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.