March 12, 2015

Old Guys Are Us
Homewood, Alabama
2015

There’s something about the workshops of old men that attracts photographers. The vernacular selection of tools, workbenches, and the makeshift adornments, along with the patina of both the work environs and the old men who inhabit these well-worn man caves are very compelling subjects. There have been many a project on this topic, Brooks Jensen’s Made of Steel in particular comes to mind.

I’ve taken my share of such photos over the years, this one being the most recent. While not necessarily the best workshop I’ve visited in terms of photographic opportunities, it did have quite an impact on me. You see, the old man inhabiting this workshop is my brother Ken who is only two years older than me. Since when did we become the old-guy generation, whose environs are capable of being such quaint subjects all of a sudden? Below is a photo of Ken in situ, old guy gray hair and all.

Ken Blackwood
Homewood, Alabama
2015