Freaknik Atlanta mid-1990s
Suitcase
This one's worth clicking on. You don't see a crushed leather paint job on a VW Passat every day, you know...
Butterfinger
Colorful rides, yes...
Pythons
An Atlanta police officer checks out a jeep with pythons twined around the roll bars.
Albino pythons, no less.
Freaknik Atlanta mid-1990s
Happy girls at Underground Atlanta.
Freaknik Atlanta mid-1990s
My autofocus missed and went long on this one, but I like it anyway.
The trio in the second and third pictures here were road-tripping from New Orleans. They tried to talk me into giving them the film I took, with the promise of mailing it back after they made copies for themselves. But I held out for getting a mailing address from them, and sending them prints instead. I got my way, and they got their Freaknik souvenirs. The recent hurricane Katrina reminded me of them, wondering how they were coping.
Freaknik Atlanta mid-1990s
Souvenirs
From the logos, you can see that this was Freaknik 1996.
Class Chevy
There were a number of classic cars at Freaknik, in addition to the customized late-model vehicles.
It's on!
Do these stripes make me look phat?
Wherever a young lady was perched on a car window, a camera was never far away. This time, it was mine.
Shirtless
This fellow wasn't happy for me to take his picture. Our eyes locked through our viewfinders while scoping the crowd. But the late afternoon sun lit him up beautifully, and I couldn't pass the shot up. I hope the version that shows up on your monitor does it justice.
Freaknik Atlanta mid-1990s
Most of the kids were in high spirits the first day, and loved to have their picture taken.
Freaknik 1997 Atlanta
In case you're joining us in progress, I am posting pics from my collection of Freaknik photos, circa 1995-7. The black and white ones are from '97. They aren't scanning worth a flip, so you'll just have to trust me when I say the originals are much better.
For latecomers let me just say that there's nothing dirty here, in case you are concerned about that. Enjoy your visit!
Freaknik Atlanta 1997
C'mawn, gull!
A crowd of young men try to coax some young ladies into shakin' it on down a little.
Dancin' in the streets
The young ladies agree, and the fellas eagerly film it.
In this same vicinity in downtown Atlanta, I nearly got my camera stolen. But the would-be thief (not pictured) was in such high spirits from the huge street party that he gave it back after a short chase. Right around here I also witnessed a near-riot, as a mob of loud men descended on a car with some attractive women inside. A black National Guardsman came over and broke it up, getting angrily pelted with the N-word for his trouble.
Yo!
Another drive-by smile for the photographer.
Freaknik, Atlanta 1997
Process in process
This is why I have a 300mm screw-on telephoto, to pick faces like this out of the crowd.
Atlanta police
I have some pictures of Atlanta police handcuffing people at Freaknik, but why post pics like that, ten years later?
Freaknik Atlanta 1997
Freeeaknikk!!
This photo of some girls posing in a crosswalk didn't scan worth a darn, but here it is anyway.
A Freaknik Joy Ride
I snapped this passing car and got this interesting tableau, sheerly by chance. Go ahead, photo lover: click on it for the larger view, and see what I mean.
Freaknik street vendor
I don't know what this fellow was hawking, but he had a huge crowd to market to.
Freaknik T-shirt vendor
A T-shirt vendor watches the river of rides glide by.
Freaknik, Atlanta mid-1990s
Freaknik souvenir photo
Freaknik bouffant
Cruising for Freaknik videos
Some extra-vehicular views, as they say at NASA.
Freaknik Atlanta mid-1990s
Yo!
Booty Cam
Booty CamBack to the color photos for this post. Did I mention the videotaping?
Freaknik Atlanta 1997
Just to be arty, I covered 1997's Freaknik with black and white film. Unfortunately, they aren't scanning very well, looking more like old-time newspaper wire photos once I get them scanned and uploaded. But trust me, in the original prints they're gloriously inky and detailed. That's what I get for buying a $100 Visioneer scanner at Sams during the tax holiday weekend, I guess...
Yo!
I was teetering up on a big cement planter or something, trying to get a crowd shot, when this crew came up and beckoned for me to take their picture. So...
The Cats in the Hats
Hats like this were a fun fad in the mid-Nineties. As I left I heard them say, "We're gonna be on the front page!"
Freaknik, Atlanta 1997
Drive-by smile
Pretty much all the kids loved to have their picture taken.
Playas
"I wasn't following you ladies, honest! This? Oh, just a camera... Why sure, just hold still..." These were locals, out making the scene.
Oh, and btw: if you came here from an msn or yahoo search looking for some skin, this is all you'll get here. This isn't that kind of website.
NYC Rappers
These were rappers from Noo Yoik. They gave me an 800 number for their record label, to get an address to send them copies of their pix. But whoever it was listening to my messages never returned my call. "A white photographer wants my address to send photos to some rappers? Suu-uu-uure..."
Video to go
The constant theme: kids driving around videotaping each other.
Freaknik mid 1990s Atlanta
At the ATM
Yo!
I've got a lot of pictures like this, doubtless because the kids thought I was a reporter. I never misrepresented myself, though; just asked to take their pictures.
Mural, downtown Atlanta, mid-1990s
Quilting Mural
On a photo-ramble downtown, I turned up a side street and found this colorful mural.
Freaknik Atlanta mid-1990s
Freaknik, Atlanta mid-1990s
Fragrance vendor
One of many street-side entrepreneurs who descended on the partying spring-breakers.
Crowd at Underground Atlanta
People think of massive traffic jams in connection with Freaknik, but by the mid-90s it was a pedestrian affair, too.
Sidewalk drummer
This may not have actually been taken during Freaknik, but it was at least from the same time, and fits in here.
Freaknik, Atlanta mid-1990s
Metallic blue Mercedes
Clowning with GF for the camera
Card tricks in Underground Atlanta
Booty swarm
Whenever a girl flashed or was rumored to be flashing a bit of skin, a roar would rise from the crowd, and they would surge toward her, videocams at the ready.
Booty Cam
Booty Cam
These were rappers from Noo Yoik. They gave me an 800 number for their record label, to get an address to send them copies of their pix. But whoever it was listening to my messages never returned my call. "A white photographer wants my address to send photos to some rappers? Suu-uu-uure..."
One of many street-side entrepreneurs who descended on the partying spring-breakers.
People think of massive traffic jams in connection with Freaknik, but by the mid-90s it was a pedestrian affair, too.
