One of my favorite things to do online is to browse through some of the sites that feature found photographs, images that have been lost or abandoned by their original owners and picked up by others at flea markets, yard sales, etc. Almost all are by amateurs and feature many day-to-day scenes of friends and families, some remarkable and some not so much. Some a little bit too personal. But there is something quite beautiful in the sum of them, an artfulness that is naturally gained and not thought out, much of it unintended.
I find a lot of inspiration in going through these images. There is often a tangible sense of emotion in these images, something that makes me wonder how something that obviously meant something to someone at some point could be just set adrift. How many of my own family’s photos are out there like these, lost ancestors floating around in some flea market bin?
Some, like the one shown here, which I call the Roller Skating House (obviously a house in the midst of being moved), are just neat images that pique my interest and imagination. I found this at The Boat Lullabies which is a great site ran by the person behind Square America, a site that is now down but was an amazing collection of vernacular photography. You can still find Square America on Facebook— a great page to follow. Another great collection of found images is at FoundPhotographs.com.
Check out some of these sites. They are fun and often thought provoking.
Redtree Times 