I recently took a road trip through Hubbardston, en route to a flea market, which, as it turns out, is only open on Sunday mornings. My plan was to drive through Hubbardston, hit the flea market, grab something to eat, and then shoot a couple of rolls in Gardner, the furniture capital of the U.S. As the flea market would have to wait another day, I decided to look for something, anything, on the way to Gardner, that was worthy of burning a few frames. I hit the mother lode.
Vintage rubber- old BF Goodrich tires, with lots of meat still on them.
These old, destroyed trucks, were parked in front of an old, seemingly abandoned shack. As the F2 was loaded up with a fresh roll of FP4 Plus, and mounted with the fast 50 and Hoya yellow filter, the timing and serendipity could not be any better. I almost left the house intending to shoot Portra 160 and 400.Beautiful emulsions, but the results just would not have turned out the same.
Industrial decay at its very best.
How these beautiful machines could be sitting here, seemingly untouched for decades, boggles the mind.
This is thick, thick glass.
Looking closer through the cracked glass, what is left of a once beautiful interior starts to become visible.
Imagine what it must have been like to be behind this steering wheel.
I was a bit hesitant coming into such scenery to photograph, as the F2 meter is, well, decades old, It proved itself more than capable, and handled the high contrast infinitely better than expected.
Despite being stripped of its vinyl and wood, paneling and seats, the interior truly was a breathtaking site.
These two vehicles almost seemed like they were posing, begging to be photographed. Somehow, color C41 or E6 film would not have worked nearly as well. The scene was readily made for B&W film. Maybe Portra would have been nice to capture the reddish hues of the rust. But FP4 really brings the tonality of the scene to life.
Bed loaded with fenders and panels.
Hard to believe wiring of this thick gauge even existed back then.
Reminiscent of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, before Caracticus Potts did his magical restoration.
The grill metal almost looked like prison bars up close…
Decades of New England weather will do this. But these trucks will likely be out here, and continue to age beautifully, for decades to come.
If I was not so hesitant to keep a camera, film, and a lens in the trunk, I’d keep a camera with me wherever I went. Just for moments like this. You never know what you can find along the road.
arthurpolaroid 