Circling Back - Rolls 137 & 138
As I've discussed several times before, a large part of my process during this phase of What My Left Hand is Doing was to return to familiar places, with the goal of gaining a greater understanding of these environments to make more nuanced and compelling photographs. Towards the close of November I became even more recursive, returning to certain locations I had initially visited just in the past month, curious to see what else I could do there or determined to reshoot photos that didn't come out the first time. I do believe that this method can become a hindrance sometimes, such as when I've become so focused on reshooting a photo that I lose the feeling that drew me to the scene in the first place, rendering the whole process moot. But in general I think I have benefitted from giving a place a second look or spending more time somewhere that I didn't the first time around, and so I'm pleased that I took the time to do so during this project! The Saturday after Thanksgiving, I once again loaded a roll of film and started to make my way towards Tutt Street, as I wanted to reexamine that area under overcast light. I didn't even make it five feet outside the door of the apartment, though, before finding my first subject, the fence that had caught my eye at the end of October. Facing the fence from this direction allowed me to compose the scene such that the tree and bush underneath it occupy the foreground, while some buildings, another tree, and a pair of telephone poles progressively recede into the background. I enjoy how subtle the fall colors are in this photo, a contrast to the bright reds and yellows I captured in the previous shot, and I think it paints a compelling image of November, when the last saturation falls away from the natural world, leaving only tones of grey and brown behind. Although we can observe that time when all is dead fast approaching, there is still life here, as there is still photographic opportunity, and I am thankful that I was able to make the most of it in that moment. With this photo my day began successfully, and I left feeling excited about the possibilities that awaited me in the Ordered World.
Mishawaka, Indiana.
When I got to the vicinity of Tutt Street, I chose not to immediately return to the same stretch of buildings, but to instead park on the adjacent South Michigan Street and walk around the block first, since I hadn't had the chance to fully take in the whole area before. I suspected that there were many interesting things that I could find here, and I made three photos during this exploration that I am proud of. In the first, I looked across the street and filled my frame with the building there, drawn to the uniform pattern of windows and brick, which is broken by the varied elements in front of it, notably two trees and a bit of graffiti. The graffiti is very interesting, telling us that we are "Here on Earth"—reminding me of Kendrick's statement that "what happens on Earth stays on Earth." My composition seemingly reinforces this notion, with no sky present in the frame other than in the reflections from the windows, which keeps the viewer firmly grounded in the realities of the street. This may be a disappointing view at first, but as usual the order present in this photo shows me that things aren't all bad down here; there is still a rhythm to "what happens on Earth" that lends our actions and choices meaning. My choosing to make this image, then, isn't a depressing act but an intentional decision to portray a certain mood that, though somewhat negative, belongs in the Ordered World too.
Here On Earth—South Michigan Street, South Bend, Indiana.
Continuing my walk around the corner and up South Main, I encountered the subject of my next strong photo, a large telephone pole with the graffiti "SNK" on it. My mind immediately jumps to SNK as an acronym for Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan), but I'm reasonably sure that it has some other meaning besides that. With this pole in the foreground it became easy to compose the image such that the power lines guide the viewer's eye through to the background, where the sign for Our Lady of the Road, a local soup kitchen, anchors the left side of the photo. There's a mural there as well, cut off in the frame, and part of me wishes that I had noticed it more when I was walking by, as it could be an interesting subject for a photo itself. But I'm pleased with the way it exists within the larger context here, one more piece of the greater order I see present everywhere, and I haven't felt the need to revisit it since. I did, however, take a closer look at the entrance to the soup kitchen, and that forms the third photo, another straight-on composition in my ever-growing canon of similar shots. Once more graffiti plays a critical role in the strength of the image; I am very interested in the scratches on the door, especially the "Yes Lord!" and "God bless the people " surrounding the window. Without those words, or the trash strewn around the steps, this shot is simply an exercise in symmetry, but with these pieces in place a narrative begins to unfold. Real people have occupied this doorway, scribbled graffiti, drank out of cups that now litter the ground—"human trash, everywhere" as Greg Katz once said. People were here, and the evidence they left behind, though distressing in an environmental or even aesthetic sense, becomes a joyous reminder that they existed in this space, and created meaning for themselves in this space, and left the record of themselves and that meaning for me to find in this space. I can't help but feel uplifted looking at this record, and I am pleased that I was able to encounter the human element once more, despite the apparent lack of humans in these photos.
South Main Street, South Bend, Indiana.
Our Lady of the Road, South Bend, Indiana.
Having explored the block in its entirety, and with only a few photos left on the roll, I arrived at Tutt Street, finally making my way to my intended destination after taking the long way around. I mentioned as an aside in one of my last blog posts that I shot the Look Out for Trucks sign under cloudy weather at a later point—this was the moment when I took that second version. As it happens, the most significant change to me in this new photo is not the light, but the train passing overhead. I find it nicely ironic that the sign warns of trucks, but doesn't note the frequent passing of trains; of course, anyone can observe the train tracks, negating the need for a sign, but the potential humor of watching out for trucks only to be hit by a train still amuses me. I also appreciate the way that the added element of the train changes the composition, making the top portion asymmetrical in this version. I said previously that the first photo here is my favorite, but after studying this one I think I like them both equally! This was another good lesson about reshooting photos—sometimes both attempts are strong, and showcase different aspects of the scene that are worth emphasizing at different times.
Look Out for Trucks!—Tutt Street, South Bend, Indiana.
There are definitely times where this isn't the case, of course, where one version of the photo is undeniably superior to the other. This was what happened when I went back to Berrien the next day and reshot a photo that I had first taken there a week prior. While exploring the area behind Taco Bell, I had come across an old car situated between two trees and behind a fence; the harsh lighting of that sunny afternoon didn't suit the subject at all, though, and I had been disappointed with the photo in the end. This time, happily, the flat light of a grey morning was exactly what I needed, and I captured the scene to my satisfaction. Under the diffuse light, the colors seen here—the red leaves of a small tree, the inexplicably green grass, the blue-tinted windows of the car—pop with just the right amount of saturation, and the different elements all balance each other out beautifully. Texture-wise this version is much better than the original as well, as the varied shapes of the tree branches, especially the circle-like shape in the middle, stand out with the right amount of clarity. With this photo concluding my shooting that weekend, I can say that I am happy I chose to revisit these locations and subjects; not only did I make several more strong images, but I learned more about my process and how to utilize reshooting in my work. It is something that I continue to do now, and so I look back at that time with pride, satisfied that I kept making the effort to grow into a better photographer and artist!
Behind Taco Bell, Berrien Springs, Michigan.