Full Service-A Look Into America's Motoring Past
A Project by David Hill
Parts of our American history are disappearing. The corner garage and the vehicles that we rely upon are important parts of the American History. My goal is to preserve, through art, the decaying remnants on the corner lots and overgrown fields. The aim is to show the detail and the artistry of each subject.
My project includes photographing abandoned or junked antique vehicles and out of business service stations. This is Going to be a work in progress as I gain the funds I need to purchase a camera that can produce files large enough for what I am envisioning.
The images below are a few that I have captured for the project. These relics deserve to be remembered, more than that, they need to be shown for the art that is within their forms.
The video below is my proposal for my Kickstarter project. My campaign was unsuccessful, but I'm going to leave the video up so you can hear about the project straight from me.
What a Surprise!
"A Scout is never taken by surprise; he knows exactly what to do when anything unexpected happens."
Robert Baden-Powell
While I may know what to do when the unexpected happens, it doesn't make it any less of a surprise. I recently traveled nearly an hour and a half to Newry, Maine to photograph some vintage gas pumps that I had seen pictures of on-line. I had come across them while looking for something else, but once I saw them it became my mission to find out where exactly they were and add their images to my project. After scouring every on-line map I could think of and emailing 3 or 4 different people, I got the answer I was looking for. The pumps were on the same road as the Sunday River covered bridge. Now that I knew where they were I made a plan to go the next day, I was so excited that I could barely sleep..
The next day as I drove through western Maine on my way to Newry, I did the same thing I always do; I kept looking. As I drove through South Waterford, I got a little surprise; an old gas station on Route 37. I made a mental note of it's location so I could stop on my way back. As I finally turned on to Sunday River Road, my excitement was growing. I had only a few minutes to go to get to those antique gas pumps. When I pulled up, I wasn't surprisd, they were just as they looked in the pictures. I was loving it, these pieces of motoring history, sitting on the side of a country road, just as they had been for decades. I spent about an hour shooting the two by the road, as well as a third that I discovered at the back of the garage. It was then that I saw an old dirt two-track leading into the woods, and the Scout in me decided to explore.
Before I was even twenty feet into the trees, my curiousity paid off. Sitting there in just off the path was a gigantic tow truck, peering out from the trees. I stopped, set up my tripod and fired off a few frames. as I was adjusting the camera to take a few more, I caught a glimpse of blue off to my right. I made that my next destination, and what a destination it was. A bright blue pickup truck, criss-crossed by fallen trees, was laying there. The hood of the truck was crushed by ther trees, as though they had fallen and knocked the poor truck out. I was beginning to have some diffuculty taking the photographs by now, the mosquitos were so think that I could breathe. There were too many opportunities for me to stop, it was as though soemone had laid the photographs out for me to come along and collect. After I finished with the truck, I continued on down the trail and was rewarded again! Off to my left, nearly covered in pine needles was a gorgeous specimen. A beautiful, red and yellow car, that had it not been buried up to it's frame, looked as though it could have started up and driven right out of there. I would later find out that it was a 1949 Plymouth Coupe and let me tell you I haven't fallen that hard for a car in quite some time.
Despite already having a memory card half full of pictures, I kept going, wondering what I would find next. I could see a field up ahead and had visions of cars basking in the fading sunlight. I reached the edge of the meadow and looked out. Like a kid on Christmas morning hoping for that one last magical present, I was disappointed. Nothing there but tall grass waving at me.
My disappointment at not finding more was quickly forgotten as I remembered the incredible images I had found. I got in my car and began driving back home, looking forward to editing the photographs. While I was thinking of those pictures, I hadn't forgotten about the service station in South Waterford. I pulled into the parking lot next to the rustic building and got my gear out of the back. The first picture I took, the ones I had been thinking of all the way back, just weren't working the way I had imagined. Rather than totally give up, I walked away. Way away. I crossed the road and went about a hundred yards up the hill, and found the picture I was looking for. When I was done, I headed back to the car. While I was loading up my camera, I took one last look around and found one more surprise waiting for me. Up on a hill in front of where I had parked was a big green truck, camouflaged by leaves nearly the same color as the paint on the rig. I went back and grabbed the camera and captured some very interesting frames.
