Photo Breakdowns No2
August 21, 2021 - I was camping in West Virginia at Big Bend, which is nestled in the beautiful Smoke Hole Canyon next to the South Branch of the Potomac River. I brought my trusty sidekick, Luna the dog, with me to share in my adventure. We had a blast - camping, swimming, and hiking around the area.
One day, I decided to go on a mission to find American flags to add to my ongoing “American Flag” documentary project. Luna and I were driving toward Petersburg when I spotted a building with both American and Confederate flags waving proudly in the wind. I hesitated for a moment, knowing that as an immigrant, stopping on someone’s private property to take photos could potentially have some unintended consequences - like getting shot or mauled by an angry dog.
But the lure of capturing such a unique image was too strong, so I stopped the car for just a quick second and snapped a shot of the building and the flags. When I returned to the car, I discovered that Luna had accidentally locked us out. The keys were on the front seat, the phone was inside, and it was hot as hell outside. I started to panic.
I attempted to coax Luna into stepping on the remote button again, but she just lay down on the back seat and gave me a look that said, “You’re on your own, buddy.” I had no other choice but to go knock on the neighbor’s door and ask for help.
As I approached, the neighbor gave me a funny look and asked about my accent. I told him I was from Poland but lived in Baltimore, Maryland. The neighbor’s face lit up, and he started reminiscing about the good old days when he lived in Baltimore. Lucky for me, I thought.
The neighbor called his wife, who came out with a “rod” to try and unlock the door. I had no idea what kind of rod she was talking about, but I figured they knew what they were doing. They poked and prodded at the car door for a while, but nothing worked. All the while, the owners of the “flag building” showed up, looking very confused.
As more people showed up, everyone started throwing out ideas on how to get into the car. I started to feel like we were on some sort of reality TV show. People were getting more and more concerned about Luna, who was still locked inside the car, panting and looking like she was about to pass out.
Finally, I made the executive decision to break the window and call it a day. But as luck would have it, my car window was apparently made of adamantium or some other indestructible material. It took a good five to seven hits with a rock to finally shatter it. When we finally got inside, the people gathered around cheered and gave Luna lots of hugs and scratches. Someone even brought her a bowl of cold water.
The conclusion is I have a really cool photo that cost me $600 (to replace the window). Whenever I look at this photo, I have mixed feelings though. I stopped because this scene shows what is considered division, racism, and radicalism. Without having a broader context, this is still. But on the other hand, it’s also a reminder of the kind and helpful people I met in that sleepy little mountain village.
Lesson learned: never judge a book by its cover - or a car window by its strength; and Ricoh GRIII is a very capable camera.