The Fork

Thank you, Jim and Bernadette Cogdell, for allowing me to begin capturing some of magic of your 1600 acres just south of Norwood, at the "fork" of the  Pee Dee and Rocky Rivers. Also greatly appreciated was Debra and Janet's help, prep work and guidance in the shoots.

"Golden Swift Island"

I consider "Golden Swift Island" my signature piece.

The 2 consecutive early autumn mornings I spent in 2007 witnessing and photographing the shifting fog and light beneath "the big bridge" on the "the river" were transformative ones in my life.  It pulled me back into a life-long love of photography, but within the realm of digital, and the fun of :"finishing" the original artistic vision of a composition, as I saw it,  with aesthetic digital post-processing.

"Golden Swift Island", a 24x40 canvas gallery wrap, sold last week from Falling Rivers Gallery in downtown Albemarle ($840.00)  Although that canvas is unique and will never be reproduced in the exactly the same way, I will continue to create and print slightly different versions and sizes of my signature image.

A framed 20x30 canvas version is currently available at 2nd Street Gallery in Albemarle for ($800.00). Other of my bridge canvases can be found at The Cottage on Tillery and
The Cottage House in downtown Badin.

This post is dedicated to "Scout" 1998-2011,

 my  lil' Scoutster" who left a bit too early for me to share this with.

Lilly's Bridge Morning

They couldn't possibly be having more fun than me photographing them.

November at Lilly's Bridge

16x24 metallic gallery wrap

From the Agri-Civic Center Exhibit

March 1-31, 2011

Swift Island Awakening

The morning I had a perception shift, an awakening...

16x24 metallic gallery wrap

From the current Deb Russell - Landscapes of Lake Tillery and the Uwharries Exhibit

at the Stanly Agri-Civic Center.

2 more days

Morning Insight

10x20 metallic print, matted and framed

View from the steel bridge area on Indian Mound Road north of Norwood, NC.

On display at the Stanly Agri-Civic Center now

Swift Island - More Than a Bridge

16x24 metallic gallery wrap

The inspiration for this image's title comes from...

 "There is more to a fine bridge than dollars and steel and concrete.

 There is beauty."

The Honorable Luther H. Hodges Secretary of Agriculture - December 28,1961

Only 2 more days of my Stanly Agri-Civic Exhibit

Swift Island Daybreak - one from my Agri-Civic Exhibit

Swift Island Daybreak - by Deb Russell
 16x24 Metallic Gallery Wrap

 Agri-Civic Center directions  Mon-Fri ~ 8am-5pm 

Stanly News & Press article 

The exhibit is in cooperation with HD Photo Lab and  Falling Rivers Gallery.
My work is also on display this month in the front window of Falling Rivers Gallery.
Many thanks to Anita Ammerman and Jackie Layman for their work on it.  

Agri-Civic Photography Exhibit - Open Mon-Fri 8am - 5pm

My exhibit, Landscapes of Lake Tillery and The Uwharries can be viewed in the lobby of the Stanly Agri-Civic Center during their regular business hours of 

8am-5pm  Mon-Fri, and any other time the center is open hosting other events.

McKameys and Inspirations in Concert  March 3 - 7pm

Charlotte Concert Band  March 19  - 7:30

101 Dalmatians the Musical  March 24-26 - 7pm

Above - The exhibit (& me), just after hanging with Anita, (mostly by Anita!) of the
 Stanly Arts Guild  Anita also snapped these photos.  "In Morning's Glow" is just behind me,
 from one of my Norwood/steel bridge series of shots on some early November mornings in 2007.
  The fishing boat drifted into my view after I'd been shooting for some time.  The smaller
 fishing image, "Lilly's Bridge Morning", to the left is from November 2009, and was shot from
Lilly's Bridge...the original Lilly's Bridge.

"Golden Swift Island" is just behind me. The Swift Island page on
 my DebRussellPhotographic.com site explains my personal and special connection to
 the historic structure.

March 1 - 31 Stanly County Agri-Civic - Lobby EXHIBIT

I'll be hanging the pieces tomorrow (March1st) at the Agri-Civic Center about 1:00pm with the  help of Stanly Arts Guild exhibit coordinator, Anita Ammerman. I hope to

post some pics of the exhibit later in the week, unless, of course, I remain in 

perpetual recovery from the exhibit preparation!

I appreciate all the support and encouragement from HD Photo Lab, Falling Rivers Gallery, Stanly Arts Guild, Second Street Gallery, friends, co-workers, gallery and guild members.

March Exhibit at the Agri-Civic Center - PRESS RELEASE

March 1, 2011 Stanly News & Press

Anyone who appreciates the picturesque Uwharrie landscape is in for a real treat in March 1-31, when The Stanly County Agri-Civic Center hosts an exhibition by Deb Russell, known locally for her breathtaking photographic imagery of Lake Tillery and the Pee Dee River Basin.

Hosted by the Stanly Arts Guild, in cooperation with Falling Rivers Gallery, the exhibit features two of Deb's metallic gallery wraps on loan from HD Photo Lab. Their glossy finish and metallic appearance result in striking three-dimensional imagery.  Photographers often describe the effect as "chrome on paper."

