While on our way back to Los Angeles from Albuquerque, Angela and I stopped at our normal Starbucks in Flagstaff to pick up some pick-me-up when I came across this amazing scene. While a store closing sign isn’t something all that out of the ordinary in recent times, what struck me about this particular closing was the disarray this Hollywood Video store was already in. The facade is cracked and flaking, looking more in line with a store that’s been closed for 30 years. This impression would be impossible as Hollywood Video was founded in 1988. The severely off-center closing sign opposing the off center modern vehicles (one that has an equally destitute rear window with an almost coffin looking cargo) really targets the juxtaposition that although this building could be completely at home in a faded photograph from the 1970’s, it was in fact happing today. It’s almost bittersweet in that the building is still taking a triumphant stance with a centered arrow reaching for the beautiful skies above. I initially had the urge to style this image as a faded 70’s photograph but instead chose to do a very straight forward treatment to just allow the photograph to speak clearly instead of through a heavy handed point of view. The timing of this photograph is the most important thing it has to say.
