Southern Crossings: Where Geography and Photography Meet

"Photography is the visual language that I use to examine landscapes and share my thoughts about them," says David Zurick in a note before entering the exhibit. Although he is mainly recognized as being a geographer, he calls himself "a student of culture landscape.

In 1996, geographer David Zurick embarked on a nearly decade long journey across the South taking photos of what he felt truly captured the South. Originally from Michigan, Zurick now lives in Kentucky where the project of taking these photos resulted from his desire to make his photographs closer to home. The twenty-three photos featured in the exhibit come from all over the south including Georgia, South Carolina, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Each photo captures a different aspect of history of the south through nature or even a simple object or building and how things have changed today.

Ole Miss student, sophomore Victoria Samson, walks through the exhibit before one of her classes. "It's really fascinating how he takes one picture and there is an actual story behind it," she says as she gazes at a photo entitled "Negro Resort." The photo was taken at Amelia Island in 1997 and features four palm trees on the beach. The story behind the photo is about American Beach which was one of the only beach resorts back in the 1930's for blacks. Now the beach features none of the clubs and restaurants it used to but merely a few palm trees and historic signs.

Another photo features the city of the Atlanta, Georgia skyline as well as highways I-85 and I-75 about to merge before entering the heart of the city. The photo features empty highways, a rare site to anyone who calls Atlanta their home. Zurick says the photo was taken early on a Sunday morning and that it interested him that it showed a the city looking virtually unpopulated.

A photo entitled Junked Truck, Stone County Mississippi 2000 captures an old antebellum looking truck rotting in the middle of a forest. Zurick goes on to describe that this is a common site across the South. In fact, its not just cars but appliances and other household items as well.

Until October 15th, Zurick's exhibit Southern Crossings: Where Geography and Photography Meet will be on display at the University of Mississippi's Barnard Observatory located just across from the Student Union.