On The Roads

As I mentioned in my last post, I've finally put all of my road pictures on the Web. There are 399 at the moment - hardly the output of many of my peers in the highway photog business. I like many of my pictures - especially the ones when I took the time to stop the car and set the shot up. Others were shot while driving - not the best way to do it (oh don't worry - it's an art form and no animals are harmed in the process). As a result, there are a few clunkers in the bunch, but I've included them anyway.

A few pictures have been used on other people's sites, but for years I've been saying that I would put them all up, and now they're out there. I've already received some positive feedback, which is nice.

While you might think that this is a very unique hobby (and you're right), let me tell you that I'm not alone. This site has links to (currently) 167 places to look at highway photography, while you can find links to all kinds of road-related items here.

So who are my favorites? Good question:

AA Roads - Probably the site that really got me going, and arguably the most concise. Alex and Andy have worked really hard over the years to document so much of the American highway experience. A great place to start.
The Yamamoto Experience - CC Slater is, like me, a fellow New Yorker of the Hudson Valley variety. His pictures are great, and his sense of humor is even greater.
The Upstate New York Roads Site - JP Wing's site was one of the first that I discovered. Probably the first site that allowed me to say "Hey, maybe this isn't so weird after all. There are other out there like me."
Teresco.org - He asks the key question - "Why do you have so many pictures of road signs?", and gives the best answer: "Why not?"
Gibblenation - Like AA Roads, this is another good starting point. Doug Kerr (another New Yorker) and company have created a home base for much of the road world.

There are other niche sites, like Dale Sanderson's US Highway Ends. Adam Froehlig (Froggie) has a similar effort here. Steve Anderson has an exhaustive history of New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington DC, and Montreal roads here (and he gives a nod to me in the acknowledgments of his Taconic State Parkway page). Scott Kozel's Roads to the Future gives much of the same treatment to the roads of Virginia, Maryland and DC. More US Highway stuff can be found on Robert V. Droz's page. Cameron Kaiser did a cross-country drive on US Route 6 (which passes closely to me through Mahopac and Carmel). The Georgia Road Geek is here (he actually mailed a magnet to me that is still on the fridge!). Check out "RoadgeekCAM!" and listen to Steve Williams' own show on BlogTalk Radio. HB Elkins has roadtripped all over, especially the Southeast. There are also international sites from the UK and many others. There's a lot out there!

Lastly, there's the work of the Godfather of highway photography (in my opinion), Michael Summa. He doesn't have his own website, but he has contributed pictures to a few sites. HB Elkins has some here, while the good Comrade Yamamoto has some great New York snaps.

All of your road-related questions can be answered in the FAQ, maintained by Marc Fannin and Sandor Gulyas at Roadfan (where the FAQ resides). Wikipedia has a US Roads portal. And there's plenty of discussion to be had on misc.transport.road (better known as MTR).

I haven't even given you all of the various links that I have, though I've given you an idea of how much you can find on the web. There's much more, and I mean no harm if I didn't include your site here. Believe me, I've seen so many of them.

In most cases a simple search will get you started (that's how it worked for me). And yes, there are even the occasional meetings (including one that brought people to the Greenwich area, while I was calling a football game on WGCH). I haven't attended any...yet.

"We" even have blogs (a couple are linked over to the right) and trolls (an unnamed few who infiltrate MTR, and then I sit back and watch as the sparks fly). So we do have it all.

Enjoy my pictures. All of the usual "copyrights" apply, so just give me a head up if you want to use them. Believe me, I'm honored if you do (so long as I get the proper attribution).

If this isn't your thing, then just keep moving along. I'm sure you have your unique hobbies as well. If you don't...then get one!

I am so ready for a roadtrip (the length of NY 52 (and 55, for reasons that might be obvious)...or to Richmond...or Maine...or to Pennsylvania to visit with the great nieces...)

See you on the road.