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Postcards: Wonder and whimsy from the road Washington Post staff photographer Michael S. Williamson spent almost a year traveling throughout the United States documenting the effects of the recession on ordinary Americans. As he made his way, he also found whimsical and artistic moments (many captured with his iPhone.) Often, while parked in rest stops or parking lots, he filed via Facebook . Here is a compilation.
As big fan of surrealist painter Rene Magritte, it was hard to resist making this self-portrait in the window of an abandoned house in North Dakota.
Michael S. Williamson
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The Washington Post
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The best photos often come from taking the back roads, especially in West Virginia. And sometimes the lonely road itself is the best photo.
Michael S. Williamson
/
The Washington Post
Yogi Berra once said, "If you come to a fork in the road, take it!" So I did.
Michael S. Williamson
/
The Washington Post
Famed depression-era photographer Walker Evans made many interesting photos of everyday street scenes and industrial areas. I was thinking of him when I made this photo with my iPhone in York, Ala.
Michael S. Williamson
/
The Washington Post
Sports, politics, gossip and women. That's what the guys were talking about at this old-school barber shop in Uniontown, Ala.
Michael S. Williamson
/
The Washington Post
Although I often sleep in my car on long road trips, I do stay in motels here and there. Since I'm cheap and not picky, I usually choose a place based on the funkiness of the sign. And there's always "interesting" people to meet there.
Michael S. Williamson
/
The Washington Post
Conesville, Ohio, has a massive coal-burning power plant on the edge of town. The dusk light almost made it look pretty in this photo taken with my iPhone.
Michael S. Williamson
/
The Washington Post
This is not rain on my window. It's the sweat from the humid outside air colliding with the cool air inside my motel room in Kentucky.
Michael S. Williamson
/
The Washington Post
The paint scheme on the building seemed seemed to mimic the old soda machine in rural Virginia.
Michael S. Williamson
/
The Washington Post
Rustic elegance is the term that came to mind when I saw this scene in West Virginia.
Michael S. Williamson
/
The Washington Post
Nothing fancy, just interesting clouds reflecting off the hood and windshield of my car while parked in Mississippi. I turned the photo upside down just for fun.
Michael S. Williamson
/
The Washington Post
Now I know where church ladies buy their Sunday best. Steelton, Pa.
Michael S. Williamson
/
The Washington Post
Snow in Maryland makes for tough driving conditions, but cool photos.
Michael S. Williamson
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The Washington Post
The great Elliot Erwitt makes wonderful "dog’s-eye view" photos of pooches on the streets of New York. I'm sure he was in the back of my mind when I took this photo.
Michael S. Williamson
/
The Washington Post
I never met an abandoned house that I didn't like. It's nice to see a scene that makes gas station rest rooms seem clean!
Michael S. Williamson
/
The Washington Post
It was raining and I missed the start of the service in West Virginia. From the outside I could feel the spirit and hear the music.
Michael S. Williamson
/
The Washington Post
On a side road in Kentucky I found the car that I wished I was driving.
Michael S. Williamson
/
The Washington Post
I was in the mood to make a classic still life, but a bowl of fruit seemed too boring. The remains of a beauty shop closed for 25 years in rural New York solved my problem.
Michael S. Williamson
/
The Washington Post
Street scene, Reading, Pa. The guy was texting and almost ran over my foot. This iPhone picture was my answer to him.
Michael S. Williamson
/
The Washington Post
They love their trees in Florida.
Michael S. Williamson
/
The Washington Post
Camden, N.J. I scored a soda (diet) and a hoagie . . . and a fun photo.
Michael S. Williamson
/
The Washington Post
Of course I chose this motel in Ohio because I was impressed by the very well-trained wildlife.
Michael S. Williamson
/
The Washington Post
It's not hard to tell when you are in a town near a military base in North Carolina.
Michael S. Williamson
/
The Washington Post
It's easier to take photos in the rain with the iPhone because the lens is so small that it rarely gets wet.
Michael S. Williamson
/
The Washington Post
Yup, I picked this place in Georgia ONLY because I liked the sign.
Michael S. Williamson
/
The Washington Post
Didn't ask for the story here, but have a hunch that it wasn't good.
Michael S. Williamson
/
The Washington Post
Photos are always better when there's great light, texture and something interesting in the frame.
Michael S. Williamson
/
The Washington Post
Late summer at the pond . . . channeling the spirit of Edward Hopper.
Michael S. Williamson
/
The Washington Post
This photo became part of a series of images I made that had the "Hopperesque" look. As a play on his famed "Nighthawks" painting. I called this "Bushawks."
Michael S. Williamson
/
The Washington Post
A scene on Hooper's Island, Md., in a fierce rain. It made the photo more interesting for sure.
Michael S. Williamson
/
The Washington Post
Another photo from Hooper's Island, Md. This time I was in an Andrew Wyeth-inspired mood. Christina and Helga were not to be found.
Michael S. Williamson
/
The Washington Post
This photo was shot in Lancaster, Pa., through a window, and it was a little out of focus. I printed it with a canvas texture to look more like a painting.
Michael S. Williamson
/
The Washington Post
I thought this woman in a fast food restaurant had that Edward Hopper look. I really like Hopper.
Michael S. Williamson
/
The Washington Post
Almost all photographers have been influenced by the great painters. This image taken at a drive-in movie theater in rural Virginia seemed to have the feel of painter Wayne Thiebaud with a little Hopper-meets-Vermeer vibe somewhere in there.
Michael S. Williamson
/
The Washington Post
I saw the words "Rural Road Trip" on the newspaper (lower left) in Pennsylvania. Since I was on one myself, I couldn't resist.
Michael S. Williamson
/
The Washington Post
Coming home from Washington, D.C., I took this photo through my windshield. It reminded my of a scene from the movie "Taxi Driver."
Michael S. Williamson
/
The Washington Post
The Party City store was actually very quiet inside. As a joke I asked the counter person, "So where's the party?" She dead-panned, "We SELL party supplies, we don't host actual parties." Ohhhh . . .
Michael S. Williamson
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The Washington Post
Bread and chew. The three colors, blue, yellow and red, blended with the rust to make art.
Michael S. Williamson
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The Washington Post
Oops. Forgot that the parking garage closes at midnight.
Michael S. Williamson
/
The Washington Post
Lots of folks dread long drives. If you know where to go, it can be a very peaceful journey.
Michael S. Williamson
/
The Washington Post
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