Some new photos from Fort Wayne

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

This is one of several small sunflowers growing next to the Big Eyed Fish restaurant on the corner of Wells Street and Fourth Street in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

A fat fuzzy bumblebee is gathering pollen on the flower.

I shot it while testing a new lens I just got, the Olympus 60mm f2.8 Macro for Micro Four Thirds.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Wells Street Coin Laundry is most likely the smallest in Fort Wayne, Indiana It only has a few machines built into one wall inside. The little storefront on Wells Street, next to Fort Wayne Guitar Exchange, is rather spartan looking; though part of the brick facade is adorned with limestone.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

This old red barn sits behind a farmhouse on Saint Joe Road, just south of the small town of Leo-Cedarville, in rural Allen County, Indiana.

An American flag hangs over the doors on the side of the barn.

I photographed it, and the farmhouse, last week. I'll post the photo of the house soon.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

The now-closed Charitos Mexican Buffet was located in one of the old brick storefront buildings that line both sides of Wayne Street in the small town of Waterloo, Indiana. Wayne Street is Waterloo's "Main Street."

The restaurant's name is still visible on the painted-over sign on the front of the building.

I photographed it this morning.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

The Library in the little village of Corunna, Indiana. The town of 250 residents isn't big enough for a regular public library, so they have a "Little Free Library" hanging on the front of the Town Hall building on Bridge Street (State Road 327), which is the town's "Main Street."

Little Free Libraries are small boxes containing books that anyone can take to read. People can also leave books in them for others to take. Most of them are built by individuals and businesses on their properties, but some are found at government buildings, such as fire stations and town halls.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

The town hall in the little village of Corunna, Indiana. The building sits behind a bridge that carries State Road 327 over a railroad track that runs through the town.

Several other buildings in Corunna sit behind the approaches to the bridge, which seems to have been built with no consideration for the town's layout or history.

I photographed this building the first time back in 2009. The only thing that has changed in the nine years since is that the building now has a "Little Free Library" hanging on the front. I made this photograph last week.

 

[Mark A. Fisher]

Put succinctly, your work is brilliant. A stunning collection of life in America, presented clearly and simply, truly beautiful.

Bravo,

Mark

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Put succinctly, your work is brilliant. A stunning collection of life in America, presented clearly and simply, truly beautiful.

Bravo,

Mark

Thanks, Mark. This is a project that I have worked on for 20 years now!

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

A "Mike Pence For President" sign in front of a house on Crescent Avenue, just north of State Boulevard, in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The owner told me that he hates Trump and wishes that Pence was president. He said that he would have even preferred Hillary Clinton over Trump. He said he knows Pence personally and thinks he is a good man. Pence is the former Governor of Indiana.

The sign surprised me because Pence is President Trump's vice-president, and so far as I know he and Trump will be running for re-election in 2020. The sign's owner said that there are people making the Pence signs and selling them online to people like him who wish that Trump would go away and let Pence take over.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

This farmhouse is on Saint Joe Road, just south of the small town of Leo-Cedarville, in rural Allen County, Indiana. It is in front of the red barn with the American flag that I posted here last week.

The wooden cross in front of the house says "Jesus Is Lord." The sign next to the cross says "Proud To Be An American." A small wooden sign on the house, next to the front door, says "Land Of The Free."

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

This cast iron water meter box is set into a sidewalk on Marion Street, next to the police station, in the small town of Waterloo, Indiana.

The water meter cover says that it was made by the Ford Meter Box Company in Wabash, another small town in northern Indiana.

 

[roscoetuff]

Chris: Love the Stoner's Funstore a while back. Are you still using the Mamiya 6? And are you developing your own color film? Just curious. I've given the latter a shot with a Jobo and find it's drawing me more to color than I expected. Looks from this site as if the same has captivated you as well. VERY nice color. Good rock solid shots. Tripod?

THanks for sharing

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Chris: Love the Stoner's Funstore a while back. Are you still using the Mamiya 6? And are you developing your own color film? Just curious. I've given the latter a shot with a Jobo and find it's drawing me more to color than I expected. Looks from this site as if the same has captivated you as well. VERY nice color. Good rock solid shots. Tripod?

THanks for sharing

I don't have the Mamiya 6 anymore. I have been shooting all digital lately. I've been in bad health all of my life, but the last few years, things have taken a downturn. I suffered a stroke in 2013, and earlier this year I nearly died from an antibiotic-resistant lung infection.

