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The Slow Road Movement
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| by James Cowlin
 | | US 89-Glacier National Park |
I had just begun photographing along US Route 89 when an article appeared in the New York Times Magazine that changed my thinking about the project. It was entitled A Slow-Road Movement? and was written by Robert Sullivan on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Interstate highway system. He detailed some of the negative consequences of the system and then cited new thinking about what purpose roads can serve besides moving cars from one place to another as fast as possible. He concluded the essay with this thought:
"Now we have to decide whether our roads will continue to strangle us, to drive us crazy, to pollute and poison our air and water or maybe slow us down in a good way and give us a chance to enjoy everything we still have left and have worked so hard to build."
It was at that moment that the philosophical underpinning for my work on Highway 89 became apparent. Until then I had thought of it as a landscape photography project. I would go from one national park to the next, take my photographs and publish a coffee table book. End of story and on to the next adventure. This Sullivan essay made me realize that the project also needed to be about the road trip itself and about the joys of slowing down on a two-lane highway through some of the most beautiful country in America.
The notion of driving for pleasure is as old the automobile itself. The grand parkways that were constructed in the late 19th and early 20th century were explicitly designed for scenic beauty. The mythology surrounding the family driving vacations of the 1940s and 50s has much to do with the adventure of discovery that slower roads and cars provided. The Interstates, which were originally conceived of as military roads, intentionally bypassed the small towns and cities so that cargo could move as fast as possible. For me the project became about encouraging a return to an older way of thinking in which the journey is as rewarding as the destinations.
 | | Main Street, Old Town Cottonwood, Arizona |
Out of that thinking came this newsletter. Then came the website with its Road Trip Guides. Keeping up with online publishing, I started the US Route 89 blog to document the road trip Barbara and I made in 2010. It has now become a sort of magazine full of articles to excite travelers about the adventure of taking the slow road. All of this is aimed at encouraging travel on 89 as well as being a place to display my photographs. I haven't forgotten about that coffee table book and someday it will become a reality. For now I'm enjoying sharing my work with you through all this "new media."
Finally, out of all this philosophizing came the idea that there should be a way for people who feel the way I do to be part of it. Thus, the US Route 89 Appreciation Society. I thought long and hard about the name. Should it be a club, organization, association or alliance. All those seemed too modern or sterile for what I was feeling. I wanted to suggest something a little more old-fashioned and quirky. To me, Appreciation Society suggests a group of people who have come together because of their love for one of America's most beautiful slow roads.
I want to say thank you to the individuals, businesses and civic organizations that have become members of the Society. Join us and become part of the slow road movement.
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Improve Your Photography
| | by James Cowlin
I began teaching a class on basic digital photography last fall for the community education division of Central Arizona College. In three hours I attempt to impart enough information so that the students understand how cameras work. Hopefully at by the end of the class they will stop using Auto and take control of their pictures.
In preparing for the class, I did a fair amount of online research looking for resources for further study. It turns out that there is a lot of stuff online, some of it quite good. Much of what I found explains the technology of digital cameras and how to use the various controls, particularly for compact cameras of the point and shoot variety. That's all well and good, but what I wanted was something that goes beyond the mechanics.
 I found the answer to that quest at Craft & Vision, a publisher of ebooks written by photographers who are passionate about their work. The slogan "Great Photographs Happen Where Craft and Vision Converge" sums up the philosophy behind these books. To get an idea of how this idea plays out in reality, I downloaded the free ebook, 11 Ways to Improve Your Photography. The books contains articles by ten authors on topics ranging from digital exposure and composition to creating projects and learning to see. What really impressed me is the way that the writers combine technique with an understanding of when and why to apply it. The explanations are well illustrated with beautiful photographs and the books are designed for optimum viewing on a computer screen or tablet.
In fact, I am so impressed with the quality of the Vision & Craft publications that I decided to become an affiliate. I have resisted doing affiliate marketing because I didn't want to promote products that I couldn't wholeheartedly endorse. I always wanted to be sure that the products will bring real value to my subscribers. At only $5, these books are a bargain. Click here to visit Craft And Vision. When you make a purchase, you will be helping to support the US Route 89 Appreciation Society as well as improving your photography.
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