Reflection on "Maine Industrial"

I'm satisfied with the results of my final project, but I can't say that I was happy to make them.  It was difficult for me to go out into the field searching for beautiful, yet depressing industrial wastelands.  Shooting became almost like a psychological battle, and I was relieved when it was over.  This area of Maine is full of run-down industry of a past era, and I feel like people around here shut it out on a day to day basis simply to stay cheerful throughout the oppressively long winter.  In the summer, the touristy areas get all the attention and, once again, the shabbier parts of Maine fall into the background.  Focusing in on that side of the landscape taught me a lot about my own relationship with this state and how living here for the past couple of years has changed me.  I don't know why I am attracted to these dystopian landscapes.  They are lonely, unwanted, and forgotten places (I barely saw a single person the whole time I was shooting), yet I find a great peace in documenting them.  My decision to shoot color slide film as opposed to digital capture was tied into this, I think.  For me, film is more deliberate and a less hurried way of making pictures.  I am glad to have had the opportunity to use it, and I think the cultural significance of the film format (Color slide 120mm, shot with twin-lens-reflex Rolleiflex) is integral to the mood and presentation of the series.  The final project was truly the culmination of a semester's work in formulating an aesthetic and a subject-oriented approach.