Thoughts on the Old and Abandoned Landscape
An Old Truck With Complementary Colors by Richard Lewis 2015
Left in the Desert by Richard Lewis 2015
Old cars and trucks rusting in fields are common place in the American landscape. Some photographers find an eerie sort of beauty in them, myself included. Photographing old and abandoned things is relatively new for me and I recently came to a conclusion as to why.
Photography can be more than an interesting picture. A photograph can help derive meaning. While these abandoned vehicles become a strange thing of beauty when combined with their environment, there is more to it.
“Things are transitory, but nature is eternal” could be a caption for either of these photographs. Substitute “Life” for the word “Things” and it gets you thinking. Humans don’t last forever and we all leave stuff behind after we are gone. Not just our possessions, or these rusty vehicles, we also leave behind the results of our deeds and actions which can have a lasting impact on our families, communities and even beyond. This is something to consider while creating our legacies. What do you want to leave behind?
Thought-provoking? This is one reason why I really love photography.
Enjoy
I love these shots because I love decay and abandoned stuff and rust. I really love rust. I wish I had more opportunities to go out exploring abandoned places and things. That is actually what my husband and I chose to do with the last kid-free weekend we had, last April. We went up to the Poconos and found all sorts of abandoned buildings and places. I took loads of photographs. I definitely find such scenes eerie but also oddly beautiful, especially where nature is beginning to consume the man made again, and definitely thought-provoking.
Hi Laura,
There truly is something wonderful about rusty old objects and dilapidated buildings. I’m glad you got to explore them recently. I hope you post some of those photographs. The Poconos is on area I would love to explore for those subjects. I’m sure this is a lot there from its history of mining, mills and resorts. Thanks for reading my blog.
Here’s a link to my post about exploring dilapidated places, including Concrete City, in the Poconos:
https://pictinpa.wordpress.com/2014/04/28/poconos-day-2-rustbelt-decay/
Good stuff, Rich. For a minute, I thought you got a picture of my driveway. 🙂
Thanks for you comment. It sounds like I should visit your driveway with my camera.
Excellent photographs and profound thoughts. Memories is what I would like to leave behind. That is one reason for my blog
Thanks Derrick, That is one of the things I like about your blog.
I also love abandoned stuff and decay in photography. It not only tells a story, or lets the viewer imagine one, i think in a way it’s an obligation for us photographers to capture those moment before they disappear forever! 🙂
What a beautiful way to describe the our studies of the old and abandoned stuff in the world. Thanks Alex, I always enjoy your perspective on things.
Wonderful subjects and your captures, compositions and processing make them even more so!
Thanks Denise