Jimmy Buffett

 Mike Genger was one of my best friends in high school and college. We shared similar interests, most notably surfing and music. We learned to surf on 10-foot longboards, and attended rock concerts in the DC area. As fate would have it, we eventually went our separate ways. I moved to Hatteras and continued to surf. Mike went on to become a roadie for some touring bands. He worked with the likes of Little Feat, Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne.

In July of 1981, Mike called to say he’d be in Virginia on the 14th at Hampton Coliseum with Jimmy Buffett and his Coral Reefer Band . The Coconut Telegraph Tour was in full swing. My roommate BJ, and I headed north to get treated with backstage passes. 

Before the concert, we hung out on the tour bus. I was taken by this graphic on the exterior.

I had no experience shooting concerts, but used a roll of Kodak Tri-X black & white film.

Mike led us back stage in the wings, where I was immediately mistaken for singer-songwriter J.D. Souther. Like him, I had long brown hair, and reddish beard. He was a huge influence in the California music scene. I was merely a doppelgänger taking pictures.

My camera was in manual mode. Shutter speed, f-stop and focus, all hit or miss.

This picture intrigued me. Thinking the negative was scratched, I took a closer look. The white mark going down Buffett’s left side is a broken guitar string.

These have never been seen or published before. After I developed the film, I filed it with all my other negatives. It was a memorable, not-to-be-missed opportunity. What a great show, exactly 44 years ago!

 

Milepost

Over the years, numerous publications have appeared on the Outer Banks. Early on I worked with some of them, but not so much in recent years.  

This past February I was invited to give a presentation at one of the North Carolina Coastal Federation monthly meetings. Expecting a handful of attendees, I was surprised when 30 or 40 folks showed up. My talk went for over an hour and consisted of 74 images, covering about 50 years of work. Matt Walker, editor of Milepost was there, and later asked about profiling me for Issue 14.2, that would come out this summer.

After several onsite interviews at my studio, we finished up when my friend, photographer Daniel Pullen came in to shoot a portrait. I’ve long had great respect for his outstanding work.

Milepost is a free publication and distributed throughout the outer banks. Pick one up to see the big story. As a back issue, it will be posted later on the magazine’s website.

Back Issues

Night Flight

A few years ago after a day on Ocracoke, I was catching a late ferry back to Hatteras, and noticed gathering seagulls awaiting our departure. As the ferry boat captain made way into the blackness of Pamlico Sound, he searched for channel markers with a flood light. Birds flew in and out of the beam picking up any bait fish attracted to it.

I experimented with some long exposures and liked one shot, revealing extended paths of individual gulls. Night Flight was taken using a 200mm lens at f/4 with a shutter speed of two seconds.

The Machine

Five years ago I began a journey with prostate cancer. After considerable testing, it was determined to be intermediate stage and slow growing. Active surveillance with biopsies and MRI scans seemed the best way to keep track of any changes. After 5 years of that, I decided the next course of treatment. Options included continued active surveillance, prostatectomy or radiation. Considering the pros and cons of each, I chose radiation.

I spent much of March and April this year with therapy at the Cowell Cancer Center in Nags Head. Each treatment lasted only a few minutes and went for 28 days. Expected side effects were minimal. 

The Varian VitalBeam provided radiation. Lying on the table, I was amazed at the robotic capabilities controlled from an adjacent room. Scanners and a radiation dome rotated around me with laser-lined precision.

My  prognosis is excellent. A positive side effect is that I made close bonds with all my caregivers and their patients. Now I’m just about back to normal and hopefully cancer free.

Commercial Fishing

Moving here decades ago, introduced me to a culture of commercial fishing. It was a livelihood that captured my attention. I spent lots of time watching newfound friends hauling in their catch, sometimes prolific, many times not. I hung out at the creek where locals kept their boats and packed fish. It became a passion for my photography.

Old wooden boats had beautiful lines, particularly the traditional shad boats, like these in the background of this 1985 photograph. I noticed the wooden workboats were being replaced by ones built of fiberglass.

Shooting this 1980 image, I was especially taken by four shad boats tied up at the Beasley fish house in Colington. I would see them frequently long hauling Pamlico Sound at Rodanthe. Originally designed to use sail power, most had been converted to using gasoline engines.

I revisited that same fish house two weeks ago. The shad boats were gone, the building in disrepair. Some fishing was still apparent but it was not the same. For me, the scene symbolized the decline of independent commercial fishing enterprises, and made me sad.