Iowa: Day Six

Another day spent scouring the Iowa countryside for family memories and little towns. I continue to be amazed by just how much local history my grandfather knows. It's incredible. The weather continues to be unseasonably cool, almost jacket weather.

The photograph above was taken in Belle Plaine, Iowa. It's a marker for the old Lincoln Highway, the first road to cross the United States.

Also visited: Laurel, Haverhill, Chelsea, Marengo, Williamsburg, Parnell, North English, Keswick and Guernsey.

Iowa: Day Five

Today finds me headed back east to Grinnell, Iowa to work a little more on my current project. It was a gorgeous day, perfect temperature and lots of blue skies. I skipped the interstate for most of the way, instead relying on state highways I'd never taken before.

Above is a photograph of Searsboro, Iowa. It's a tiny place a dozen miles or so south of Interstate 80. There's not a lot of the town left these days.

Also visited: Neola, Minden, Avoca, Walnut, Marne, Atlantic, Wiota, Anita, Adair, Casey, Menlo, Stuart, Dexter, New Sharon, Lacey, What Cheer and Montezuma

Five: Influences (As Of Right Now)

William Christenberry
I am drawn to Christenberry's unique approach to visual history. His photographs of the same structure over many years depict the changes, both deterioration and rebirth, of unique landmarks throughout the southern United States.



William Eggleston
Eggleston gave us color photography, or so history will ultimately read. It's hard to be a color photographer without mentioning his influence. I do struggle a bit with the haphazard look of some of his compositions, but, when everything comes together, few can match his genius.



Robert Frank
My first photo book was Robert Frank's The Americans. I received the book as a gift after randomly listing it on a Christmas list. It didn't take long for me to get hooked on the idea of traveling the country, photographing everything along the way.



David Plowden
David Plowden has photographed many subjects over the course of his life, everything from trains to steel workers. But what resonates most with me is his work in small town America, especially his A Sense Of Place monograph. Plowden's photography of rural Iowa and other states has a sort of quiet, dignified quality to it that I hope to be able to approach some day.



Ed Ruscha
Although more famous as a painter, photography is what Ed Ruscha uses as a sort of visual sketchbook to gather ideas from. His photography is often mundane; a collection of buildings along a single street or a series of gas stations. But his use strong use of typography translates this work into iconic imagery.