I often revisited certain favourite sites to explore them more deeply and photograph them again.
The work of Walker Evans was a true inspiration to me. Evans is a legendary figure in American photography, a man who disliked formalism of any kind. He was commissioned by the U.S. Farm Security Administration to document how the Great Depression was affecting farm life. He worked exclusively with black and white film, producing classic images of ordinary life: people, farmhouses, doorways, tin cups, and roadside signs.
My previous photo of this scene was in colour, shot from a distance that encapsulated the entire setting. When I returned for a follow-up session, I deliberately chose black and white and a close viewing of a select part of the scene.
“Photography is not cute cats, no nudes, motherhood or arrangements of manufactured products. Under no circumstances is it ever anywhere near a beach.” ~ Walker Evans
Location: Rivers, Manitoba
Date: Summer 1981
Source: Pentax ME Super with Fuji black and white film
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