessions of people around the world. Governor Perdue, former President Jimmy Carter, the Tatum Family in England and several others.

I did a job shadow with an 8th grade student the other day that is interested in photography that asked me how much I've made from my photography and I had to laugh. I added it up farely quickly and said about $10,000 and $9,500 was of Brantley County. I figure I've spent at least twice that much and Bonnie says the costs have been way more than that and she is probably right once again.

I read an Ansel Adams quote the other day that said "Good photography is know where to stand." I think I've been standing in a very good place all of my life. Brantley County.

wayne

Latest events

05-11-2010

I've been so busy lately and haven't written a whole lot. I was finally able to get some turkey pictures and a couple of Horned owls that I'd never even seen in the wild before.

The show at the Brunswick Hospital in March was well received.... but no sales.

I have put the word out in a few places that I would like to do a book about Zirkle and have stories and pictures.

The river was almost getting to where I like it for pictures on the Little Satilla and now has jumped back up from the rains last week.

Getting ready for our trip to Montana and Yellowstone in August.

The 2nd issue of the Brantley Magazine with another one of my photos is on the front cover and turned out really nice.

CSX is willing to help with our SatillaRiverkeeper and Rivers Alive clean-up this coming year and I'm still finding plenty of trash left behind so I guess there will be some to get. It would be nice to have a river clean-up and not have anything to do!

One of my river pictures will be auctioned off to help the SatillaRiverkeeper organization at the Spring Gala on Jekyll Island this Saturday the 15th.

Brantley County has a new brochure promoting our county with my photos on it.

I'm doing a show for the month of May at the Okefenokee Heritage Center in Waycross and the reception is Thursday the 13th from 5-7pm. Come out if you will.

Here is a shot I got of the turkeys and of the trash I found just a few feet away from the river.

wayne

www.waynemorganphotography.com

(912)288-0810

Nahunta Jail

03-18-2010

The walls are dark, damp and dreary. The steel bars are cold and hard. Pencil scribblings cover the walls and are on almost every brick that appears to have been repainted several times over the years from occupants of the Nahunta Jail. Some seem to be looking for religion while others definitely are not. Most of the names that are written apparently had something to do with why they were behind these bars and are not highly thought of by their quotations. A few good artists have spent some time here with a cigar smoking pig with a star on his hat and chest on one wall with Jesus holding up his hand on another. Bugs Bunny, old hot rod car and a Georgia Bulldog sign grace the wall of another cell. Several hand written monthly calendars from 2007 with most of the days marked through are on one with bible quotes scattered throughout with one eye catching note in one of the womens cell - "I MISS MY SON!"

The two large cells have four steel racks coming from two walls for bunk beds while the smaller cells have two. There is one shower stall in the corner and each has one toilet sitting out in the open. No privacy here.

It seems only fitting that Trey Keene and his workers are cutting the steel out of the old jail. He probably don't remember his grandpa but Arthurs Liquor store was once a popular place right across the street. I use to work in a pool hall when I was 16 years old between the jail and the redlight and could watch Arthur sitting on his cement bench waiting for customers to stop in and take out a brown bag or two of their favorite beverage. He was a rather large man with a rather large moustache and rumor was that he would put a whole pack of Redman in his jaw at a time. Many of his regular patrons spent many a nights sobering up in the old jail across the street. Arthur and his store are gone now and so shall the old jail be.

The power has been cut off to the building and while I was inside taking photographs the wind blew the heavy steel door shut and I was almost in total darkness except for the little peep hole in the door. The sound of that door shutting sent chills up my spine as I could only imagine what that would sound like knowing this would be my living quarters for at least a little while.

My uncle Charlie passed away a few months ago and I know he spent quite a bit of time behind these bars. Several years ago he thought he had been in there long enough and decided to leave...... without permission. When he got to the county line he called the office of the jail and asked '

"Do you have Charlie Davis in your jail?"

"Yes we do" the operator replied.

"No you don't! I'm gone and will catch you later."

Which they eventually did.

I asked him before he died how he escaped and all he said was "spoon and a toothbrush. Made me a key."

I'm sure there are lots of stories about the old Nahunta jail that has been a part of Brantley Counties history that will never be known.

Here is a picture of the demolition of the Nahunta Jail and the latest issue of the Brantley County Magazine.

wayne