Small Town Documentary

The Wrangler, #4. Cheyenne, Wyoming, 2014

Yes, I’d call Cheyenne, Wyoming a town. Maybe not “small” anymore (it has grown over the years, after all)…but almost “small”.

If you were to challenge yourself with a photojournalism project, how would you document the spirit of such a town? What would you focus on? Do you photograph the new, the latest and greatest, the sparkling and the darling? Or, do you zero in on the decadent, the past, the has been, the ghosts? Do you look at the buildings? Or the people? High class people? Working class? Immigrants? The politicos? Or maybe you could emphasize activities? Or work? Play? Night life, perhaps? Do you investigate a specific neighborhood or section of town? Do you use color? Black and white?

There are many, many variables…perspectives…approaches. Soooo many choices.

How you do it depends on…well, it depends on you. What is it that captures your attention? What interests you? Follow your gut…your instincts…your feelings…your eyeballs. This will help you narrow the project down to something cohesive and thematic.

In my case, I guess I’m fascinated by the stories told by the rust and the peeling paint, the phantom relics of the past found in the old downtown area that have not yet been scraped away to make way for “progress”. Ah, the stories they could tell.

In a day or two, I’ll post a selection of images from a short photo safari to this town of my birth. I’m still doing the post-processing. Stand by.

Welcome to Cheyenne Postcard. Cheyenne, Wyoming, 2014