Scrap Metal, Snow

I used to go to this unofficial scrap yard frequently to make pictures. I liked the twisted metal and the broken glass – all the used up and forgotten things that are very beautiful under scrutiny.

I had been very busy and had neglected my photography for awhile, so I was surprised to find the junk mostly cleaned up when I returned after a long time away. I found that I missed it more than I expected: in its own ugly way, the junkyard was a special place for me.

I found these twisted metal chairs alone in the middle of a field, awaiting pickup. I played with the blunted shapes through my camera as my dog Coco played in the snow nearby, both of us enjoying the junkyard for the last time. The winter light was very soft and low, and it made my out-of-focus footprints seem to glow in the background.

This photograph reminds me that all things change eventually, even the things that seem to have found their final resting place. There's something both comforting and troubling about that, but the thought lets me better appreciate my life and the situations I find myself in.