Deb grew up just a few miles away from the lake in Mount Gilead and considers the area her "home turf." She has seen her beloved Lake Tillery change over the years. It's no longer the quiet, sparsely developed river of her youth, when most houses along its shores were simple weekend river cabins. Gone are the days when weekday boating could mean a long paddle to the shore if you ran out of gas.

Through her imagery, Deb hopes to convey – and, perhaps, to recapture – the quiet harmony and mystery of Lake Tillery, to remind busy Sunday afternoon boaters of the majesty of "our river."

"For those with a life-long appreciation of this stretch of the Pee Dee River, I want to confirm that your river is still beautiful," she says. "For everyone, I hope there can be a renewed or continued desire to preserve that which is close to us, so precious and delicate, and so critical to our way of life."

Deb has worked at Bullock Professional, a pro lab in Albemarle, for the last 12 years. In that time she has complemented her artistic instincts with refined editing and post-processing skills that help her turn ordinary photographs into art. 

 "The masters canvas product is great for my landscapes because the Kodak metallic paper is 'right out there,' behind no framing glass, allowing the room light to play with all the vibrant color, contrast and depth in the paper," she says. "In one of my graphic bridge shots, the morning sun hitting the glistening water is so much more enhanced by the reflective properties of the metallic paper. It brings additional life and pop to the sunlight as the viewer moves to examine at different angles. I know I smiled when I first saw that one in the lab."

All photographs in the exhibit are available for sale by contacting Anita Ammerman of the  Stanly Arts Guild (704) 982-0924, or by contacting Deb Russell through Deb Russell Photographic.com.  More of Deb’s art, including her book, are on display at Falling Rivers Gallery, a cooperative of local artists, in downtown Albemarle.

http://thesnaponline.com/features/x651389845/Russell-exhibits-photographs-during-March

Ready for a Piney Point Spring!

Make a free photo slideshow

A Lake Tillery gift...

Available at:


The Cottage at Tillery

4601NC Hwy 24/27 W and River Road (behind The Uwharrie Sportsman) 

Mount Gilead, NC 27306 

(910) 439-1500 

Reflections on Main

1631 East Main Street
Albemarle, NC 28001
(704) 986-4438

Falling Rivers Gallery 
 (Just above Starnes Jewelers)

119 West Main St.

Albemarle, NC


I also have a few copies on hand - call or email me.
  Email me
 910-439-4496

September Sunset from Timberlake

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The 4th of July on Tillery

I was out for a good walk first thing this morning, deciding the Woodrun docks would be a nice detour for the morning of the 4th.  Striding at a fast pace along the docks, I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw the latest addition to the lines of boats.  What has come to be a bit of a signature image of mine, the hand-crafted sailboat, "Sailing into Morning", flashed in my mind as I was standing by its replacement - another hand-crafted motorized, "tugboat/shrimpboat-like" vintage-looking and gorgeous wooden boat.

The owner and I immediately recognized one another and he (Steve Cycotte) began to tell me about his new beauty.  His brother, Tim, mostly constructed the boat by hand, using mahogany, white oak, teak and cherry. The Smilebox here, are are few shots I grabbed this morning, but Steve offered to let me take more in better lighting on a weekday late afternnoon.   When I happened back down on the docks later in the morning, Steve and his two brothers were just getting back from a cruise up past the Uwharrie River into about 3 feet of water and rocks.  The other shots are ones I took while goofing around later on the docks.

So, the Smilebox is 2 little vignettes of a 4th of July morning at Woodrun on Tillery.  Enjoy.

This digital slideshow customized with Smilebox

"Never Caught Up" LILLY'S BRIDGE SAGE

A couple of weeks ago I enjoyed shooting at the Lilly's Bridge end of my old nook, the one that holds so many memories for me, and will probably be back to discover different angles, composition and light.

In the introduction to the Smilebox, I mentioned "a bridge sage".  Near the end of my morning (a weekday) of shooting on my last trip to the bridge, I stopped near one of the folks fishing off the bridge.

Adjusting my tripod for just a few last shots, an old fellow, probably retired and enjoying a slow pace (sitting on left here) turned around to me and posed the question, "are ya 'bout caught up?".   Finally feeling my 4th shoot there had given me what I wanted for your project, I replied, "well, yes, as a matter of fact I do feel about caught up...yes, I do." I thought my reply was a positve and cheery one, and a very true one. 

A few seconds passed and I asked the same question of him.   His reply surprised and enlightened me.  With a happy twinkle in his voice, he said, "ohhh no, I'm never caught up...I've always got plenty to do...I always want it that way".  I hadn't thought he was "doin' much" before that, but in an instant, he conveyed the philosophy of thoroughly savoring each moment and anticipating all those moments to come.

...And that is way plenty to do

The Cottage at Tillery - great new spot for browsing gifts, produce, art

The Cottage is open Thursday - Sunday...it's right behind The Uwharrie Sportsman ("log cabin store") on Hwy 24/27 at River Road.

A digital slideshow by Smilebox