Little Rock Lens: Chaos, 4119403, and the 21°C Mess

i've been dragging my camera around little rock for a week, sleeping maybe three hours a night because i'm chasing that perfect shot that'll actually pay the rent. between client emails, i keep seeing two numbers pop up everywhere: 4119403 and 1840015509. my latest gig email was tagged 'project 4119403 - riverfront sunrise', and then my phone buzzed with a bank notification referencing 1840015509. i have no clue what that transaction is; i'm too scared to look. anyway, the weather's a weird mix: it's 21.09°c right now but feels like 20.46, humidity at 46%, pressure steady at 1019 hpa, sea level pressure also 1019, ground level 1006. the forecast swings between a low of 19.92 and a high of 22.98. numbers, numbers, everywhere. it's like the city is speaking in code, and i'm just half-asleep trying to decode it.

the city skyline at night is something else. i set up my tripod on the riverbank, trying to catch the reflections of the downtown lights on the water. the Arkansas river is like a black mirror when it's calm, but the barges keep messing up my long exposures. i got this one shot where the moon was just above the Main Street bridge - no, wait, that was the other bridge. anyway, i'm attaching a pic i stole from unsplash because my own memory card is full with 4119403's worth of junk? maybe that number's how many photos i took last month, who knows.

i spent a whole afternoon on the riverwalk, camera in hand, watching kayaks and paddleboards. the heat was actually nice for once - 21°c but that feels-like thing is a lie because i was sweating like a sinner in church. someone told me that there's a secret spot near the junction of the Arkansas and some creek where the light slants golden at 5pm, so i rushed there, tripped over a loose board, and almost dropped my 50mm f/1.2. i heard from a regular at the coffee shop that the best tamales in town are sold from a bicycle cart near that spot, but the guy manning the cart only shows up on tuesdays and thursdays and he's got a pet raccoon named marilyn. i missed it, obviously. anyway, here's a bridge shot:

after editing until 4am, i decided to try a timelapse of the traffic on i-30. the city's not as congested as new york, but the light trails still look cool when you speed them up. i set my camera on the overpass near the corporate center, and a security guard came over asking if i was a terrorist. i showed him my portfolio on my phone; he nodded and said 'nice colors' before leaving. i captured about 500 frames before the battery died. the result was a blurry mess, but i love it. here's a stock photo that kinda represents that feeling:

i'm not even sure where i am half the time, so i rely on google maps. here's the general area i'm shooting around:

that point is somewhere near the riverfront district. i drop pins like 4119403 times a day.

when the city starts to feel small, i just hop in my beat-up honda and drive to north little rock or even conway, which is like 30 minutes away. the countryside there is all cotton fields and abandoned barns - perfect for those desolate shots that get me likes on instagram. i heard through the grapevine that conway's got a thriving indie coffee scene, but the guy at the gas station told me to avoid the place after dark because the coyotes get too friendly. also, if you get bored, little rock's got a bunch of quirky neighborhoods that feel like separate towns. i've been meaning to explore the south main arts district but my tires are always flat from broken glass, so maybe next week.

i keep hearing rumors about local spots. someone told me that the old train depot on willow street is haunted by a conductor who still shouts 'all aboard' at 3am. i'm skeptical, but i went there one night with my headlamp, and i swear i heard a whistle. maybe it was the wind, maybe it was my own imagination fueled by too much coffee. also, on yelp someone left a review saying the best barbecue joint in town, 'the hole in the wall', has a secret menu that includes a five-alarm chili that'll make you see ghosts. i tried it, and i did see something - probably just the steam from the chili pot. you can check it out: Little Rock's Top Barbecue on Yelp. maybe don't go alone; bring a friend who's not afraid of spirits.

all this chaos keeps me going. i'm a freelance photographer, which means i'm always broke, always tired, and always chasing that next shot. but little rock has a weird charm. if you ever find yourself here, check out TripAdvisor's list of weird attractions - they've got everything from a presidential library to a giant shoe tree. and for us photographers, there's a solid Meetup group for Little Rock Photo Walks that meets every first thursday. i haven't gone yet because i'm too busy editing my 4119403th photo. also, the city's official tourism site has a surprisingly raw guide to street art that's helped me find cool walls.

anyway, i'm going to try to get some sleep now. the city's humming, the weather's at 21.09 and feeling like 20.46 - weirdly perfect. catch you on the flip side.

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