I have done a lot of non-human photographs the last few months – things and stuff, stuff and things. It’s great to search out patterns and light, but, let’s face it – I shoot pictures to tell stories, and good stories have great characters.

Today, in class, I got a collection of characters. We spent the first hour with Chris Stanford, a college alumnus who works at the Washington Post now. The second half of class brought us Alan NeSmith and Lane Gresham from The Northeast Georgian.

NeSmith, the publisher, will be hosting my class in his offices and county for our annual weekend workshop in a few weeks. The pair came down from the mountains to help the students learn about the area.

And you gotta love a guy who swings a newspaper around while he talks …

Alan NeSmith and Lane Gresham from the Northeast Georgian.