I like to photograph old structures and prehistoric messages (pictographs and petroglyphs) because I know that one of four things will eventually happen to them. They will fall down, be torn down, be vandalized or refurbished. I have seen all of this happen in many places in Arizona.

The photo of this train bridge is a great example. It was taken a few years ago, and it’s looked like this for a very long time. I went back last year to get some more shots using light painting only to find that a restaurant had been built on the far end, just beyond the closed gates. It’s a nice building, but it completely blocks the view past the bridge, and has lights on until late at night.

I know that change is inevitable, and that’s why I photograph what I do. To have a record of them before change ruins their esthetics, or destroys them completely. Once the patine that weather and time has given to wood, metal and glass is gone, it can’t be replaced.

Whatever kind of photography you do, don’t wait. You never know when your subject could be gone forever.

What kind of photography do you like to do, and why?

Have Fun,
Jeff