Rusty love

This girl loves rust. Maybe, I should say I love the stories I can only imagine that come with a rusted building or a rusty vehicle. The people who used to work there, the products they produced, and how they changed the local landscape. The individuals that once drove the vehicle, who transported things in the back of the pick up truck. I am addicted to the character within those images.

Over the years, over the many states in which I have lived and traveled, I always seem to stumble upon a rusty GMC truck. They must be made with superior materials that dictate longevity, as I cannot understand why they are so available, in that regard.

This morning, a friend dropped by to pick up some vintage finds from us and pulled into my driveway with this gem. Bedecked in my robe and slippers, I quickly grabbed my camera and snapped some images in the gorgeous morning light.

I was in heaven, as this truck full of the colors I love to see on an old truck, was within walking distance of my front door. Now I can add this one to my collection that started with this photograph I shot in rural Idaho nearly 10 years ago. You cannot shake a love like that. 

The perfect backdrop

A few years back, one of my clients I met at the International Home Furnishings Center in High Point, NC, asked me to photograph his lamps within an old abandoned factory. Here in NC that is an easy thing to find. Accessing them is another story. Many are still full of asbestos and boarded up, understandably, but a shame, as there is so many gorgeous old buildings.

I drove around one afternoon and stumbled upon this one factory in Thomasville, NC. Yes, that Thomasville. It was being utilized as a vintage car repair shop with hopes of turning the upper floors into a bar and grill. So they welcomed me with open arms. 

I was in heaven, as I love photographing the grit and history that surrounds us.

The light in these spaces is impeccable, as they were created to be illuminated by natural light well before factory lights were the norm.

If only I could have one of these as a studio... I'd be in heaven.

The trickiest part of the shoot was getting the lamps to be lit, but without plugging them in. No outlets. We thankfully found some fluorescent bulbs that were meant to be charged up and used without a direct electrical source.

Unzipped

Commercial Photography for a local marketing firm for an in-store promotions campaign for Wrangler Jeans.