Blue Magnolia's Mississippi Bicentennial Photo Doc Project

I couldn't have asked for a better way to wrap up 2017 than to take part in Blue Magnolia's Mississippi Bicentennial project! The project highlighted 100 individuals across the state, and documented the ways they each have impacted their hometowns. I was invited to photograph Vishwesh Bhatt, Chef at Snackbar in Oxford, MS. Below is a description of the project, as well as a link to the finished video...

"During the Mississippi Bicentennial, Blue Magnolia Films invited the City of Oxford, Mississippi and The University of Mississippi - Ole Miss to nominate a handful of people from within the community to celebrate their stories, and cast a positive vision for the future. 

Photographer, Megan Wolfe turns the spotlight on Vishwesh Bhatt, Chef at Snackbar, originally from Ahmedabad, India, who has made Oxford home for the last 25 years.

“I am a firm believer in using your individual gifts to give back to the community you live in, or at least the one you adopt. When you live that mantra, it can manifest itself in a variety of actionable ways. Vish is an awesome example of that in that he has discovered a real purpose in his kitchen: fostering the ambitions, skills, and dreams of the young chefs that will ideally succeed him. His love for the Oxford community has only grown from the gratitude he feels for having been on the other side of that equation. 

By telling his story, I'm doing something very similar... I'm sharing the story of someone in my community who is doing what someone once did for me. In the spirit of this project, I invite other community members to look at what they are passionate about and use their talents to give back.”
- Megan Wolfe, Photographer, Holly Springs, MS"

Cook With Passion from Blue Magnolia Films on Vimeo.

"Like" and "Share” Megan’s story about Vish to celebrate the Mississippi Bicentennial. 

Follow Megan on Facebook @MeganWolfePhoto / Email: info@meganwolfephoto.com / See her portfolio at https://meganwolfephoto.shootproof.com

Snackbar
721 N Lamar Blvd
Oxford, Mississippi
Tel: (662) 236-6363
www.snackbaroxford.com
FB: @SnackbarOxford
Twitter/Instagram: @SnackbarOxford

Send your compliments to the Chef ! Email: vkbhatt@gmail.com 

Oxford is one of thirteen cities elected to participate in “Celebrating Storytelling”, a Mississippi Bicentennial project culminating with 100 community voices.  #MS200 #oxford #olemiss
Special thanks to project sponsors: University of Mississippi, The Inn at Ole Miss, Oxford Depot, C Spire, The Selby and Richard McRae Foundation

“Celebrating Storytelling” is a project of Blue Magnolia Films / Corner to Corner Productions in partnership with Barefoot Workshops.

Megan/Vish are one of 100 storytellers featured in an “interactive” public installation on Capitol Street in downtown Jackson through February 28. Start at Hilton Garden Inn Jackson Downtown / King Edward Hotel and follow the gallery to Coalesce Coworking at corner of State St."

Jennifer Russell Interior Design

In looking ahead to 2018, I set out to expand my portfolio with some interior design work, and was graciously connected with Jennifer Russell! Jennifer hails from Oxford, and designs everything from condos, to bathrooms, to front doors, and more! Here's a few of my favorite shots from our recent shoots...

Shooting for Invitation Oxford

In the summer, I started freelancing with Invitation Oxford, a Mississippi lifestyle magazine, covering social events, fundraisers, and the general goings-on in the Oxford, MS community. The amount of coverage varies between issues, depending on what I can slip into my schedule, but on average, I shoot 4-6 events. Here's a few pages showing my work...

Tasty Delta Tamales in "The 'Sip"

For the Bicentennial Issue of The 'Sip, I worked with writer and tamale expert, Anne Martin, to capture some of the Mississippi Delta's best tamales! From Greenville, to Rosedale, to Clarksdale, I visited a handful of the best tamale locations for a set of delicious photos. Here's a few, including some of my favorites that didn't make the publication...

A Cover Photo, Elvis, and Forklift in "Eat. Drink. Mississippi"

I've fallen behind on a few of my blog posts again, so, starting here, I'm going to catch up on a piece of GREAT news from this past Fall... If you follow my Instagram or Facebook profile, you might have seen that one of my photos was on the cover for the August / September issue of "Eat. Drink. Mississippi".

The pictured Belvis Burger from the Neon Pig was part of my article about "The Tupelo Elvis Experience". I also wrote (and shot) an article about the delicious new Tupelo restaurant, "Forklift", which, shortly after my piece, they opened a coffee shop next door. Here's a few shots from each article...

All About Creative Aging

One of the projects I completed in 2017 (and that gave birth to a number of Small Bites on Instagram), is a video for Creative Aging. It speaks of their mission, and the good that they, and their artists, do for senior communities in the Mid-South. The photos were captured throughout 2016-2017, documenting the variety of performances featured in Creative Aging's Senior Arts Series at Theatre Memphis.

Creative Aging from Megan Wolfe on Vimeo.

Multimedia "Small Bites" on Instagram

I capture a ton of great audio when I'm working on an article or a video project, and then I throw most of it out. It's not that the audio is unusable, there's just a lot of extra stuff that I have to edit away to get to the main point, or story, of a piece.

"Small Bites" were created because it pains me to hear a great little story (usually a tangent in a broader conversation), a quote, or some music, and then find that I have to throw it out later.

Bites are short, one minute multimedia pieces that I share on Instagram. Most are audio with one photo, but I'm expanding into short video clips as well. Here are a few of my favorites.

