Mary Potter
Tuesday, October 25, 2011 7:29 pm

 Cover photo - a sprayer bookin' down a rural road is a familiar sight in summer in West KY - and yes, they look high enough for a car to drive under. But don't.)

(Clinton KY 11/1/11) - Local photographers, Mary and Ivan Potter, unveiled their 2012 Calendar, “Highways & Byways of the Jackson Purchase” at a  reception last Thursday afternoon at the Hickman County Historical & Genealogical Society building in Clinton. Guests were treated to chocolate cheesecake, baked by Ivan Potter, punch, barbecue, cookies and stories of how each photo came about.

The calendar includes 14 full color photographs taken in Hickman, Fulton, Graves, Carlisle, and McCracken Counties. Each month’s full color photograph captures a local scene found within forms of transportation. This view of transportation includes scenes framed by rural roads, flowers, sunsets, barns, buggies, and riverboats.

Ivan Potter spoke to the reason for the calendar. “It was our intention to create a way of showing the world how much beauty we have in this region we call the Jackson Purchase. Given the prospect of increased regional heritage tourism, we wanted to offer a new visual platform for people to enjoy the raw beauty of West Kentucky throughout the year, no matter where they live, be it at home here, or with our families who live far away.”

During each season of weather change, we could be found in among bushes, standing alongside forgotten county roads, or near blooming flowers, waiting for the just right second of light to unfold the perfect image for our cameras.”

The poetic descriptions were written by Mr. Potter and edited by wife Mary. She chose the photos for this year's calendar as she did for the 2011 calendar called "Back Home in Hickman County" which focused solely on the couple's home county. The Potters have written together for years, but they discovered a mutual love for photography since moving to Hickman County in 2005.

“Each year, we take an average of 1,000 photographs of meetings, politicians, and people of all sorts. Taking photos of quiet highways and byways is a way for us to decompress from news photography.  I wanted to show through this project how much we have to be thankful for in our everyday life for where we live. The calendar would be a perfect gift for friends and family living outside the Purchase.”

The philosophy of the Calendar Project, according to Ivan Potter was, “I wanted to capture a little bit of natural beauty that would frame each month’s page with a burst of joy each time you stopped and looked at the calendar. What better way to start your day than to smile at Mother Nature’s beauty found in our community?”  

Mary Potter took six of the photo and Ivan took eight. At right - fall sunset over Graves County near Wingo.

The $17 calendar will be available through December. Those wishing to receive a calendar by mail order should send a check to Mary Potter, 113 N. Washington Street, Clinton KY 42031. Add $5 for shipping and handling for first, $2 for each additional.s.

Calendars can be signed by authors with personal greetings for gift giving.