Road Trip (with William Eggleston & Roger Minick)

William Eggleston, From Chromes, 1969-1974

This summer, Roger Minick's Sightseer Series is especially apt in my quest to be a professional tourist. However, I have always loved the Eggleston photograph because it is one of the best depictions of driving into the sun. My indecisiveness brings them together, proving there were great photographs of "vacation" before Martin Parr.

Roger Minick, Man with Hawaiian Shirt at Sunrise Point, Bryce Canyon National Park, UT, 1980

Roger Minick, Niagara Falls, Canada, 1999

Roger Minick, Man with Tattoos at Cadillac Ranch, TX, 1998

Roger Minick, Couple Viewing Cadillac Ranch, Texas, 1998

Roger Minick, Man at the Alamo, Texas, 1999

From Roger Minick's Field Notes:

"When I approached people for a portrait, I tried to make my request clear and to the point, making it clear that I was not trying to sell them anything.  I explained that my wife and I were traveling around the country visiting most of the major tourist destinations so that I could photograph the activity of sightseeing.  I would quickly add that I hoped the project would have cultural value and might be seen in years to come as a kind of time capsule of what Americans looked like at the end of the Twentieth Century; at which, to my surprise, I would see people often begin to nod their heads as if they knew what I was talking about."