01 Oct 2018 Portfolio Catalog

Auburn II

This is the second Auburn portfolio, with a stronger focus on the streets of Auburn.

Samford Hall the icon of Auburn University in a late and rare snowfall in March (view full res)

This is the second Auburn portfolio, with a stronger focus on the streets of Auburn, see Auburn I for the first collection. Auburn, for me, is something I was born into—you might say—but now it's truly home. It’s a beautiful town and a close-knit community that I’m deeply invested in, because it’s where I live and work.

This marks the beginning of a more focused phase of a project I’ve been working on for years. Loosely titled The Streets of Auburn, the challenge is to approach the subject in a unique artistic style—capturing its essence beyond the surface. For me, that means going beyond what a visiting tourist might see on a football weekend. Whatever the subject, the local always has an advantage: they live and breathe it daily. But that familiarity can also make it easy to overlook the obvious and end up capturing only the ordinary.

The Project Purpose

Scott Fillmer August 1972 — The author of this blog in August of 1972 in an Auburn shirt at the start of football season. (view full res)

The purpose of this project (at least as of this writing) is to capture the spirit of life as a local in Auburn, Alabama—not just as a football fan on a Saturday afternoon (posts like this 10 Favorite Photos from Auburn’s Gay Street are what it means to me to be a "local" in this town). Sports are such a big part of this town that they have to be included, but there’s so much more to Auburn than just football. That’s what I aim to explore and convey through this body of work.

What follows is the beginning of an edit through thousands upon thousands of images I’ve taken in Auburn over the past 20 years. I began shooting in Auburn around 2006, and by 2022 I had probably taken over 200,000 images here. This is just the starting point of the editing process. It’s ongoing and happening live, right here on this project page. I’ll continually add new images and remove others, so check back from time to time to see how it evolves.

The photo above shows me at a much younger age—clearly with a heart for Auburn from the very beginning. Some of the images here are pulled from larger sets that have corresponding blog posts. When possible, I’ll include links in the captions below each image for additional context.

Portfolio Images

The famous Toomer's Corner Drugstore in Auburn in the summer (view full res)

Characters painted on the wall in Moe's Original BBQ in Auburn, AL. Booth was shot just after sunset. D7000, 35mm f/1.8 DX — Characters painted on the wall in Moe's Original BBQ in Auburn, AL. (view full res)

New Season Begins at Jordan-Hare Stadium (view full res)

Selections from the inside of the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art in Auburn Alabama. Collections change throughout the year, admission is free. — Selections from the inside of the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art in Auburn Alabama. (view full res)

Summer thunderstorms falling over Jordan-Hare Stadium (view full res)

After sitting on the street for quite a while Sunny comes back to his car for a break. He sings and plays his guitar while presenting the gospel message to those who walk by in Auburn — Sunny sings and plays his guitar presenting the gospel message to those who walk by in Auburn (view full res)

Making pizza at the Mellow Mushroom in Auburn (view full res)

Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn Alabama on the night before the first football game of the 2011 season (view full res)

The transistor radio crowd listening to the calls on the radio during the Auburn vs MSU game (view full res)

Auburn Tigers Aday Game 2012 — Exiting the tunnel at the start of the Auburn Tigers Aday Game in 2012 (view full res)

Celebration of 4th of July with fireworks in Auburn at AUO (view full res)

Classic and iconic, Samford Hall Auburn University on a normal average day. (view full res)

Auburn Tigers Football vs ULM 2012 — Drum Major leading the band before the Auburn Tigers Football vs ULM game in 2012 (view full res)

The Golden Eagle Nova who flew before the Auburn football games landing on mid-field. (view full res)

Fans cheer for the Tigers as the new Auburn Tigers Arena opens for play (view full res)

Tailgating in front of Jordan Hare Stadium — Tailgating before an Auburn football game (view full res)

Toomer's Oaks Poisoned — The day after it was discovered the Toomer's Oak were poisoned by an Alabama fan. (view full res)

An Empty Jordan Hare Stadium (view full res)

Tea Party Rally on College Street (view full res)

Toomer's Oaks in their glory day (view full res)

Game Face Painting — Getting the game face on before the Auburn vs LSU game (view full res)

Painting of Auburn at Publix — Publix supermarket opens with paintings of Auburn in their lobby entrance. (view full res)

National Championship Outside Toomer's Corner Drugs (view full res)

Jordan Hare Stadium at Sunset (view full res)

Sun Setting Over Toomer's Drugs in Auburn (view full res)

Lines waiting to get into the Auburn Tigers Football vs LSU 2012 (view full res)

Cam Newton Tigerwalk — Cam Newton goes through Tiger Walk for the last time (view full res)

Samford Hall in the Snow — A rare March snowstorm covered Samford hall and the iconic Auburn University sign (view full res)

I always consider each portfolio as a sort of living breathing thing. I will continue to add to these collections until I think they have reached their potential as a set and then I will move to a "Part 2" version. This is why there is a Auburn I and Auburn II portfolio (the first one is finished, the second, this one, is still a work in progress).

Until next time...

Scott Fillmer Signature