Driving for inspiration

Driving at night in the middle of nowhere, with no one else on the road and your high beams blasting, has always been a favorite "hobby" of mine. You see things you would never see when you're flying around corners, only being able to see thirty feet in front of you, with bright-white clouds flying past a full moon and the yellow glow from a farm-house window in the distance.

A few nights ago, after driving for inspiration, I stopped into a closed gas station to collect my thoughts when a truck pulled up and three guys came out, complete with some sort of gear and a bright light coming from one of their heads. After about four minutes of twiddling my thumbs, I gathered the strength to approach them and introduce myself. They were "Coon" hunters (Raccoon hunters, for you city folk). After a subtle hesitation, they agreed to sit for a portrait. They pulled out their dogs and rested themselves on the back of their truck. I got off two sheets of film and then they were gone.

Moments like that are what keep me going when I am struggling to find inspiration. Regardless if that image is a winner or not (I think it will be stunning), I am happy I found the will to go forward and talk to them. Approaching a stranger or strangers, especially late at night and in a foreign place, can be difficult; But when the approach is made, the payoff is usually outstanding. This trip has been filled with amazing photographic opportunities, some embraced and some lost. The ones that have been lost will often leave a painful feeling in my gut. But with day sixty approaching, the ratio of moments won to moments lost is quickly falling in my favor.


Dusty and Joanna with Dale, Boonville, NC, 2007

Dusty and Joanna are a perfect example: I first met them in town and after making that initial jump to go talk to them, they spent the next forty-five minutes as my very patient subjects. That initial approach resulted in a number of great images as well as them inviting me over for dinner the next night. I spent five hours with them at their home, enjoying a fine roast, talking for hours, and taking even more photos. Our conversations were amazing. We discussed all sorts of things: Life, love, Dale Earnhardt and everything in-between.


Photo: Joanna Simon

I came to learn a lot about myself and my art that night. It's almost difficult to explain, but when I am doing this work, photography is my main focus. I really learned how to separate myself from the "image" and invest myself into their lives as a person and not a photographer. In that last hour, after I really discovered who Joanna was as a person and a friend, rather than a photo, was when I was able to capture her true likeness onto film. It was a huge moment for me and my work.