Drive by

Last night I finished the first pass on the non-diffused version images of my Bad Trip – Sad Trip series. So I am evaluating them against the other versions of the same images. hmmmm

But today, I need to meet with a client, but the good news is that I have another opportunity to work on a “persistant” roadside memorial that is being maintained in LA. FYI, the California Dept of Highways does not condone these memorials, thus memorials are allowed for about a week after a tragic accident and then eased away. But there is one memorial on the 405 freeway that will be eliminated and then just as quickly replaced. I think that this persistent dual has been going on for at least a couple of years. This memorial is now winning, as it has not been taken down again within the last five months.

I think that I can understand the many issues that face the Dept of Highways regarding roadside memorials. For my “persistant” memorial, there is absolutley no place on the 405 to safely stop due to the widening of the road to minimize the traffic conjestion. I think that this memorial is being maintained from the back side of the fence, off the transit road, which also has no shoulder and very risky. Which also the same issue for me as to how to photograph this memorial.

So I have to take another approach for this memorial and very different than any of the others. The “drive-by” photograph. Each time I drive by, I have my SUV window down, the camera into the active metering mode by partically depressing the exposure button and then pan the image. I also get behind a slow truck to help keep my speed down, as 65 mph on the LA freeways is just a “suggestion” to most LA drivers. 

This has made for a very unique series of images of this one memorial.  Now I am trying to figure which image works best, but so far none of the “resiliant” memorial images fit in with the rest of the series. They are very intreging images. And it may make for a whole new series….a different way to “seeing” these same memorials, but much more abstract, but in a “straight” sort of way.

Best regards, Doug