Graniteville--The Final shots

It was an early Saturday morning about 7 o'clock when I pulled up on the final day of shooting. As I was grabbing my gear to walk through the area, a car pulled up behind me. A guy with a female passenger--both too well-dressed for this time of day--started throwing out a series of questions. I fielded some questions and threw out a couple of my own. He was the person responsible for the protection of the facilities. He seemed defensive when I mentioned that our area is going to change and I wanted to capture our history before it was too late. "Oh it is, is it?" He went his way and I mine. After another swig of coffee, I marched along the sidewalk wondering what I'd capture today.

Midland Valley: The Pictures

Midland Valley: The Pictures

Midland Valley: The Pictures

A Look at Midland Valley

I was sitting in my office several months ago, when a friend said I should shoot pictures of Graniteville. I liked the idea. Graniteville and the other towns that make up Midland Valley remind me of my roots in Detroit. Blue collar town, working class values. I'm proud of my roots. Unfortunately, Graniteville like my hometown is declining. I see pictures of Detroit, once a proud and thriving city and what I see is the decay. That doesn't mean neither city doesn't have it's bright spots, just that times are tough and jobs have been lost. I drive through the valley and see a lot of vacant buildings and with vacancy comes the decay. There's nobody there to pickup trash, trim hedges, replace broken windows and other such things. I'm dedicating the next several posts to our neighbors in Midland Valley.