Soulard Market is the oldest farmers market in the U.S. west of the Mississippi. The site, just south of downtoan. has been in continuous use since 1843. The market is shaped like an elongated H. The long arms are covered but open to the sides. The vendors sell produce, flowers and crafts. The cross bar, indoors, has spices, a pet store, places to get a snack and the butcher shop pictured above. Looks like they has a special going last Saturday. I'd rather have my alligator on a stick than in my lap.Technical note: this scene had a mix of incandescent and fluorescent lighting that made the white balance almost impossible. Fortunately, I was shooting in RAW mode. The color in this image isn't so great but it's good enough, using quick correction in Adobe Bridge and Photoshop.
TOMORROW: Free As the Breeze
13 comments:
Your technical skills are way beyond me! It's a wonderful photo to illustrate the variety of your market. Did you try it??
PS. I'll have to direct Isabella (Naples) to your blog today!
I love the way the 'stuff' (signs, alligator head, calendar, green-painted outlet) provides a surrounding for the interesting butcher and especially his hand and the hand of a customer you can imagine balancing with the aid of the top of the counter to peer in the case. Drawn here by the larger sign I seemed to tumble into the scene with your picture. Award winner, I'd say.
Excellent photo. I've not heard of alligator meat being eaten but do remember in Australia, crocodile is served, so I guess it's all the same thing. Fascinating face on this guy and yes, I too love the hands.
I've had fried alligator nuggets and they taste like chicken. I don't know how it tastes grilled on a stick. Probably like grilled chicken too.
They've got gators in the Mississippi? Tom (Sawyer) never mentioned it ;-)
Interesting. I think I'd have to be adventurous and try some.
How, exactly, does one prepare fresh gator?
On a stick or not, I never had alligator. But have enjoyed plenty of food on a stick.
When will we learn the hardship of mixing incandescent and fluorescent lighting? Your photo looks great, I can only imagine how the scene must have looked without the correction.
Cant believe you guys eat alligator! What does it taste like? Chicken?!!! Greetings from TORUŃ DAILY PHOTO here in Poland!
Thank you all for your comments. To respond to some of your points:
I did not try it. Out little Oktoberfest was going on in the park next to the market and I had just eaten a big, juicy bratwurst.
I've tasted alligator a couple of times in Florida. Once it was baked or roasted is some kind of fancy dish. The other time it was deep fried in massive quantities. And, yes, despite the cliche, it actually does taste somewhat like chicken.
Isabella - no, we don't have gators this far up the Mississippi. It does get cold here. They can be found throughout Florida and much of the area around the Gulf of Mexico. I assume it gets shipped in here like any other food product.
Gregg - I can't give you a recipe but if you could make chicken on a stick, why not alligator?
Dusty - professional commercial photographers go to great lengths to adjust for this problem. Florescent and incandescent light have very different color temperatures. Photographers often use translucent gels over one type of light source or another, letting through only a color temperature that works with other available light or photographic strobes. I know how to do it but I don't own the equipment. There's no way to adjust for this in spontaneous shots unless use use RAW mode and correct the color in the computer.
Unfortunately, my camera does not shoot RAW mode. I rely on the camera's White balance menu, my UV and/or polarizing filter for now. All that and trial and error. I would invest in other filters, but for the few shots I would need them for may not lake is worth while.
A comment about alligator: I believe that the tail meat is the most edible, though even that needs to be marinated for a while to tenderize. I have eaten it a number of times - a recommendation for St. Louisans, the Broadway Oyster Bar serves fabulous 'gator tails. I personally think that it tates more like shrimp - considerably chewy, and mild.
Aside from that, simply wonderful pic, Bob.
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