Port Ryerse Produce

Taking The Long Way.

There are times when I feel stale photographically. I’m not enthusiastic or motivated. I don’t feel much like going out with my camera, and I can start to wonder whether I have anything worthwhile left to photograph. The old artist insecurities downward spiral begin.

When I’m in that kind of mood, there’s nothing like forcing myself to go for a long, leisurely drive with Audrey and the pups.

I usually have a loose general destination in mind. That gives us somewhere to start. But we also like finding sideroads and turning down them without knowing what we might come across. We take our time. There’s no need to get anywhere quickly. Sometimes we stop, sometimes we turn around to comeback, sometimes we keep driving, and sometimes the road gives us something I wouldn’t have found if I had stayed with the original plan.

I try to open my mind to whatever comes along. I let the photographs find me. I don’t want to decide in advance what will make a good photograph. While Audrey drives, I just look. A building, a sign, a field, something left at the side of the road. It might not seem like much at first, but then I notice a shape or a small detail that holds my attention and sometimes takes my breath away.

On one of these drives, I came across Port Ryerse Produce. The little white stand sat in a field under a cloudy sky. It was simple and quiet, and I liked the way it seemed to belong there. I took a few photograph.

The drive doesn’t always give me a picture I want to keep. That isn’t really the point. Getting out with Audrey and the dogs, taking the long way, and letting the day unfold seems to loosen something in me. I stop thinking so hard about whether I’m making good work. I start looking again.

And, more often than not, I come home with an image or two that feels right. Maybe the photographs reflect the change in my mood. Maybe I’ve simply given myself the time and space to notice what was already there.

Either way, I’m glad we went.