As mentioned, we're in Monroe (soon to leave, sadly) and being a photographer I get asked at times to take photos. It's never a problem, but I sometimes get little bonuses like taking really cheesy shots of people. Here's Steph and Jess, a classic cheesy duo, in the family backyard during family photo time.

So I'm in Monroe for the Memorial day long weekend and there is a local business owner who shares a mutual affection for Stephanie's family. I've long heard of him but never met him—until tonight. Raj is originally from Delhi (India, not Del-High, Louisiana (they seriously call it del-high), moved to London, New York, and then middle of fucking nowhere Monroe (Swartz), Louisiana. Every time Steph asks for his story as to how he got he he just says it's a long story and won't tell it. I assume he's on the run from the law. Or is in witness protection. Or a spy. Totally a spy. (A nice spy)

Anyway. He was great and we chatted about India and food stuffs and general nonsense. I'll hang out with him again...guaranteed.

This is a digital photo of a Fuji 100C45 instant film shot. I shot a few frames of Fuji 160 color as well. Look out, Richard Photo Lab..here they come.

So, as this project continues, albeit in a different form, I wonder now and then about the ongoing purpose of this blog thing.

Electric Lion started out as a semi-secret project to see if I could take a photo every day and post a photo every day...as a means of practicing discipline and to grow as a photographer. It totally worked. I shot for two years and posted as close to daly as possible and have now converted to a loose, 3-day-a-week quasi format. But I feel like I'm in sort of a no mans land now...I am not out to prove anything to myself anymore, so I guess I'm posting for the people who read this. In which case I need to step up my game, eh?

Ultimately, these posts will stop being posted at this URL, but rather change to carynorton.com (as mentioned) and that will become the hub for all blogging by me (still havent decided about poptpops, though). That makes me want to be "more professional" or whatever the hell that means. What I think I SHOULD do is just post the best but still bring myself to the posts. I have a tendency to formalize myself a bit when I feel like I'm writing for someone specific. So, I guess I'll gonna try to be myself, and in turn post pictures that I love, no matter what. Or something. (See above for instance. This photo...I love. But mostly because Steph is flossing, let me take the photo, and let me post it here)

Hi, I'm Cary. (Maybe I'll recycle that line for when I officially relaunch carynorton.com)

POLL:

When I relaunch, should I transfer over all of Electric Lion's blog posts?
Should I let it stand on its own or start it out with a bang with all the content I've posted here for the last 2.5 years?

I limited images at my disposal here so I'm really getting the most out of this mom-cam roll. Fortunately I have plenty I like.

Here is rob again. Laughing, imagine that.

Oh, ps, thats my head on the bottom. I was doing a non-look, shooting-behind-me sort of thing.

Also, I have so much work I'm proud of from earlier this year I just still can't post it. Soon, I hope.

Steph's burrito baby, at Camp Taco.

So I'm about 9,000 shots and 4 days into an 8 day shoot...I don't have a ton of time for blog stuffs. I did grab some scans from RIchard Photo Lab, aka asskickers, and will try to post a couple of shots. Above is Rob in the office photographed with a total mom-camera i got at the thrift store for 3 bucks because it had a roll of film in it (and I'm nosey).

More from that roll to come.

David on the mom cam.

I shot a series of portraits recently...I don't know when they will surface, but I just cannot withhold this man any longer. I forget his name offhand, but I was captivated by his face as soon as I saw it. I was also intimidated, but it worked itself out.

More on this later.

This dude is intense.

This is a very strange and lovely poptpop. And I love it.

Obviously, my mom was there (what with the whole anniversary and all). She hates when I take her photo and this was no exception. I see a lot of her as a kid in this shot (and the series of 11 frames I took of her in this moment).

A while back Steph's family came up and we took a quick trip up to my grandparents' house, in part to celebrate their 69th anniversary, in part to see the farm, and also, to take a few pictures of Jessica (steph's sister). I'm a bit behind on electric lion here so i'm gonna pick a few of my favorites and post them.

Steph's dad, William, has an awesome beard. He's been growing it since the start of this past Whiskerino and it continues to be outstanding. Check out that curl!

