FALLING IN LOVE WITH Rt.66//FINE ART DOG PHOTOGRAPHER JESSE FREIDIN

When I left my small town on the rural East Coast and headed to sunny California, I knew I was in for adventure. I saved up some money from painting houses for a year, and planned a 2 week cross-country road trip along the famous Rt.66. What, do you ask, did I bring with me on this life-changing excursion into the unknown? You guessed it: 25 Polaroid cameras and a coller full of instant film.

Ok ok- I shoved a suitcase full of clothes in there, too. And maybe some snacks and my phone and a bunch of road maps. Oh, and some good company. But mostly it was my cameras. I was chauffeuring them across country, taking them to see the sites. And I couldn't have been happier. My road trip along Rt.66 was one of the most inspiring, creative moments of my life. There was no expectation, no rush, no rules. I had created a situation for myself in which I was facing beauty, color, texture, openness every day for 2 weeks. I explored every abandoned building and broke-down gas station I came across, ate home-made pies in Texas, tortillas in New Mexico, terrible fake-vegetables in the MidWest.... and in the end I created an opus of instant work that I will forever be proud of.

In order not to bore you to tears, here are just a few of my favorites. I felt like I could drink in the blue skies through my cameras, and ended up with boxes and boxes of Polaroids when I finally arrived in San Francisco. One day, I'll go back. But for now, enjoy these: (all images taken with a Spectra Polaroid camera, Spectra/Image film)(and yes of course I also shot my LandCameras, but that will be another post)