Good photographs raise more questions than they answer. Photojournalism illuminates by showing the viewer what is still in the dark. In the street, my job is to wring out of an ordinary moment details that will raise questions.
But sometimes I am lazy, and on those days I photograph signs. Signs make a photographer’s job easy: Your subject has already raised the question for you. Even if the sign is a simple declarative statement, the act of declaration makes us suspicious. Who among us has read a protester’s sign without questioning his motives? And wouldn’t our creditors be happy if we believed every advertising sign we read?
Easy photos are often boring photos, and most photos of signs are pretty drab. But Asheville is full of folks who like to make statements, and every once in a rare while it’s worth capturing the questions they raise. The following images were collected over several years.
Follow on Twitter: @DarkTopo
Other dispatches from the Asheville Argus:
The Lay of the Land
Merry Christmas from the Asheville Argus
Myopia
Crying Wolf
Birds, Part II
Birds, Part I
Eyes on the Street
The Public Space
Collected Street Portraits
The Day it All Started
Fog on the Top Deck
Two Storms
Introducing the Asheville Argus
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.