Some new photos from Fort Wayne

Thank you all for the support. I'm glad so many people still like to see my work. I have worked on some of these projects for more than 20 years; they're my life's work and will probably never be 'finished', even if I lived to be 150 years old!


ossian-tavern-1.jpg


This is the front of Ossian Tavern, a bar on Jefferson Steet (State Road 1) in the small town of Ossian, Indiana. Ossian is in the northern part of Wells County, about 8 miles south of the Waynedale area of Fort Wayne.​

I photographed it yesterday evening, right before a massive rainstorm.​
 
patriotic-truck.jpg


American flags fly from the top of each door on a Dodge Ram pickup truck in the parking lot of a school in Fort Wayne, Indiana.​

These flags that mount on the tops of car and truck doors became very popular right after the September 11 terrorist attacks. Today, more than 13 years later, car flags are less common around here.

I photographed the truck yesterday afternoon.
​
 
"...will probably never be finished...."

well Chris, da Vinci did say an art project is never finished, it's abandoned.
You'll know, if and when that time comes.

Until then, as I wrote before, I admire your dedication and am glad for you that many others appreciate your efforts.
 
Another person calling in to say how much they enjoy Chris's work. It's just a neighbourhood, like mine, but the ocean between them makes his seem strange and intriguing to my eyes, where people do the same things but in different ways. I'd go so far as to describe it as beauty in the banal. I cannot remember who, some time ago, said that Chris's photos were full of people, they'd just popped out of the frame for a second, but I agree with the sentiment - they are there, even though you cannot see them.

Adrian
 
I get Chris's style of photography because I grew up in Indiana, and though my hometown is about a tenth the size of Fort Wayne, it is much the same, only in smaller doses.

Every time I go back, I take photos documenting the changes I've found, and though they don't make for spectacular photos, they're important as far as the history of place is concerned.

Keep it up, Chris, and maybe I'll be up your way in June.

PF
 
farlymac said:
I get Chris's style of photography because I grew up in Indiana, and though my hometown is about a tenth the size of Fort Wayne, it is much the same, only in smaller doses.

Every time I go back, I take photos documenting the changes I've found, and though they don't make for spectacular photos, they're important as far as the history of place is concerned.

Keep it up, Chris, and maybe I'll be up your way in June.

PF
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If you decide to come up to Indiana, email me a week or so before and I'll plan to meet up with you. Would be great to meet you. No one from RFF ever comes here!
 
sunny-schick-1.jpg


Sunny Schick Camera Shop is my hometown camera store, and the only pro-level camera store in Fort Wayne. I have been buying equipment, film, chemicals, and other photo supplies from them since I was a kid.​

Sunny Schick is on the corner of Washington Boulevard and Ewing Street in downtown Fort Wayne. This is the east side of the ancient brick building that has been the store's home since it opened in 1926. There is a door on the front of the building, but the regular customers all use the side entrance.​

The Nikon camera sign is the third camera that Sunny Schick has had on the side of the store, at least that I can remember. From the time I was a kid until several years after I graduated from college, the sign was a Nikon F3-HP, which was a 1980's era professional 35mm camera. When the F3 sign got too faded, it was replaced by a Canon Digital Rebel. That was later replaced by the Nikon digital camera that you see here.​

When I was young, the store was owned by an elderly man named Dana Christie. His son, Bill, worked there for many years; and he took it over after his father retired. One of Bill's sons works there now. Hopefully the store will be there for many more years.

A lot of local camera stores have been killed off by competition from online shops, but its nice to have a place to go when I need something immediately, and where I can hang out and talk photography with friends among the staff and customers.​

The store is named for its founder, whose last name was Schick. His friends called him Sunny. I made this photograph yesterday morning as the sun was rising behind me.​
 
zombies-danger.jpg


I thought this was a funny sign on the door in a classroom at one of the schools where I work.

Danger: Ninjas, Pirates, Monsters, & Zombies.