061017 / Joyce Cobb Memphis, TN Much of what I record during gigs gets scrapped, and I think it's a shame; I love all those little moments. I'm playing with the idea of creating short clips from concerts, or interviews, just to share more. This clip of Joyce was recorded last night in Midtown as part of a larger project. #music #joycecobb #memphis #midtown

A post shared by Megan Wolfe (@meganwolfe) on Jun 11, 2017 at 12:57am PDT

Small Bites / 062117 Brian 'Breeze' Cayolle talks about working with Creative Aging, and speaks of a personal experience with a fellow musician. #brianbreezecayolle #interview #memphis #creativeaging #audio

A post shared by Megan Wolfe (@meganwolfe) on Jun 25, 2017 at 11:54pm PDT

Small Bites / 063017 Don Knight, owner of Johnnie's Drive-In in Tupelo, MS, passes along a word of advice about the restaurant business. #johnniesdrivein #tupelo #mississippi #audio #interview

A post shared by Megan Wolfe (@meganwolfe) on Jul 9, 2017 at 10:24pm PDT

Small Bites / 072517 Artist Darc Marc paints signage for the front windows of The Bottomless Cup in Holly Springs, MS. The coffee shop is anticipated to open in roughly one month, and occupies the former space of Lost River Mercantile. #darcmarc #hollysprings #mississippi #timelapse #handpaintedsigns

A post shared by Megan Wolfe (@meganwolfe) on Jul 26, 2017 at 12:17am PDT

Recently in "Eat. Drink. Mississippi"

This week I'm catching up on long overdue blog posts! Starting with the past two issues of "Eat. Drink. Mississippi". In case you missed them, the April / May issue featured two articles of my work, "McEwen's" and "The Debutante Farmer". Here's a few of my shots from each article. Back issues are available through EDM.

I also neglected to update with my article from the Summer issue (that tells you how swamped I've been!). The June / July issue featured my article and photography of "Steak by Melissa", a new steak restaurant in Southaven. Below are a few shots from that piece. Back issues are available through EDM.

Portraits of Christy's "Little Man"

Kids are so much fun for photojournalism-style shoots! I had a blast with my friend Christy and her son, "Little Man", who quickly began showing-off his fitness routine! Here's a few of my favorite shots from our afternoon together. My favorites are the more artistic black and white shots, of course, but Christy received my standard batch of selects... which includes both color and b&w images.

Barefoot Workshops with Ron Haviv

Last month, I attended Barefoot Workshops in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Class was instructed by one of my favorite photojournalists, Ron Haviv of VII! It's the first photojournalism workshop I've been able to attend, and I'm so grateful for the experience!

During the week-long workshop, we chose a local subject to document. Then, we selected our best (and favorite) shots, and put together a slideshow presentation. The last day of the workshop, each of us presented our work to the community, including the people we documented.

For my project, I followed Mark 'River' Peoples, a river guide for Quapaw Canoe Company in Clarksdale. Mark is a staple in the community, and spends much of his free time volunteering with children. See my final presentation, "River Peoples" below..

River Peoples from Barefoot Workshops on Vimeo.

Photographer: © 2017 Megan Wolfe

Workshop: 2017 (February) - 1-Week Documentary Photography in The Mississippi Delta with Barefoot Workshops 

Instructor: Ron Haviv

"The Artist's Sketch" by Carolyn J. Brown

I'm thrilled to announce that Carolyn J. Brown's book, "The Artist's Sketch: A Biography of Painter Kate Freeman Clark" is out in bookstores! For this project, I had the honor of photographing Clark's items, such as her paint brushes and books, as well as key locations in Holly Springs. The book is in full color, and is absolutely stunning!

Here's the synopsis for the book, plus a few of the photos...

"Artist Kate Freeman Clark (1875–1957) left behind over one thousand paintings now stored at a gallery bearing her name in her hometown of Holly Springs, Mississippi. But it was not until after her death in 1957 at the age of eighty-one that citizens even discovered that she was a painter of considerable stature. In her will, Clark left the city her family home, her paintings stored at a warehouse in New York for over forty years, and money to build a gallery, much to the surprise of the Holly Springs community.

As a young woman, Clark studied art in New York and took classes with some of the greatest American artists of the day. From the start Clark approached the study of art with discipline and tenacity. She learned from William Merritt Chase when he opened his own school in 1895. For six consecutive summers at his Shinnecock Summer School of Art in Long Island, she mastered the plein air technique. Chase trained many female students, yet he recognized Clark as “his most talented pupil.” The book prints, for the first time, excerpts from Clark’s delightful journal of the artist’s experience at Chase’s school, giving readers firsthand reporting of an artist-led school in the early twentieth century.

Clark returned to Holly Springs in 1923. Mysteriously, sadly, she never resumed painting and lived the last years of her life in quietude. The Artist’s Sketch shines a light on Clark, finally bringing her out of obscurity. This book also introduces Clark’s art to a new generation of readers and highlights current projects and important work being done in Holly Springs by the Kate Freeman Clark Art Gallery and the Marshall County Historical Museum, the two institutions that, since her death, have worked hard to keep Kate Freeman Clark’s legacy alive."

Catfish Blues in Eat.Drink.MS

On stands now! The February / March issue of "Eat. Drink. Mississippi" features my article and photos about "Catfish Blues" in Hernando! See what makes the food so delicious, and read about how restauranteur, Josh Tucker, was inspired by blues history. Pick up a copy of "Eat. Drink. Mississippi" at your local Mississippi bookstore, or Barnes & Noble in Collierville, Tenn.