Autumn Flowers

This is my first real autumn in fourteen years. Unfortunately, thus far it has been abnormally hot, so it doesn't feel like fall at all. The earth around here seems rathered scorched. This week though I came to notice some wild flowers off of 747 at Princeton in West Chester. I stopped there by the Butler County water tower to take a few pictures today.

Empty Building

I had a few minutes tonight at sundown with Eli and we took a few shots at an old industrial building at the very end of route 747, where it hits hwy 4 in Liberty Township. Here are a few:

747 and Me

I have lived in Ohio for three weeks now. I grew up in Columbus and went to college in Cincinnati, but have spent the last thirteen years out west. Ten years in Las Vegas and the last few in Orange County and Los Angeles. At 34, I have returned to the Buckeye state with fresh eyes. I live in Liberty Township, Ohio and work in Springdale - about ten miles south of my house. As a result, I will become very familiar with Ohio State Route 747. I have decided to document my time with her, hoping to befriend her, hear her story and, hopefully, give a fresh set of eyes to the beauty hidden within her 11.35 miles.

My first stop was the old cemetary located in front of a brand new Church of God, about three miles south of Hwy 4. I'll be posting my photos here along the journey. Please bear with me, as I have had no official training in photography, but have been flirting with the idea of becoming a photographer for a few years now. I have always thought of myself as an artist with some sort of disconnect between my head and hands. I have seen a thousand masterpieces that I cannot paint, but perhaps through the lens I can bypass my hands and show the beauty that is already there. I hope to continue this experiment and see an artistic evolution through the years.

Joe Boyd