The Often Overlooked

One thing I love about photography and always have is finding the interesting in the ordinary. Bringing permanence on film to the often overlooked.

Gas station interior, U.S. Route 54, Vaughn, New Mexico, November 2004

Hasselblad 500C / Zeiss Planar 80mm/f2.8
Fuji Velvia 50 reversal film

Happy Birthday America

Happy Independence Day, everyone!

U.S. Route 87 (Business), Abernathy, Texas, February 2002

Rolleiflex SL-66 / Zeiss Planar 80mm/f2.8

Agfa RSX-II 50 reversal film

All In A Hard Night's Drink

Milton, Massachusetts, June 2000

Rolleiflex SL-66 / Zeiss Planar 80mm/f2.8

Ilford Pan-F 50 print film

What's In A Name

Berlin, West Germany, July 1987


Ricoh KR-5 Super / Rikkenon 50mm/f2

Agfachrome 100 film




When you walk into a store like Kroger, or Wal-mart, or any other store that has been built from the ground up by a family and bears the family name, you probably don't really think about the history. This is especially true in America where stores like that don't bear deep emotional scars such as this one in Berlin.



Behind the name Leiser is a history of determination, struggle, success, triumph and heartache all wrapped into one. The Leiser family was a Jewish family in the early 1900's who started their shoe company from the ground up. They became one of the most successful businesses in the area until Hitler and the S.S. finally forced them to sell off completely to Nazi run German government.










What a sign such as this that speaks volumes to the people who know its story. That through the destruction and through the history of all that happened, the name lives on and the sign, while such a simple thing, serves a reminder of perseverance and family.

Sources

The Colors of Fall on Film

Who doesn't enjoy the colors of fall in the Midwest? I know I do. Color film does too and this Agfa Ultra 50 print film replicates it with an unparalleled beauty. The range of colors and saturation that you get out of it is a treat for the eye. This photo was taken in West-Central Michigan using my Nikon Fm-3A with a Nikkor 50mm 1.4.

The Human Spirit on Film

The human spirit. It's something that only a photo can so uniquely capture. It can portray a thousand different stories to a thousand different people if you put it up without words, or you can use it to portray a specific story that you want by putting the words behind the picture. Pictures of people are also one of those things that when you sit down twenty, thirty, forty years from now, you will look back and memories will come as well as questions. What ever happened to them? Did they ever do that thing they talked about wanting to do so much?

While you can see the majesty of nature in a landscape from New Mexico, Northern California or Pennsylvania, the way that a portrait evokes emotion is unparalleled. The human face is a landscape all in itself with expression lines and feeling that can be felt simply by looking into that person's eyes. The power that architecture like the grain silos in the southwest can create in a photo can't be compared to the power that a person shows in a photo simply by how they're standing or how they're dressed. The story behind the portrait is always something that will hold a place of highest regard in the society of film photography.

Stats: Leonard, Proprietor, Leonard's Barber Shop
Augusta, Georgia, June, 2001

Black Gold

U.S. Route 50, Capon Bridge, West Virginia, June 2013

Rolleiflex SL-66, Zeiss Planar 80mm/f2.8

Kodak Ektar 100 film

Oil. It's been a part of our history for generations. Rockefeller provided the nation with fuel for lamps and streetlights and then figured out how to use the "trash" as fuel for the horseless carriage. We have fought wars over it, rejoiced in the finding of it, cringed over the prices of it, all in the name of convenience and demand. 

Gulf Oil, or the company that we know as Gulf oil, was started in 1901 after the discovery of oil at Spindletop, near Beaumont, Texas. A group of investors, the largest being William Larimer Mellon of Pittsburgh Mellon banking family, joined forces to promote the development of a modern refinery in the nearby Port Arthur to help process the oil. 

Spindletop's output peaked early on at 100,000 barrels per day. The early peak and decline forced Gulf to find alternative sources of supply to sustain its substantial investment. The effort to do so resulted in the construction of a 400-mile pipeline connecting oilfields in Oklahoma with Gulf's refinery at Port Arthur. This pipeline was known as the Glenn Pool pipeline. 

The distinctive Gulf logo was an assurance of sorts for the "name brand" oil so people purchasing it knew they were getting good quality gasoline. At this time in the United States, non-branded gasoline was often contaminated or of unreliable quality. 

This photo shows a sign, though old and worn and riddled with holes, that defined a company. Logos are an influential part of today's society and oftentimes a logo is literally the first and last impression people get from a company. A brown and gold shield, a white eagle on a blue background, a blue oval or a red target. All these signs are what influence us and stay as reminders in our mind. 

Gulf oil may not be in its hayday anymore, but the distinctive orange sign will always be associated with it. 

Oh, Canada

Near Beardmore, Ontario, Canada, June 2012

Nikon FM-3A Nikkor 50mm/f1.4
Agfa RSX-II 100 film

Construction of Canada's Trans-continental highway began in 1950 and it is one of the world's longest national highways, stretching an amazing 8,030  KM (or 4,990 MI). It was officially open for business in 1962 and completed in 1971. 

The highway is recognized distinctively by the white-on-green maple leaf route markers, such as the one pictured above. 

As you travel across this highway, prepare to be awe-inspired by the scenery. A traveler will experience everything from the majestic peaks in Banff National Park to the prairie areas of Saskatchewan.

Small Town U.S.A.

A few of my favorite things: Film, the Southwest, and small towns. Put them all together and I'm in heaven. I love capturing the small town feel of the places out in the Southwest that don't look like they've changed in 40 years. These mom and pop stores are the heartbeat of America and it's sad to see them being over-shadowed by big corporations. This photo was taken about 13 years ago and I wonder if that business is still there?

Photo Specs: U.S. Route 87 (Business), Stockdale, Texas, 2000