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01-01-16

January 1, 2016 by James 1 Comment

Day 1 / 366 –

Let’s start this year off with last year, taken on September 2, 2015. Utah. Somewhere in the middle of it, along US-50, the Loneliest Road in America. The 365 post for 09-02-15 is a little more true to the moniker. There aren’t many places in America you can drive off the highway a half mile and not hear or see another car for a long time. The Loneliest Road is a marketing device for the benefit of small towns that lie along it. You can get a “passport” to have stamped at the cities that lie along the route. Mail it in and they will send you a pin. I’ve done it twice.

US 50 spans nearly the entirety of America, Washington, DC to West Sacramento, CA. This is the part everyone talks about, for it’s lack of anything to talk about.

It’s not that lonely. If you don’t mind the sound of your own thoughts.

12-30-15

December 30, 2015 by James Leave a Comment

Day 364 – Dixmoor, IL

There are a few reasons to do a 365 project. One is to learn the craft. Another is to build up a body of work. The one that I got the most out of was finding my voice.

One of my favorite Merlin Mann quotes is “content is king, but voice is queen.” I think he said it on the Back To Work podcast. The point is that you can put out a ton of stuff online, but if you aren’t saying anything, then what is the point? Having a voice, actually saying something, that makes the content valuable.

Through this project, I started to find my voice. I started figuring out what I wanted to say. When I started to develop a style, I wasn’t sure why I was shooting what I was shooting. I knew I liked what I was shooting, but the reasons behind it hadn’t taken yet. Why did I care about falling-down barns or burned out buildings, alleys and graffiti, homes that were falling down? Why was I interested in places boarded up with plywood? Was it nothing more than ruin porn?

It turns out that there is actually a reason behind it. There is something to it that makes me want to seek out more, that puts some emotion and interest behind it. Some of that is going to be collected in a new project, some of it will be a continuation of what I’ve been doing.

I’ve had cameras for years. I had a 35mm film camera when digital was just becoming a market. I’ve almost always had a digital camera of some sort (aside from the one on my phone) since 1998. But this was the first year I’ve ever shot with intention. And from that intention, I finally figured out what I wanted to say with it.

For the most part, I think it’s come though. I have more to go, so I’m not ready to write an “artist’s statement” here. I’m not ready to explicitly state it. But it’s coming.

Tomorrow is the last 365 photo for 2015. I’ll talk about what is next then.

12-26-15

December 27, 2015 by James Leave a Comment

Day 360 –

Around here, you have two options for coffee, donut shop or gas station. I opt for donut.

I’m a bit of a coffee snob. I like it strong with a tiny bit of cream. I’ve learned to speak the language. “Dark roast, half cream.” It’s as close as I’m going to get. Confidence is not high.

Back in the car, I take a sip. I look at it. It’s a coffee milkshake. Half cream must have meant half the cow.

I look back at the donut shop, contemplating going back for something stronger.

————–

“A little boy and little girl died in the fire.”

I look at the woman behind the counter at the drug store. “What fire?”

She points across the street. “Over there. Happened this morning.” I can just make out a house with a burned roof. I’ve seen a lot of those – caved in roofs, aftermaths of fires – but usually not in a city. Mostly out in the fields. Barns, sheds, and sometimes houses.

She says something about the door banging when customers leave the store. It makes her jump. My mind is already outside. I follow it and can see a little more. The smell is faint, but it’s there.

Around the block, the smell is stronger. Not like a campfire, more sickly, sweeter, worse. Furniture and dry wall, wood and plastic, everything a house holds. It will stick around this neighborhood for quite a while. People will catch a whiff and remember. There is still charred wood in the street. The drizzle and rain makes everything worse.

The woman at the drug store was wrong. One child, a seven-year-old girl, died. Four injured.

A neighbor walks their dog in the back yard next door.

————–

The coffee. I take another sip. It’s hot. Too milky. Weak. Awful.

It’s perfect. I’m lucky to have it.

————–

News report about the fire here.