Easter morning came early, and the small people were excited. Okay, one was excited, the other was all “tweeny-whatevery.” But the excited one was dancing around waiting to find his Easter basket.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 35 mm f/1.4 L USM, ISO 1250, 1/200, f/2.0

My fascination with empty places was well sated this past weekend. En route to a return visit to the Georgia Guidestones, I spotted the Elbert 12 County Fair grounds and had to make a stop.

It was a little visual shooting exercise, one I’ll share a bit here. I thought I knew what image I wanted but it wasn’t right – the following images show how I worked my way into a final image.

1. From the parking lot, a good distance out to give a sense of location. I like the abandoned feel, balancing it with a centered composition.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 35 mm f/1.4 L USM, ISO 100, 1/8000, f/2.0

2. Decided to give it more blue sky – it was such a great sky.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 35 mm f/1.4 L USM, ISO 100, 1/8000, f/2.0

3. The broken pavement was saying … something. I don’t know what, so I gave it some more prominence.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 35 mm f/1.4 L USM, ISO 100, 1/8000, f/2.0

4. But then that sky called again …

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 35 mm f/1.4 L USM, ISO 100, 1/8000, f/2.0

5. I wanted to get in closer, but the ticket stand was in the way. I drove my truck right up in front of the stand and climbed up into the bed.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 16-35 mm f/2.8 L USM, ISO 100, 1/1000, f/4.5

6. Almost there. But the debris around the edges … top of the roof, power lines … I hate edge debris. So I got up just a little higher (standing on the side walls of the bed of the truck) and got off one last frame …

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 16-35 mm f/2.8 L USM, ISO 100, 1/320, f/10

And when I showed the images that evening, one of my heroes said he liked the first one the best. Oh, well – was a fun little shoot. And now I want to know when the Elberton 12 County Fair is and try this at night.

A midday look at empty places and vacant spaces. There were a lot of them in the downtown area, more of them as you drove off into the distances.

Canon EOS 1D Mark II N, EF 16-35 mm f/2.8 L USM, ISO 200, 1/8, f/3.5

Canon EOS 1D Mark II N, EF 16-35 mm f/2.8 L USM, ISO 200, 1/25, f/3.5

Another from Elberton this past weekend … several more to come.

I dragged out my old Quaker apothegm again: Proceed as the way opens. Hurled it at some students who were trying to decide what to shoot next while they were over-thinking the situation. As for me, I yielded a bit in what I shot – aside from editors and students, not a single person.

What’s become of me?

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 35 mm f/1.4 L USM, ISO 160, 1/6400, f/2.8

Still up in Elberton, Ga. After a late dinner we were walking back to our cars (the only ones left in the downtown area) when I saw this empty, for rent space. Just two lights at the far end gave it a hollow feel. Almost an anticipatory feel.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 35 mm f/1.4 L USM, ISO 640, 1/80, f/3.5

I’m up in Elbert County, Georgia, for my annual weekend workshop. Did a short walk around the downtown area looking for … for … I don’t know. Light? History?

Have been thinking about abandoned signs for a while and found a pair.

Canon EOS 1D Mark II N, EF 70-200 mm f/2.8 L IS USM, ISO 200, 1/1250, f/6.3

Canon EOS 1D Mark II N, EF 16-35 mm f/2.8 L USM, ISO 200, 1/2000, f/6.3

I don’t post many family-ish photos, but our dog – our southern dog – is very confused today.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 70-200 mm f/2.8 L IS USM, ISO 320, 1/400, f/4.0