ROAD TRIP - AMERICA

I was nine years old when a Kodak darkroom kit given to me by my parents planted the seed of what would later become my life’s passion. I set up a little darkroom in the basement of our house. Seeing an image slowly appear on a blank sheet of paper in a tray of liquid was magic. Even the darkened room with only a faint yellow glow from the safelight had its wonder. I was sidetracked for the next several years growing up with the aimless direction of an adolescent. I graduated college in 1969 and avoiding having to get a job, I ventured on a cross-country trip, with a borrowed Nikon camera. This turned out to be a life changing event, it reacquainted me with photography and the special power of a camera.

In the early 70’s I had the opportunity to study with some of the west coast masters.  I had personal conversations with Wynn Bullock regarding his philosophy about time/space and perceptions. I attended lectures by Brett Weston, Morley Baer and Ansel Adams.  I watched as Ansel Adams created some of his masterpieces in his darkroom.  I left the West Coast with my head spinning with inspiration which prompted my second journey into America.  Now armed with a view camera on a tri-pod, I set out in search of America’s grand landscaped.

 In recent years, I’ve witnessed the unsettling polarization that has been building in America. In 2012, I set out on another road trip to see if there were still remnants of the America I had visited and experienced some 40 years earlier. To be more up close and personal, I now armed myself with a small hand held digital camera. I left behind, traffic jams, waiting for crowded trains bumping into people next to you with no personal interaction other than an occasional stare. There’s no time.

 To date I’ve traveled over 20,000 miles through 30 states stopping at countless small towns along the way. Unlike the Tri-State area I’m accustomed to, the people were warm, welcoming, and had time to chat. They were curious who this traveler was and why I was taking pictures. They enjoyed a conversation with a stranger and were happy to have their picture taken. Their pace of life was slower and more personal. In Elkhart, Texas, I met a man pulling a wagon down the highway and Roy one of the few remaining cowboy ranchers in Alanreed. There was Peggy and Joe at their vegetable stand in Ohio who felt I looked tired and insisted I stop, rest and made me a tomato sandwich. I met Yellowman on an Indian reservation in New Mexico, Tom the “Wanderer” in Illinois, Billy Johnson, tending his tomato patch in Tennessee, a family crabbing on the bayou in Louisiana and Jerry mailing some letters in Wathena, Kansas. A traveler is prepared for the sophistication of the big cities with the costumes of the hurried people attached to mobile devices and the suburban sprawl of strip malls. But after traveling the highways for many months and thousands of miles exploring America photographing the landscape and having the opportunity to meet these people, I can state with conviction, forget the airline, get off the interstate, take your time and experience the seldom seen America”. The journey was enlightening and reassuring.

ROAD TRIP - AMERICA is scheduled for publication by year’s end 2025. This beautifully printed 100- page hard cover coffee table monograph reflecting a grand, diverse and friendly America will be priced at $100.

To help with publication costs, I am offering a special pre-publication edition of 50 hand signed books for $125 each. In addition, I am also offering a special edition of 25 hand signed books that will include one hand signed 9x12 archival pigment print of their choosing for $300.*

For additional information Brian can be contacted at BrianLav6@gmail.com.

*Limited edition, archival rag pigment prints are available to purchase. Contact for a price list.