That Big Rockin' Chair Won't Go Nowhere

From the archives:

During my latter college years (1981 / 1982), I did some photojournalism for the school newspaper.  As I recall, I only did it for a a few months.  I remember my editor always wanted me to take a picture of a dog chasing a frisbee.  And I always refused. I didn't much like taking direction, but it allowed me access to a real darkroom, instaed of setting up in my apratment's only bathroom.  I'm sure my room mate appreciated the effort.

Meanwhile, the image above was not shot for the paper.  It was taken during a shoot for the paper.  I was sent to Duke Homestead to capture the essence of a tobacco spitting contest.  That's a challenging assignment.  I don't remember the final inmage for that one, but I managed to turm the excursion into a fruitful phototrip. I still have several prints from that outing (all printed 5x7).  This one has been a favorite for years.  Taken inside the historic house, with natural light, hand-held using a chair to brace the camera.

I recently found the negatives from that day (including the spitting shots).  Wish I had access to a darkroom....

This photo has been posted several times before.  Oh, and the title?  From the song by the Band