The open road

Entries to this competition fell into different categories - some took ups the challenge set by Ed Ruscha's twenty six gasoline stations and presented some great images. I particularly enjoyed this one morning/evening? the angle and the colours....theres almost something foreboding about the power of the structure....it would make an excellent film location....I can imagine it now...

Well - this would have been an unremarkable photograph of the open road - but what made it stand out for me are the skid/brake marks on the road - why are these there? - did the driver slam the brakes on as they were looking for the hostel and saw the sign too late - was there a potential accident .......I can almost hear the screech of brakes as I loo at this image....

I can just imagine it - meandering down the road - slowly - as the sun breaks through the trees on my way to work - I always like a potential story behind an image - who is it - where is he going? The composition with the rider far to the left does it for me...along with the light patches on the road - great photograph...

Entries to this competition fell into different categories - the majority dealt with the open road in a literal sense - showing the road ahead - many were really good and picturesque/atmospheric .... this one caught my eye because of the expanse of nothing - imagine waiting half a day in the shelter - baking heat - waiting for the next bus....

This is another of those images where the attractive composition of the bend in the road is enhanced by the inclusion of a figure - the central placing makes it for me - mysterious and fascinating and a great image.

Entries to this competition fell into different categories - there weren't that many good images featuring people but this one stood out for me - the image benefits from the low angle - very powerful - and of course, there's a story there...whatever it is....

'I like to photography small towns and hamlets, old buildings, I take side roads, and backroads to find photos. Buildings like the one shown are interesting and leave a lot to the imagination, and lots of questions to ask and maybe never find answer..' The quote from the photographer has taken the words out of my mouth - great heightened colours and spot on for the theme...

Another gas station - but so atmospheric - the sky is magnificent - the red of the trucks - the angle of view - I might have been tempted to re consider and tighten up the overall composition as all the elements are there for a truly great shot...

This is exactly the kind of image I had in mind when devising the contest - its those forgotten, inconsequential, abandoned places glimpsed whilst on a road trip - and again, theres a story to tell here - no idea where it is but the site looks like it has been earmarked for shale gas exploration - so the pun works very well...

Ok - so I'm being self indulgent here - I'm a fan of Le Tour - and this place is particularly special as its where the great British cyclist, Tommy Simpson died .... a barren wasteland, an almighty slog of an ascent for any cyclist and ultimately, a place of pilgrimage for cyclists the world over.....

Although the brief was based upon a book about photographers dealing with the great American road trip - I wasn't particularly looking for USA based imagery - but in this case - its a classic of the genre.... really great image.

There were lots of images of roads going into the distance - often with a magnificent backdrop of a mountain range. A number of these I'd seen before. What I like about this one is that is has concentrated on the road - the yellow lines - the contrast between the black and the yellow - love it...