"A nice blend of prediction and surprise seem to be at the heart of the best art."
Wendy Carlos
That seemed to be the case on this day, some of what i captured I was expecting, but the surprises made for some incredible moments. The images below are from that amazing trip.
Robert Baden-Powell
While I may know what to do when the unexpected happens, it doesn't make it any less of a surprise. I recently traveled nearly an hour and a half to Newry, Maine to photograph some vintage gas pumps that I had seen pictures of on-line. I had come across them while looking for something else, but once I saw them it became my mission to find out where exactly they were and add their images to my project. After scouring every on-line map I could think of and emailing 3 or 4 different people, I got the answer I was looking for. The pumps were on the same road as the Sunday River covered bridge. Now that I knew where they were I made a plan to go the next day, I was so excited that I could barely sleep..
The next day as I drove through western Maine on my way to Newry, I did the same thing I always do; I kept looking. As I drove through South Waterford, I got a little surprise; an old gas station on Route 37. I made a mental note of it's location so I could stop on my way back. As I finally turned on to Sunday River Road, my excitement was growing. I had only a few minutes to go to get to those antique gas pumps. When I pulled up, I wasn't surprisd, they were just as they looked in the pictures. I was loving it, these pieces of motoring history, sitting on the side of a country road, just as they had been for decades. I spent about an hour shooting the two by the road, as well as a third that I discovered at the back of the garage. It was then that I saw an old dirt two-track leading into the woods, and the Scout in me decided to explore.
Before I was even twenty feet into the trees, my curiousity paid off. Sitting there in just off the path was a gigantic tow truck, peering out from the trees. I stopped, set up my tripod and fired off a few frames. as I was adjusting the camera to take a few more, I caught a glimpse of blue off to my right. I made that my next destination, and what a destination it was. A bright blue pickup truck, criss-crossed by fallen trees, was laying there. The hood of the truck was crushed by ther trees, as though they had fallen and knocked the poor truck out. I was beginning to have some diffuculty taking the photographs by now, the mosquitos were so think that I could breathe. There were too many opportunities for me to stop, it was as though soemone had laid the photographs out for me to come along and collect. After I finished with the truck, I continued on down the trail and was rewarded again! Off to my left, nearly covered in pine needles was a gorgeous specimen. A beautiful, red and yellow car, that had it not been buried up to it's frame, looked as though it could have started up and driven right out of there. I would later find out that it was a 1949 Plymouth Coupe and let me tell you I haven't fallen that hard for a car in quite some time.
Despite already having a memory card half full of pictures, I kept going, wondering what I would find next. I could see a field up ahead and had visions of cars basking in the fading sunlight. I reached the edge of the meadow and looked out. Like a kid on Christmas morning hoping for that one last magical present, I was disappointed. Nothing there but tall grass waving at me.
My disappointment at not finding more was quickly forgotten as I remembered the incredible images I had found. I got in my car and began driving back home, looking forward to editing the photographs. While I was thinking of those pictures, I hadn't forgotten about the service station in South Waterford. I pulled into the parking lot next to the rustic building and got my gear out of the back. The first picture I took, the ones I had been thinking of all the way back, just weren't working the way I had imagined. Rather than totally give up, I walked away. Way away. I crossed the road and went about a hundred yards up the hill, and found the picture I was looking for. When I was done, I headed back to the car. While I was loading up my camera, I took one last look around and found one more surprise waiting for me. Up on a hill in front of where I had parked was a big green truck, camouflaged by leaves nearly the same color as the paint on the rig. I went back and grabbed the camera and captured some very interesting frames.
"A nice blend of prediction and surprise seem to be at the heart of the best art."
Wendy Carlos
That seemed to be the case on this day, some of what i captured I was expecting, but the surprises made for some incredible moments. The images below are from that amazing trip.
