MAIN STREET--LAMONT, OKLAHOMA

Lamont, Oklahoma. Things aren't what they used to be.

another example of how you so skillfully and distinctly capture small towns and off the beaten path jewels!

A little different than your usual approach. I like it.

I'm fond of shots like this one - long streets/roads disappearing in the distance. The left side of the street seems to be from the 19th century and could star in a Western; the right side looks like from the 40s, and could star in Denis the Menace. The sky is a pretty good upground. You know, Dave, seeing the car there coming at you...you could use V8 bottles as traffic cones to make your shooting safer. Cheers, Micheal

Yep, this is good!

You have the damndest sharpest eyesight. That car coming at me is way small. I doubt anyone even noticed it. Didn't have any V8 bottles handy, so simply got off the street quick.

I'm indebted to you for such nice praise.

There was no intention to make anything drastically different from my usual fare. Thanks for looking and commenting.

Your name is new to me, so welcome to my image. Thanks for the comment. Don't be a stranger.

Your photo documentation of America's lost main streets is important work. And this is another fine image in that fine series.

Thank you very much for your kind words. I'm glad that anyone finds these interesting.

I really like the tonal settings in this image, which I feel contribute to the atmosphere displayed here. Lost glory; things aren't what they used to be. Composition-wise, I believe it's great, although I'd personally have shot this from a slightly lower point to increase the dramatic impact. But that's a matter of personal preference... Excellent shot!

 

Best regards,

Frank

Thank you very much. I think you might be right about the low angle. Not sure.

Geez, I take a couple of days off to refresh my tired braincells (I still have several thousand left and they're doing yeoman duty but overworked, as are we all) and you let loose a deluge of pictures. I'm overwhelmed. What would be nice is if they were all in a big book where I could sit comfortably on my sofa and peruse them at my leisure (perhaps with a nice Chardonay) instead of bending over a hot (figuratively, at least) computer screen. There's definitely a book in here, maybe a sequel, too - big money in sequels, y'know. This is a great shot, just the kind of place where Dick and Jane and Sally and Mother and Father might come to visit Grandfather and Grandmother who have that nice chicken and pig farm just past the hardware store. Spot and Puff could cavort to their heart's content. See Spot cavort. Cavort Spot, cavort. Oops, Puff's down the well. Funny Puff. Swim, Puff, swim. Ah, sweet memories.

"Dick? Jane? Spot?" What grade you been teaching? And another thing. You didn't take a few days off. You abandoned us, your loyal and faithful followers. Fortunately we were able to drag you kicking and screaming back into the fold. LOL But it truly is nice to see you back, and to receive your preeminently witty commentary. For better or worse, you are a part of my daily routine. So take care, and thanks for taking the time to look at a few of my pics.

 

As to this one, it's just another of those small rural towns that has virtually nothing left. This is the lie to the crap about how wonderfully this country is doing, and this scene can be repeated in town after town as you pass through the rural places. I was very fortunate to have been able to make those visits in June and July. And I would love to do a book of that trip. Not because the images are that good, but because I think someone needs to tell that story.

I like your photos from a US away from the turists, you are god

:)Gorm

Thank you so much for the kind words.

David, I like the yellow and blue. Cheers Jana

Thank you. It's so nice to see you here. Comee back whenever you can.

I come back to this picture because it's one of my favorite images of yours. It has the feeling of an old picture postcard from friendlier days. There is no hope on the path to which this country has set its feet. Unless there is a new imagining of America and new values that can appreciate what a small town like this might have to offer, I'm afraid our country will join the other great powers in the dustbin of history. And on that note, may I wish you Happy Holidays and a peaceful and prolific new year. I hope the idea for the book is still churning around inside your mind. I'll purchase the first copy. Best Wishes, Jack

back for another view...and i can't help but agree with Jack's assessment of where we're headed. i've given endless hours to this subject...trying to be as objective as i can...hoping it's not just the perspective of someone who's getting older and thinking that nothing could be as good as when his generation was young - and in conclusion, i don't think that's the case. that's a deep subject that i won't get into right now, but one thought to consider. from the perspective of a photographer... what kind of small town images are we leaving for subsequent generations? will young photographers be oohing and ahhhing ...waiting for good light in which to best capture a photograph of a deteriorating Walmart Super-Store? since the 60's (especially in small towns) we see almost no buildings built to last more than 20-30 years...and aesthetics are a minor consideration at best. no thought of quality or permancence. apparently no consideration of anything but the almighty dollar. maybe i'm just becoming a grouchy old man...but strip-malls comprised of buildings in which the main building materials is aluminum...no thicker than an old fashioned "tin can"....just don't get me excited.

This is one of the best gifts I'll get for Christmas. Both of you reflect so well my own outlook. Are we just old guys who have passed our prime and don't know how to respond to a world we don't like or understand anymore? I don't know. I really hope so because I've got two grandkids that are the most precious things I've ever had in my life, and I don't like what I'm seeing in their future. I'm not impressed with the intelligence of our species. We are no better off than the deer who have no ability to keep from procreating in excess and over grazing their food resources. Yet we CLAIM the ability to use intelligence. We wallow in our pride in having created the most deadly weapons out there. We blindly ignore our own best instincts of survival and appoint some of the worst examples of humanity as our representatives. And, of course, there are all those places that are on an even worse course than our own. Starvation, mutilation, rape, poverty and futility is their lot.

 

Well, that's not much of a Christmas message is it my friends? Sorry for that. Let me take a slightly different tack and tell you how grateful I am to have met your acquaintance, and for all the input you've given me over the last year in my somewhat feeble attempts to be a photographer and chronicler of our times and those of some who preceded us. Your witty repartee and serious pronouncements have meant a lot to me, and I hope in some small way I've added something in your lives too.

 

Mike Marcotte has a great line as his bio. It is, "I hope someday to make a photograph that matters." I think we share the same feelings. And that is our bond.

 

Have a great holiday gentlemen.

 

Peace