The Blog@DHP-What have You Done Lately 06/05//2011
"Whatever you have, you must either use or lose."
Henry Ford
You may have noticed from my postings that some of my favorite subjects to photograph are old cars and trucks. There are many reasons for that. For one, I've always had a fascination with old vehicles; the curves, the design, and the pride that went into building them. I imagine the long hours spent by workers in the automobile plants of Detroit: Ford, Dodge, Cheverolet and some manufacturers that have faded into history, such as Edsel and Packard.
Secondly, while I enjoy seeing meticulously restored vintage cars, I truly love finding the ones that are in need of a lot of TLC in fields and on the sides of road. There is a mystery to them. Why is it here? Did it finally give out? Was it a project that became too much for the owner? Most importantly to me, what has it been doing?
That last question brings out my inner child. When I was in elementary school I had a friend who lived not far away and I would go over often to play. In a field behind the farmhouse where he lived was an old red flatbed truck, not unlike the photograph that accompanies this story. We would spend hours playing in and around that truck, transformed in our imaginations to Squad 51, the two of us pretending to be Roy DeSoto and John Gage of television's Emergency!. We saved many lives, (usually his sister), on hot summer afternoons in our make-believe world centered around that truck. The truck never moved, but we were always on the go, heading to the next disaster, car wreck, or fire with red lights flashing and sirens blaring.
"Never let yesterday use up too much of today..."
Will Rogers
That truck is gone now, it has been for quite a few years, but it will always live in my memories. They are times I won't forget, and every time that I take a photograph of an old car or truck in a field, I remember those days. As I preserve that nostalgia in my art, I smile just a little to myself, recalling the times I was known as John Gage.
"Whatever you have, you must either use or lose."
Henry Ford
You may have noticed from my postings that some of my favorite subjects to photograph are old cars and trucks. There are many reasons for that. For one, I've always had a fascination with old vehicles; the curves, the design, and the pride that went into building them. I imagine the long hours spent by workers in the automobile plants of Detroit: Ford, Dodge, Cheverolet and some manufacturers that have faded into history, such as Edsel and Packard.
Secondly, while I enjoy seeing meticulously restored vintage cars, I truly love finding the ones that are in need of a lot of TLC in fields and on the sides of road. There is a mystery to them. Why is it here? Did it finally give out? Was it a project that became too much for the owner? Most importantly to me, what has it been doing?
That last question brings out my inner child. When I was in elementary school I had a friend who lived not far away and I would go over often to play. In a field behind the farmhouse where he lived was an old red flatbed truck, not unlike the photograph that accompanies this story. We would spend hours playing in and around that truck, transformed in our imaginations to Squad 51, the two of us pretending to be Roy DeSoto and John Gage of television's Emergency!. We saved many lives, (usually his sister), on hot summer afternoons in our make-believe world centered around that truck. The truck never moved, but we were always on the go, heading to the next disaster, car wreck, or fire with red lights flashing and sirens blaring.
"Never let yesterday use up too much of today..."
Will Rogers
That truck is gone now, it has been for quite a few years, but it will always live in my memories. They are times I won't forget, and every time that I take a photograph of an old car or truck in a field, I remember those days. As I preserve that nostalgia in my art, I smile just a little to myself, recalling the times I was known as John Gage.
©2010/11 David Hill Photography
