Many years ago I supported myself for a time as a photographer. Oh I did stock material and weddings and advertising and some newsworthy things. I have hundreds and hundreds of slides, mostly Kodachrome, and an additional hundreds, if not thousands of negatives. I sent what I felt were the better ones to these guys to be scanned. They did an excellent job and I'm very pleased with their service.
It's said a (good) picture tells a story. Which is true. But I think a good picture evokes a story. Still photography freezes a moment in time and has the power to make one wonder. Abandoned places have always fascinated me - they make me wonder in a way occupied places don't. I chose to share this picture because it's been bothering me. It's the Cape Cod Light keeper's house in 1981. Cape Cod Light, also called Highland Light, in N. Truro, MA, is historically significant.
I thought it would be fun to look up the light on Google Maps and see an aerial view where I took these pictures. But the pieces don't add up. Nothing looks right as I remember it. Then yesterday I figured it out! They moved it!
In 1996 they moved the lighthouse and the lighthouse keeper's house is gone forever.
But the mystery doesn't end there. The lighthouse keeper's house pictured above was built in 1961 and, according to the record, was used as housing by the Coast Guard until 1986. So why is it boarded up in 1981? I have no idea. Maybe it was boarded up for the winter and only occupied in the summer months? I find it hard to believe the Coast Guard was anxious about Winter weather!
It remains a mystery.
I like this picture better:
I think it's more timeless and has a romantic quality the color picture doesn't have. It's not a desaturated version of the picture above. Black and white pictures need to be made from black and white film. I'm old fashioned about that. Back in the day I'd carry different cameras with different films. The first picture and the last picture were taken with different cameras. Same lens, same tripod in the same place, different camera with different film.
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