I shot it yesterday afternoon.
 
old-catholics-house-1.jpg


This little house is on Orchard Lane, south of Corvalis Drive, in the Waynedale area of Fort Wayne, Indiana. The sign at the top of the door says, "Pray and Fast to End Abortion." The sign below it says, "We Support Our Troops."​

I talked to the elderly woman who lives here for over an hour. She is an extremely devout Roman Catholic. The walls inside the house are covered in crucifixes, pictures of the Virgin Mary, and framed photographs of Pope Francis.​

She had the "We Support Our Troops" sign because her brothers and several of her seven children had served in the military.

I photographed the house Saturday evening.
​
 
highway-24-69-rainbow.jpg


Yesterday evening, my son and I went out to dinner at the Bob Evans restaurant at The Village At Coventry shopping center in Fort Wayne. As we got out of the car, I saw this rainbow in the sky over the US-24/I-69 interchange just south of where we stood.​

It lasted less than a minute, just long enough for me to set my camera and make three quick exposures. This was the first, and the best, of them.​
 
Chriscrawfordphoto said:
sunny-schick-1.jpg



A lot of local camera stores have been killed off by competition from online shops, but its nice to have a place to go when I need something immediately, and where I can hang out and talk photography with friends among the staff and customers.​
​
Click to expand...


I was so lucky to start my photography with such a store!
Muller's Pharmacy was really two stores, the Pharmacy and a Full Pro Photographic store! Leica,Hasselblad,Nikon,Canon.Mamiya,Papers,Films all available.
The Professional Photographers and some true Amateurs all with tons of advice and experiences..
No online store and Google can compete.
​
 
salvation-army-2.jpg


A few years ago, the Salvation Army closed this store in the Quimby Village Shopping Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The store was moved to a new location in the Southgate Plaza Shopping Center.​

Recently, the store at Quimby Village reopened with a banner over the door that says all items in the store sell for just one Dollar. I photographed it this morning.
​
 
former-ub-church-1.jpg


This is a former United Brethren Church in the small town of Ossian, Indiana. The brick church, built in 1889, is located on the north side of Mill Street, just west of Church Street. It is now a private residence.


I photographed it last Thursday afternoon.
 
sterling-hall-1.jpg


I meet a lot of interesting people when I am out photographing. I met Sterling Hall Sr. Monday afternoon, after photographing another place near his house. I'd parked my car across the street from his house on High Street, just west of Runnion Avenue on Fort Wayne's west side

As I was walking back to my car, his tiny white dog, Dot, began hysterically barking and snarling at me. I said to the dog; "My cat could eat you!" I used to have a 23lb cat who liked to terrorize dogs.​

Mr. Hall was sitting in a wheelchair in the front doorway of his house, so I went up and started talking to him. He asked me why I was taking pictures, and I told him about my work documenting life in Fort Wayne. He asked me to take a picture of him.​

While I photographed him, he told me that he had recently had his right leg amputated.​
 
pizza-man-1.jpg


A few days before I made this photograph, Little Caesar's Pizza opened a new location on Bluffton Road in the Waynedale area of Fort Wayne, Indiana.​

The restaurant is a couple of blocks south of a Papa John's Pizza location, so Papa John's has had a man dressed as a giant walking pizza slice holding a sign across the street from the new Little Caesar's store!​

Am I the only one who thinks that it is strange that a slice of pizza is encouraging people to eat pizzas?​

I photographed him Wednesday evening.​
 
broken-playhouse-1.jpg


I found this Little Tykes child's playhouse, broken and laying on its side, in the backyard of a house on the north side of Grace Avenue, just east of Broadway, in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

These plastic playhouses are very popular toys; it seems like everyone in Fort Wayne with a kid and a backyard has one. They're rather expensive, so I was surprised to see one in this condition.​
 
vacant-broadway-1.jpg


This vacant building stands on the southeast corner of Broadway and Huestis Avenue in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It is across the street from Broadway Joe's Tavern.

It has been home to a long list of short-lived businesses over the years, including a laundromat, a clothing store, and a Hispanic music and video store. Most recently it was home to a tattoo shop.

I photographed it right after I photographed the broken playhouse in my previous post.
​
 
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