I don't feel well enough anymore to stand in my damp basement to develop film on a regular basis like I used to. My lungs were damaged from the infection, and in cold, damp environments, I have trouble breathing.

The stroke left the right side of my body weakened, and if I stand long periods, I sometimes lose balance and fall.

The photo of Stoners was shot with a Canon 5DmkII and Canon 24-105mm F4L-IS lens. I handheld it, but shot several and picked the sharp one. I sold all of my Canon gear earlier this year and bought a Micro Four Thirds system.

The canon was just too heavy for me to carry. I like to have a camera on me at all times, and the weight of the Canon and its lenses was causing me back and leg pain. I am also shaky because of the stroke, and even with the IS lens, I was having problems holding the heavy fullframe Canon.

The Olympus Pen-F I bought is so light, I can handhold it at pretty long shutter speeds with no blurring. I carry the body, a 12-40mm f2.8 Olympus lens and 7-14mm f2.8 Olympus lens, and a Sekonic L-758DR light meter in a Think Tank bag and it weighs MUCH less than my Canon system did.

The Pen-F is what I have used for all of my work since March. I absolutely love it!

 

[rfaspen]

I knew you would love the M4/3 system. Its quite capable, and even more so in your hands!

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

A faded Confederate flag hangs on the side of an old house on Wayne Street, next to the new Town Hall building, in the small town of Waterloo, Indiana.

I photographed it yesterday morning.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

This is the front window of Baker Insurance Agency, located in one of the old storefronts on the east side of Wayne Street, in the small town of Waterloo, Indiana. Wayne Street is Waterloo's "Main Street."

The two styrofoam heads in the window caught my attention. That's not something you expect to see in an insurance agent's window! The owner told me that the heads originally had 'speech bubble' signs above them, showing them talking about insurance; but the signs fell down and he never replaced them.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

These buildings are on the east side of Wayne Street, between Marion Street and Van Vleek Street, in the small town of Waterloo, Indiana. Wayne Street is Waterloo's "Main Street."

The "Town Hall" building on the left is actually the former Waterloo Town Hall; they recently moved the town's government to a newer building a couple blocks south of the old one. The vacant storefront next to the old town hall used to be a restaurant called Charitos Mexican Buffet. The green storefront on the right edge of the photograph is Baker Insurance.

 

[ChipMcD]

Chris,

Do you ever shoot in Columbus, IN? I know that it's a ways from Ft Wayne and may fall outside of the scope of this project. I was through there last summer and was really taken with the architecture there. Unfortunately, it was so miserably hot that I didn't shoot as much as I would have otherwise. I'm considering a short return trip in a more moderate season. I'm not as talented a shooter as you and I was pleased with some of my shots. You could really go wild there.

I've got to say though, that Im really liking this series as it stretches out.

Chip

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Chris,

Do you ever shoot in Columbus, IN? I know that it's a ways from Ft Wayne and may fall outside of the scope of this project. I was through there last summer and was really taken with the architecture there. Unfortunately, it was so miserably hot that I didn't shoot as much as I would have otherwise. I'm considering a short return trip in a more moderate season. I'm not as talented a shooter as you and I was pleased with some of my shots. You could really go wild there.

I've got to say though, that Im really liking this series as it stretches out.

Chip

Chip,

I haven't made it to Columbus yet. I've concentrated mainly on northeast Indiana because I haven't had the money to travel far from home in several years. Things have been hard the last few years. I had a stroke in 2013 and lost my job as a high school teacher, so I'm having to live off sales of my photos and donations I get for my online tutorials while putting my son through college.

I'd like to do some work in southern Indiana someday. Aside from the cost of the trips down there, its hard for me to drive for hours at a time because of my health problems.

 

[leicapixie]

A great feature on RFF, are your photos of Fort Wayne.
I think you should be proud struggling but succeeding in making great images, plus all those details about a place few of us would/could ever go..
Your choice of going smaller in format very sensible.
I had a heart attack almost 10 years ago and carrying my pro rig was impossible!
I had a few months before tried digital in form of Pentax Optio with small images BUT perfectly usable for internet use for certain clients..
I have never bothered with Large Supersized DSLR and lenses..
I love film, but for travel, its my "Toy" cameras..
Thank you once more for your images and history.