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by Alex MacPhail
About the Blog
In 1973-1974 I walked across the country, from Maine to Oregon via West Virginia, and took these photographs of the people I met. As a photojournalist I wanted to create an intimate portrait of America that would coincide with the Bicentennial. I processed all the photographs over a two year period to put into a book. For several reasons, mostly financial, the book was not published and I put everything away in storage. Then, in 2006, some 30 years later, I took out the 500 contact sheets I had from the 35 mm film I shot on the walk and digitized them. Magnifying the contact sheets on my computer I began looking at each of the photographs all over again. Needless to say, I found things in them that I wasn't aware of even when I took them. I took this new vision with me into the dark room where I worked for most of 2006 printing hundreds of finished prints from the original negatives on high quality silver paper. I scanned and digitized 500 of those photos. In the final step I printed the photos right from Photoshop on an Epson R2400 printer using archival inks. What I see looking at the photos a second time around and more than thirty years later is the people and their wonderful openness, their ease, how they allowed themselves to be curious, vulnerable, and present with me. I doubt I would get the same response today if I did the whole trip over again. Of course, the openness, the ease, the curiosity was reciprocal! I was comfortable with everyone I met without exception. I admired them. They were wonderful! All of them! They were amazing! You can see it in the photos. They were warm, generous, lovely and brilliant. Their photographs really deserve to be seen.
About Me
Under Construction
The photos are now in chronological order, the same order that I took them as I walked across the country, but the site is still 'under construction' as I will be doing some fine tuning now and then. I hope you enjoy the photographs. Don't forget: you can enlarge individual photos by clicking on them so you can see them properly. Thanks. Alex MacPhail
Copywrites
All of the photographs appearing in this blog are covered by copywrites (1976, 2005). Please don't use any of the photographs for any purpose without my written permission. Thanks, Alex MacPhail
Blog Archive
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2008
(187)
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October
(39)
- Mill worker, Saturday afternoon, Lewiston, Maine, ...
- Teen couple Friday night, Oxford Speedway, near Le...
- Women leaving work for the day, Hana Shoe Factory,...
- Men making shoes, Hana Shoe Factory, Lewiston, Mai...
- Stairwell, Bates Linen Mill, Lewiston, Maine, Augu...
- Machinists, Bates Linen Mill, Lewiston, Maine, Aug...
- Folding bed spreads, Bates Linen Mill, Lewiston, M...
- Loom operator, Bates Linen Mill , Lewiston, Maine,...
- Fabric designer, Bates Linen Mill, Lewiston, Maine...
- Robbie Porter butchering a pig, Adamant, Vermont, ...
- Chrissy, Adamant, Vermont, December 1973
- Rabbit hunters, Worcester, Vermont, December 1973
- Man shoveling horse manure, Montpelier, Vermont, D...
- Carpenters building ski chalets and condominums, W...
- Dairy farmer, Roxbury, Vermont, December 1973
- Afternoon customer, Zemo's Dugout Bar, Rutland, Ve...
- World famous waitress, Lindholm's Diner, Rutland, ...
- Rabbit killed by a car, Dorset, Vermont, December ...
- State highway worker, Manchester, Vermont, Decembe...
- Elementary school students arriving at school, Pow...
- Elementary school students arriving at school, Pow...
- Elementary school students, Manchester, Vermont, D...
- Hampshire Collge graduates, Amherst, Massachusetts...
- Hampshire Collge graduates, Amherst, Massachusetts...
- Spectators, college ice hockey game, Amherst, Mass...
- Spectators, college ice hockey game, Amherst, Mass...
- John Earle and his sister at home, Darien, Connect...
- Students Darien High School, Darien, Connecticut, ...
- Gas station owner, Post Road, Westport, Connecticu...
- Upwardly mobile couple, Westport, Connecticut, Jan...
- Commuters, Stanford, Connecticut, January 1974
- Commuter, New York City, January 1974
- Sailors aboard ship, New York City, January 1974
- Doorman, Central Park West, New York City, January...
- Street characters, New York City, January 1974
- Actress, New York City, January 1974
- Stock broker, Wall Stret, January 1974
- Parking lot attendant, New York City, January 1974...
- Museum of Modern Art, New York City, January 1974
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September
(112)
- Waitress at Truck Stop near Stroudsburg, PA, Febru...
- Woman at her door, Leighton, PA, February 1974
- Three gorgeous women, Washington, PA, February 197...
- The three musketeers, Washington, PA, February 197...
- The Know-it-all, near Tamaqua, PA, Feburary 1974
- School crossing guard, Tamaqua, PA, February 1974
- 'Janney', Coal mine foreman and his wife, Coaldale...
- 'Janney', coal mine foreman and his wife, Coaldale...
- Ash man, Pottsville, PA, February 1974
- Miners emerging from mine at end of shift, near Ne...
- Boot Leg mine with miners coming up at end of shif...
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October
(39)
1 comments:
nice black and white photography. fits well for a nice black brochure printing
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