Matt Alberts, a skateboarder with a 19th-century camera, takes a trip on Route 66 with a few pals and a 1973 Airstream trailer. They find abandoned swimming pools -- including one I recognize as being at Two Guns, Arizona -- and drainage ditches to do their work. They also produced this short film (warning: the … Continue reading Skateboarding photographer takes a trip on Route 66
Category: Photographs
The lost photos of Joplin
May 22 marked the third anniversary of the powerful tornado that struck Joplin, Missouri, and changed that Route 66 city forever. I recommend you read this story from Al-Jazeera America about the Lost Photos of Joplin project, which collected more than 40,000 photographs scattered by the storm. There are lithographs of ancestors from the 1800s, … Continue reading The lost photos of Joplin
Photographer will open exhibit in Kirkwood gallery
Missouri-based photographer Mark Appling Fisher will open his "Route 66 and Beyond" exhibit at the Ober Anderson Gallery in Kirkwood, Mo., on Friday. According to a news release from the gallery about his photos: Among them are hand colored, infrared film images of from unusual sites along the old Route 66, including a pink elephant … Continue reading Photographer will open exhibit in Kirkwood gallery
Old-time photo studio opens across from Blue Swallow Motel
An old-time-style photography studio has opened across the road from the landmark Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, N.M. The couple that opened those businesses also plan to eventually open a Route 66 wedding chapel in that space. Here is one of the sets Mother Road Old Time Photos uses: According to a story in the Tucumcari-based … Continue reading Old-time photo studio opens across from Blue Swallow Motel
A great spot for a Route 66 selfie
Route 66 News reader Mark Nicklawske of Bangor, Maine, wanted to pass along a great spot to shoot a photo of a Route 66 landmark or a self-portrait, aka selfie, with your smartphone. That landmark is the historic Colorado Street Bridge in Pasadena, Calif., which carries westbound Route 66 travelers to Los Angeles. I'd always seen terrific … Continue reading A great spot for a Route 66 selfie
Art show involving motel room on Route 66 coming to Tulsa
Tulsa-based photographer Western Doughty will display 75 original images from his "Route 66: Room 116" project from Jan. 3 through Jan. 23 at Living Arts in Tulsa, according to a story from the Associated Press. Doughty explained the project on his website: We have this romanticized idea of Route 66 and all that it has … Continue reading Art show involving motel room on Route 66 coming to Tulsa
Two blasts from the past
Jim Farber, who's helping the Autry National Center in Los Angeles with its upcoming "Route 66: The Road and the Romance" show, said he recently found an old photo of a family on the road at a paper show. "I did not realize until I was driving Route 66 this summer that it was taken … Continue reading Two blasts from the past
“Twentysix Gasoline Stations” art book marks 50th anniversary
Los Angeles artist Ed Ruscha self-published his art photography book, "Twentysix Gasoline Stations," 50 years ago this year. Few would have predicted the book, which portrays 26 gas stations on Route 66 from Los Angeles to Oklahoma City, would have proved so influential to other artists. NPR posted this report on the book: Exceprts from … Continue reading “Twentysix Gasoline Stations” art book marks 50th anniversary
Roy’s in Amboy hosts Olympus video and photo shoot
The Olympus website is prominently featuring the Route 66 landmark Roy's in Amboy, Calif., as a way to promote the camera company's OM-D model. A screen capture from a scene of the video shoot is shown above. But I urge you to see the videos and photos from the Roy's shoot here. Commercial photographer John … Continue reading Roy’s in Amboy hosts Olympus video and photo shoot
Take a virtual tour of Cain’s Ballroom
If you've never been to the historic Cain's Ballroom concert venue in Tulsa, here's a virtual tour courtesy of Google Maps. You can even go onto the mezzanine: View Larger Map The Google Maps images were taken this week by Mother Road Media LLC in Tulsa, which is a Google Business Tours photographer. If you … Continue reading Take a virtual tour of Cain’s Ballroom