As a native of Tennessee and living in Alabama for a number of years, I've traveled many miles throughout the South looking for and finding photographic possibilities. A special interest developed as I observed the progressive deterioration and rapid disappearance of many structures that at an earlier time had been, among other things, a comfortable family dwelling, a barn and outbuildings, a rural country store, or a "Main Street" business. Home-made signs, unusual "collections", interesting "make-do" solutions, remnants left by previous residents, and even discards along the roadside have provided me with a source of photographs, often with a whimsical flavor. A continuing effort is being made to preserve on film as many of these images as I might find.

Traveling along the backroads has also been an ongoing experience of discovery of the beauty and diversity of the South. Seasonal changes and the angles of natural lighting are significant ingredients that contribute to pleasing scenes. A particular enjoyment is experienced when encountering and filming one of the infinite number of intriguing patterns or designs created by nature or man. While I have photographed primarily in the South, my work also contains images from other areas of the country.

Black/white film is used almost exclusively to provide visual emphasis to the types of scenes I photograph. Printing is done in my darkroom, using a glossy fiber-based paper for straight black/white prints, and a semi-matte fiber paper is used when hand-coloring is to be applied. Art pencils are primarily used for the "selective" coloring, and added to certain images as accents or highlights if it brings them closer to the visual impact that was experienced when capturing them on film. Photo oils may also be used to add color emphasis or as a diluted "wash" to cover the entire print.

Photographs have been exhibited in one-man shows, art festivals, and a number of juried art shows, in the South as well as in several cities around the country. The photographs have received numerous awards, and my work is seen on the internet at the juried fine art gallery site: guild.com, included in the Arts section of anythingsouthern.com site, and listed in the directory of artists at handcolor.com.

The instruments of camera and film are like extensions of your eye and brain, used to focus your senses on a small, often simple view of the world, while carefully screening out anything that clutters or distracts from the desired image. Great scenes worth photographing always exist out there somewhere, just waiting for the eye to decide where to point the camera and frame the field of view to obtain an image that captures and communicates the visual and sensual impact of the moment.

...Jim Morris...