Flower Child,
Once again your photos are very expressive, showing the details of your subjects and their uniqueness. I can imagine you working for National Geographic! I especially like the family portrait at the bottom. They look so All-American in a wholesome, clean-cut rural way.

I bet you'd really like the Iowa State Fair for capturing pictures of colorful Midwestern farmers and others...maybe it even beats your Four-State Farm Show, since of course "Our (Iowa) state fair is the best state fair!" YouTube - State Fair (1945)

When you take photos of your subjects, I assume you have to obtain a model release from them for your community's newspaper? What about the redneck men? Did they know you were taking their pictures? I'm curious how you handle this, because some people don't like being photographed as if they were being gawked at, while others probably don't mind at all!

Iowa also has a lot of rednecks. I think they take pride in their look, since it relates to their farm lifestyle. I see a lot of roasted farm workers near where I live. The skin cancer specialist in me is always horrified. I think their attitude is, "To hell with the sun. We're going to die anyway someday, so we might as well fry now."

Our state fair is in TWO WEEKS! I love going and seeing the throngs of different people...and the livestock animals...and riding on the double ferris wheel like I did when I was a kid! Maybe I'll take more pictures this year...

I tell you what Erica, that means a lot to me, thank you! I always hope people are getting that same impression I'm getting when I see all those different faces and expressions through my photography, but you never know for sure if you really capture that for other people.

I would love to be in the midst of your big fair with all those different people. I hope it will be a little cooler for your fair than it was for our farm show. It was in the hundreds here, and miserable. I'm actually suprises you like fairs because I can imagine you running around opening cages and freeing all the animals. :laughing: Do take some shots for me.

Answering your question to releases, anytime I take a photo of someone that I plan to put in the newspaper, I ALWAYS approach them and get their permission and name and all that good stuff. Sometimes I run into the occasional Amish man who thinks having his picture taken is work of the devil, but most of the time everyone is pretty down with getting their mug in the paper. The only ones I posted up there that I actually used in the paper are the Vietnam Veteran Rider and the Farm Show Patron shot and I got all their information and full permission on those. All the rest I took for myself and my own collections and didn't let them know I took a nice flattering shot of their farm butts and tattoos, which I'm not planning on selling or anything.

I don't know if many people know this but a photographer has the right to take anyone's photo (as long as it is appropriate, like no secret naked pictures) without their knowledge or permission as long as you don't use them for commerical uses.

Yes, I definitely see a feeling in your pictures!

I know you joked about the red necks, etc., but the feeling I get from your photos is that you *like* these people. They may not be doing what you might be doing, but in documentating their lives you aren't meaning to ridicule them but to appreciate them. That is the feeling that comes across to me from your photos, and I feel is a very important one for photographers to have. People open up to that, I think.

Miserable in the 100s was a couple weeks ago when I was out in the field in the hot sun doing corn pollinations while wearing full sun-protection: jeans, turtleneck, blouse, fabric face cover, sunhat, sunglasses and...gloves. Yes. In 100 degree weather. THAT would have been a photo opportunity! I will never be a redneck...just very very sweaty. It is cooler now, thankfully.

Oh, I definitely go look at the animals! That is my favorite part, but sad, too. Sometimes I want to pose tricky questions for the owners...though I haven't because I don't want them to feel bad...such as, "How old are the male dairy calves when you send them to slaughter?" or, more condemning, "Where are all the male brothers of these egg-laying hens?" They'd know I was a vegan, then. They'd know I'm in on what's going on and don't approve, and they'd quickly become defensive and withdrawn. They are so proud of what they do! They "feed the world," after all, or so they believe/claim. ;)

Mostly I just try to give backscratches to the animals who are interested, like the pigs, so that they have a little more pleasure while they are still alive. The pigs are always very curious.

I didn't know we could take pictures of whomever we want! That's good to know. I always feared people would try to sue me. Sometimes I want to take photos of strangers I see, but I feel like I'm stealing from them or invading their privacy and I don't want them to get mad if they notice me. So, I had wondered how you handle this, because of course a lot of the best photos of people are the ones where they *don't* know they are being observed.

I just found my pile of Black & White photos taken with my Analogue Camera.
will be uploading them soon, some interesting stuff in there.

Edit:
So I got some recently uploaded.
First, some of my friends, in a Portrait project:

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._5645501_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._2907477_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._2425682_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._2203713_n.jpg

^This one I call, "Spot the Difference".

Now for my "Still Life" project -A lot of Glasses in here:

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._4545810_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...0_306159_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._4028504_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._4440335_n.jpg

For my favourite part, the Landscapes:

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._3803291_n.jpg

^ Not a very good one. But this is the one that showed me that I can do this. I had been failing at landscapes for more than 3 months when I took this. Coming in front of this tree, in the sunset, and having only one picture left in the reel, I make my calculations, and for the first time I think and plan my picture in my head before hitting the button. After it was developed, it was the only picture that was bearable to look at, and the only one that matched the vision in my head. So I have to say, this picture marks my beginnings into photography, however crappy it is.

Now to my favourite landscape photos -In Snowy Lebanon:

Suite:

Those photos are ımmense melıssa, esp the snowy lebanon, ı never knew yous ever got snow! :)

We got it all! The snow and the sea :p:

You said this wasn't a good one, but it was probably my favorite. The way the tree is set against the sky and the clouds was perfect. Lovely my dear.