Moonshine

Added on by Shawn Poynter.

A few weeks ago I was in Cocke County, TN, shooting pictures for a New York Times story about legal moonshine. Or, more accurately, the commercialization of moonshine. Cocke County has long held the self-proclaimed title of "moonshine capital of the world." The most famous of the moonshiners was Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton, a Barnum-style self-promoter, played up the moonshine stereotype. After years of staying a few feet in front of the law, Popcorn committed suicide in 2009 to avoid an 18-month stint in prison for moonshining and gun charges.

Since his death, Popcorn's widow teamed up with Hank Williams, Jr. and a former motocross star to distill and sell a legal version of Mr. Sutton's drink. Of course, as soon as moonshine becomes legal it's no longer moonshine. It's "white whiskey". Lawmakers in Cocke County, having just passed legislation allowing micro distilleries, hope the tax revenue from the booze that made Popcorn famous can boost the sagging economy.

If only they could tax irony.

Here are some outtakes from the shoot.

Pam Sutton, Popcorn's widow, keeps a batch of Popcorn's whiskey in the freezer. A picture of Popcorn hangs in the house.
Pam Sutton, Popcorn's widow, keeps a batch of Popcorn's whiskey in the freezer. A picture of Popcorn hangs in the house.
A picture of Popcorn hangs in the house.
A picture of Popcorn hangs in the house.
Pam Sutton stands in front of Popcorn's grave, which is up the hill where his stills once sat. The gravestone beside his is reserved for her.
Pam Sutton stands in front of Popcorn's grave, which is up the hill where his stills once sat. The gravestone beside his is reserved for her.
A storefront in Newport, TN.
A storefront in Newport, TN.
Downtown Newport, TN.
Downtown Newport, TN.

Summer Tech School

Added on by Shawn Poynter.

Last week I shot an assignment for Education Week about summer schools using technology to help students retain what they learned during the school year. The students in this class were great. It usually takes kids this age a long time to forget I'm there. They'll spend the first half of the assignment posing for the camera, making funny faces, giving their friends bunny ears. But this class ignored me immediately. Computer screens, whether they're displaying education software or Grand Theft Auto, seem to dim the lights to the world around the viewer. Which must be great for teachers. More than once I saw students do a Nowitzki-esque fist pump when they got a good score or completed a section. I've been photographing in classrooms for years and I had never seen anything like it.

Education Week ran my one of my favorite photos from the shoot on their website. Here are a few outtakes. SPOILER ALERT: The last photo in the slideshow is almost too cute. You might want to skip it if you have a weak heart.

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