My long-time friend Rich is getting married today and as with the tradition, we went out for some drinks last night. We wound up at a karaoke place that was so so bad. In a great way. They seriously had a stripper pole for people to dance on when they get wasted enough. Brilliant.

Another note of no consequence is that we had the most amazing Thai spread for dinner last night. So place in Leesburg, VA. Rich and his dad were dropping Thai with the staff all night and I was loving it. I was stuffed...with the best meal I've had in ages. Dear Steph, let's go to Thailand. Signed, Me.

So yeah the above is just Rich at the bar.

Also I've been shooting stuff I enjoy as late, but can't post it yet. Looking forward to doing so though. Portraits all around the state, Texas, and Mexico.

Another blast from the past here. I've been shooting plenty I am proud of but cannot yet really show anyone. In browsing through disparate images on a super random drive I ran across some old India images and found this one...well...I found it to be a photo of a tiny monkey and it is damn cute so I am posting it, dammit. That's it. It is a monkey. It has the features of other baby animals. It is in a tree.

the end.

On a recent trip to my GRANDPARENTS FREAKING FARM I took some photos. A bunch of those were poptpops. HERE...Here is my favorite. IT IS in fact a Versus PoptopP but I do not have their photo yet...I'll post it when I get it.

SEEN ABOVE:

Stephanie's Mom, backwards Dad, family dog (the super cute weiner), and my mom's (MOSTLY STUPID) scottie.

ALSO: Fence made by my granddad and uncle (decades ago ago ago), some awesome grass and trees, and a tiny mountain style thing.

UPDATED!

Finally got the other side of this poptpop!

I said last time I wouldn't post any OF myself for a while but I got an email from an old friend CONTAINING A VINTAGE FUCKING POPTPOP OF YOURS TRULY AND HERS TRULY.

This was sent in by my old school buddy Liz and its a new category of POPtPOP'in. I briefly proposed the name INIFINIPOP™ but I think we'd need another mirror in the shot. So this one is SORT of a Versus™, but its also of herself. Self-vs-self, in a way.

I think the new term is MetaPop™! MEEEEETTAAAAPOP (i say mehta-pop, but you can say meatah-pop if you WANT TO)

Here is what Liz had to say about the image:

So I was going through photographs the other day while cleaning out the office and I found (this) (... below, obviously). And I remembered your thing about pictures of people taking...... so I wondered...
Does it count if it's self-reflective? ( and does it count if you are in the picture?) (and if it is self-reflective-as in literally- does that make it an infinite poptpop?)
Anyway, this was a classic. Love the shirts.

And I have to say: This was at a hotel in Birmingham when she came to see me (from knoxville) when I was in college. The shirt I am wearing is from the Sturgis bike rally my dad took me to in 1998, though neither of us really rode at that point.

I ALSO have to say: i promise, the next poptop is AWESOME. in fact, IT IS MY FAVORITE OF ALL OF TIME.

Brace yourself, grab some Depends®, and hold on.

ps POLTAPOLAM!

pps yes thats really me.

This...this is, I think, my favorite poptpop yet. This is Steph's mom shooting us at my grandparents' farm. More info will be at poptpop.com.

I love it. I love it so much to make it today's electric lion in addition to the next post on poptpop.

For larger (which is my preference, frankly) see Here.

I got back more film today and am very excited about a lot of the shots. The frame above is an out take from a shoot in El Paso that would never ever run, but I really like.

In an unrelated note, Damien Jurado is putting out a new record called Saint Bartlett and you can Pre-Order it already and if you DO you get MP3 downloads of the whole album RIGHT NOW. That's like getting the album 1.5 months early and STILL getting the album as super surprise later! Can't wait to hold this one in my hands, though.

I FINALLY got my shit together and got all the whiskerino stuff scanned. Michael (aka Mackle), the curator of Whiskerino, helped me get them online by providing a svelte gallery and hosting on the whiskerino domain.

CHIECK IT OUT.

The above (of @brandon) is one of my favorite shots from the whole day. It feels remarkably honest and warm to me.

Recent portrait for Birmingham Magazine of a long standing local company called Landscape Workshop. Check it out in the April issue. (It printed a bit green and dark in the magazine, but that's here nor there. At least it's their Green Issue, eh?)