Helen's Bridge: Visual Narrative

In the beautiful mountains of Asheville, NC. . .

There is Beaucatcher Mountain, a secluded, quiet area overlooking the city

A family lived in these peaceful woods on this mountain.  The mother was named Helen, she had a young daughter.  One night the house is said to have caught fire, her daughter was the only casualty. 

Distraught and inconsolable, Helen went to a nearby bridge.

Unable to cope with her loss. .

Helen hung herself.

Although the bridge is beautiful, visitors are warned.  While you may not see any hauntings during the day.

Once the sun goes down Helen continues to haunt the area, still mourning the loss of her child.  You may find her wandering the area.

And even if you think you got away, car trouble may often be experienced by visitors of Helen's Bridge.

Essay:  I intended the pictures to capture the beauty of the area and the bridge but to also reveal the "spookiness" that can be felt.  I intentionally took the photos around sunset to give a feel of danger impending.  The color of the light and shadows are significant contributors to this.  I took the pictures to try and tell a chronological story but it was left open-ended. Additionally, I intended the pictures to be taken from what looked like what one would see if they were to encounter the story.  Specifically, looking up at the bridge from the ground and looking down the bridge from the top.  If the pictures were re-arranged there would indeed be a different story.  I do believe that film and television likely influenced my pictures but not directly.  The images somewhat faithfully captured the mood but it can't really convey the spookiness of being there.  There was a chill, the sun was setting and I wanted to leave before it got dark!  It can also feel very secluded though it isn't far from town.  I believe one can get a sense of the mood but I could not fully capture it.

Introduction: Self Portrait and Statement

Caitlyn Short here.  I'm a 22 year old student majoring in the BLS program and living in Asheville, NC.  My concerns about the direction and emphasis in popular culture are plentiful and fairly standard!

The degradation of quality of T.V. shows, of course there are many that have merit but the abundance and attention that reality shows get is incredible.

As an avid gamer one of the concerns that is ever-present is the lack of responsibility that is placed on the individual for their actions.  Video games are one of the focuses of the media and therefore our culture, it is a huge story if there is a connection between violence and an individual who played video games. In general, the blaming of media for people's action sometimes goes too far, in my opinion. We allow ourselves to be influenced by what we consume. . and we choose to consume it! An individual doesn't commit and act of violence because they saw a movie or played a game with violence.  It may be part of the equation but there was something wrong in the first place. However, I do think violence should be portrayed for a reason and with responsibility and not just to shock audiences. 

Popular culture in general is an interesting thing.  Its cool to be in the know. . but its cool to be the first when it isn't cool.  Popular culture is virtually unavoidable!  I'm generally not as mainstream as many yet I can't help but hear about what everyone else is listening to, watching, etc.  I wouldn't consider popular culture a bad or evil thing but certainly it has its faults.  The focus on popular culture seems to have its roots in people's need to be "in the know" and part of the crowd.  I don't think anyone in our culture is fully immune to it.

One of my many favorite sites is gamepolitics.com