Since moving to Roanoke, I’ve somehow fallen deep into the dog walking and sitting business. All it took was one dog walking job, and before I knew it I was walking dogs all over my neighborhood. It was great for my legs and my wallet, but there was another lovely surprise.
I saw this abandoned garage while walking a lovable Golden Retriever early one morning. It seemed odd to me at first, because every house in the area is kept quite tidy and pretty. And yet, here was this crumbling, rotting garage. I marveled at how nature was slowly creeping its way inside, reclaiming the little lot. I wondered at the story behind the garage. Who had left it like this? Other people must notice it, too - what do they think of it? Do they think it’s beautiful? A scar on the face of the neighborhood? Do they tiptoe inside when no one is looking? As the first rays of sunlight peeped through where the roof had been, I fell in love with this place. I knew I had to come back with my camera.
Anna lives about as far away from this little decrepit garage as I do, and I was excited when she agreed to shoot together. I had been wanting to photograph her for some time. Her face has lines and edges, but also softness and curves. And, she has a fantastic eye for style and design, which I really admire.
We met at first light on a cloudy day in early fall to create these photographs. We took our time working our way inside the garage. It was like the garage was this living, breathing relic that we were getting to know, and we wanted to be polite. A mother and daughter passed by as we explored, and my heart did a little jump. I worried they would see us as trespassers and inquire into what we were doing. But instead, they simply smiled and commented on what a neat place it was to take pictures before they continued on. We smiled back and agreed.