Subscribed to the list again after a two week absence.
Performing a 21st Century version of Jack Kerouac's travels I hit the
pavement with wheels spinning for the 2nd Annual Great Road Trip. Traveled
most of the interstate version of U.S. Route 66 through Missouri, Oklahoma,
Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. Also hit portions of U.S. 50 in California
through the Gold Country, Donner Pass, Salt Lake City, Zion National Park,
U.S. 89 south to Flagstaff and I-17 south to Phoenix. Total of 6,000
miles, nearly 10,000 kilometers. Although photography was definitely not
the first priority I did burn 3 plus rolls of Kodachrome and a partial roll
of Ilford B&W as opportunities presented themselves. The film is in for
processing now. Was able to make about 1000 miles per day on the
road. Something those in Kerouac's day nearly 50 years ago were unable to
do (Kerouac actually hitch-hiked and Robert Frank [The Americans] used an
old car).
Why didn't I fly? I want to **see** the U.S., up close and personal,
versus flying over it at 35,000 feet and looking down it it. The problem
with air travel is its insulation from the rest of American Society between
origin and destination. Brings back memories of Great Road Trips our
family made in dad's station wagon when I was very, very young before the
interstate highway system : series of Burma Shave signs, Stucky's
restaurants and stores, B&W root beer stands, tobacco advertising on the
sides of barns, The World's Largest [fill in favorite bizzare object here]
tourist trap by the roadside of U.S. Highway [fill in favorite one here],
and being able to see enormously long freight trains in their entirety
being pulled by upward of a half dozen engines across the high plains, and
driving down a small town main street looking for someplace to eat or stay
the night. That only names a few things. Gives a completely different
perspective about the U.S. and its people.
Exhausted and now barraged at work by an avalanche of things that need to
get done before Thanksgiving and Christmas, I'm already thinking about the
3rd Annual Great Road Trip and next time the photography will have a much,
much higher priority. Although not by design, the first couple have
allowed experiencing it without being encumbered by the technical aspect of
making photographs. It's a Zen-like dancing with the subject material that
allows becoming "one" with it and achieving much greater
understanding. I've got much clearer ideas now about the type of imagery I
would like to make now.
And now for something completely different . . .
In mid-October one of much younger cousins got married. I had been offered
the role of The Photographer but my better half intervened and nixed the
idea before it got very far. Even so, I did manage to burn five rolls of
film taking an editorial approach in the style of a photojournalist (or at
least my idea of what it would be). Three of them are Plus-X Pan, and two
are Portra 160NC. Flash gear used: Sunpak 555 (with OM module) and Sunpak
544, both with Lumiquest softboxes. All done in 35mm with OM gear, they
can be perused here. Might give some ideas for anyone else thinking about
what they might do for a wedding.
http://johnlind.tripod.com/beckysteve/
-- John
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