Portrait Assignment

My sister, Melissa Strait, taking time our of her vanity to giggle.

My dog, Max, looking at me with barely veiled apathy.

These two were shot as an attempt at an unconventional portrait photo. My official assignment is the first and second. In the third I just wanted to see if I could get Max to sit still long enough for a camera to snap a picture in dim light.

A Sense of Place: Lincolnville

Large buildings in various states of disrepair dot the Licolnville landscape. This one is clearly condemned, but many more are being renovated or re-purposed as Community Centers or Museums.

This old and rundown two-story home stands in stark contrast to the renovated one-story just two doors down on DeHaven Street. Like this small slice of neighborhood, much of the community is in transition.

No community is complete without people to inherit it and Licolnville is no different. Little Reniah Wilson, age 3, peeks out from her Play Skool buggy after telling me about how much she looked forward to seeing Mickey Mouse.

Bonus Picture!:

In addition to a variety of community buildings from Churches to Museums, Licolnville is also home to the St. Francis Homeless Shelter. The men in the pictured were reluctant to be filmed without payment, but the woman consented. None of them released their names, however.

For my sense of place I chose the Historic community of Licolnville. Known both for its crime as well as its history, Licolnville is a community in transition. Built as a town for freed slaves after the Civil War, this community has alternated between historic landmark and crime-ridden slum. Licolnville is now home to a diverse group of people from many backgrounds ranging from its original African American population, to students attending Flagler College and the wealthy who seek to restore some of the old properties that have fallen into disuse. All of this history and diversity in one small community makes this place uniquely "St. Augustininian;" the quintessential neighborhood for an already historical place.

Team Red

Photojournalism Project one; detailing a silhouette, an S Curve, and a Headshot with an out of focus background.

St. John's County Flea Market

Proving it's a buyer's market (as long as the merchandise is cute), Nicole Tyrell and her son Caleb of St. Augustine fall for the flea market's charms.

Identifying himself only as 'Jerry,' this man has owned and operated the "Indoor Junkyard" stall for nearly 13 years.

The picturesque greeting of the West entrance facing the parking lot.

This series of photos were taken on the front line of one of the truest indicators on how people get by during economic hardships: the Flea Market. According to one of the stall owners, most vendors at the Market are new people trying to eke out a little more money to make ends meet in a trying economic time.

(Wo)man at Work

Nicole during cleanup, "spinning out" a paint roller so it can be used for another project.

Tyrell's boots are one of the few "girly" items she can wear on the job site.

Tyrell using a roller to quickly finish one of the closet spaces assigned to her that day.

This series of photographs all feature Nicole Tyrell, a St. Augustine painter doing what she does best, and were taken during work on a home renovation in the Marsh Creek development.