Crouch takes perfect score, top monthly honors
By Kevin Spradlin
PeeDeePost.com
ROCKINGHAM — Marie Moss couldn’t help herself. Her eyes were all but glued to a single photo inside Arts Richmond Thursday night in downtown Rockingham.
Photo by Sheila Crouch
Just as it seemed she had settled on one — a lighting show in Hamlet snapped by Jimmy McDonald, a bouquet of flowers by Sandra Elliott, or a family celebration caught in mid-jump by Sheila Crouch — her attention was diverted to yet another framed image.
There was, beyond a doubt, plenty to choose from as McDonald and his Richmond County Photography Group staged its monthly meeting with an exhibition opening and reception at the restored East Washington Street facility.
Several members of the group, as well as walk-ins among the general public, enjoyed light refreshments during the event. Nearly 10 members of the group broke off into a separate discuss to conduct the group’s regular monthly meeting. Each month, the members rate themselves and their peers — in front of each other — to decide the favorite photo taken during the assignment period. This month’s assignment was “illusion.”
Crouch won top honors with a perfect score. Her photo shows 3-year-old Tatum Coble being carried off by balloons. Tatum is the daughter of Kevin and Olivia Coble, of Wallace, S.C. Crouch snapped the photo with her Nikon D5100 at the Coble family home.
Taytum, Crouch said, “was very excited to be modeling for this photo. She couldn’t keep her eyes off of the balloons.”
Crouch said the shutter closed “60 or so” times “to get one semi-good shot. She was so tiny she couldn’t get very high off the trampoline and the wind kept blowing the balloons sideways.”
The photo was taken on Jan. 9, when the sun was out by the temperature was a crisp 45 degrees “with strong cold winds,” Crouch said.
Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com
Marie Moss views a few of the dozens of photographs on display inside Arts Richmond on East Washington Street in downtown Rockingham.
“She was cold but determined to get the shot,” Crouch said of her subject. “Taytum was awarded with the balloons when we were done.”
The purpose of the Richmond County Photography Group is to promote the interests of photographers by bringing together those who are interested in helping each other to produce better pictures, to educate, encourage and expand the photographic knowledge and capabilities of its members. The group is open to anyone 16 years of age or older and meets at 6 p.m. at Arts Richmond on the third Thursday of each month.
Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com
The photos taken by members of the Richmond County Photography Group include many assignment subjects, such as “celebrate,” “wide angle,” “vehicle,” “sunset,” “window,” “sound,” “circle,” “railroad,” “textures,” “slippery,” “family,” “decay,” “red” and “bug,” among others.
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