Final Project - part one

Alright. For my final project, I have decided to go with Plan B. Plan B is called Abandoned.

In my corner of the world, we have Bruceton, TN. I doubt anyone has really heard of this town, because the town itself was once a booming industry surrounding the railroad. Essentially, the railraod has almost been abandoned. While the main part is still operational, most of the counterparts have been dead for many many moons. So, that was sorta the subject of my very first series posted on this blog.  For the abandoned series, I'm going to be exploring and photographing a larger area, to include but not entirely limited to, the Carroll County, Benton County, and Henry County areas. Thus, bringing me to my artist's statement.  Here ya go!

Abandoned

                I grew up mostly in rural Carroll County located in West Tennessee. There are not a whole lot of activities for younger people in the area, so I spent a lot of my time exploring the area with my family and finding little interesting locations that are not really main attractions. However, they certainly become main attractions to me as I explore and learn what I can from the site itself. Different areas can have different emotions as well. Was it something that was once so lovingly taken care of and now lays in ruin? Or was it something that is just tired and worn out? What’s even more special is that it then becomes a part of my history.

                One of my biggest interests has always been history. I enjoy learning the history, but I enjoy experiencing it and seeing it even more. I have always wanted to share that excitement with others, so I chose to do so for this series. My largest influence for this project has Christopher Crawford, followed by Troy Paiva, and then John Thomas Grant when it comes to cemeteries and other monuments.

                To create these photos, I intend to travel to different areas of rural West Tennessee where there has been manmade structures abandoned, neglected, or forgotten. I will create a series of 10 photos using the best material I have shot. I will be doing the photos in black and white to help create the moods that I am feeling as I am taking the photos and exploring the area.

Check out my next post for sites regarding artists that I'm using as my influence.