This mid-century motel in the middle of Bishop almost exhibits what seems to be “Danish googie” styling. Shown here with “motel postcard” processing for even more effect.
Each time we go to Fresno for one or another piece of business, I try to sneak off by myself to take photos. We usually stay at my in-laws’ home out near Woodward Park, an area which is virtually all new subdivisions and malls. I find all this pretty uninteresting on every level, so I always head towards downtown, to the older, more interesting, and typically more run-down, parts of Fresno.
On this particular day, I did not have very much time at all, as we were preparing to head back home by noon. I decided I would drive the opposite way on Friant Rd just to see what’s around. I found the old Friant Rd, the one we took to go to Millerton Lake when I was a kid. The scenery was so familiar it made me feel weird. I wondered where Ball Ranch was, where my cousin Tommy, God rest his mischievous soul, would take me fishing when he talked his father out of the car for a Sunday afternoon. I don’t think I saw it. But before I knew it, I was seeing something else I had not seen in at least 25 years: the town of Friant. Thankfully, it had not really changed much. So, this is my first attempt to shoot here. I’m sure it won’t be my last. I’ll post a few more shots of this outing over the next few days.
I took a few photos of the Millerton Motel. Doing the post on this shot, I thought I would go for a simple film look. While I’m not sure I got very close to that, I do like the result on its own terms. I’ll definitely post a few more shots from this outing over the next few days.
In the final moments of our time around Mt Shasta, I managed to get my group to wait for me while I wandered around Weed, CA shooting the local color. Actually, it didn’t take very long. But it was fun while it lasted.
With subjects like these, it was definitely about color. I was shooting with a polarizing filter, which I have little experience with, and I’m surprised by the deep, dark blues that resulted. Click an image to view large.
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