Photo purists look away, this may hurt your eyes.

Introducing part 1 of the Lo-Fi Digital Series: Cell Phone Cameras

This is a call to artists, of sorts.  We use the term “artist” loosely.

In a rebellious and blatantly flippant move we are stepping away from the technical, turning our backs on high end glass, putting an end to name dropping conversations, and absolutely refusing to engage in discourse involving the moral debate of film vs. digital.  Instead, we issue this challenge: Put down the breadbox, leave your tripod in the car, and working within the limitations of a tiny camera with a tiny lens that also tweets, texts, surfs, navigates and even makes the occasional phone call, hit me with your best shot.

The rules are as follows:

Images must be created with cell phone cameras and must be printed on  8.5″ x 11″ paper (even if the image itself is smaller)  Prints do not need to be framed but do need to have a white boarder around the outside to leave room for inserting the thumbtacks we’re going to use as a hanging device. You may use whatever cell phone apps you like and subject matter can be anything not deemed offensive.  Who will determine what is offensive? We will. So basically anything short of bestiality or snuff film stills will be acceptable.  This gives a big playground of people, places and things for everyone to romp in so use your own common sense here.  What we want: scenes from your life as you interpret them.  What we don’t want: boredom.   Uninhibited photographers think hard, or don’t, get creative, make it interesting, show us something only you would see in the way only you see it, show us your visions.

Submission policy:

If you would like to participate please email up to three images to info@dryheatphotography.com There is no jury fee nor do we make any promises about accepting your images.  I don’t mean that to be discouraging but I’m just saying, make ‘em good!

Images must be submitted by Sunday March 6th

Prints must be delivered to the Dry Heat Gallery by Wednesday March 9th (If you need to ship your prints please inquire about shipping address and instructions)

Opening reception will be Tuesday March 15th from 6:00pm to 9:00pm

At the opening reception, we will hang out, enjoy the photos, consume wine, cheese and mini cupcakes from Costco, talk to each other like real people and not partake in stiflingly ridiculous conversations that sound like this “say there Bob, did you use your Canon 300mm 2.8 IS USM LMNOP Refrigerator Carburetor lens for this image?” “Why yes, Hank, and on my 1D MarkIV 16MP Jefferson Starship body to boot! These two items I took a 2nd mortgage on my house and sacrificed my retirement for have transformed me into a brilliant arteest”. Oh god… you know what I mean.  Anti-snobbery is the new black, so show me whatcha got.

Another casualty of Route 66, I don’t think Twin Arrows is a town so much as it’s a roadside attraction.  At one time it was a gas station with a diner that just so happened to have two huge arrows protruding up from the parking lot.  Another similar arrow can be seen at the corner of Carlisle and Indian School here in Albuquerque.

Two Guns

I don’t believe this KOA camp ground is actually part of Two Guns but it just so happens to be right behind it.

A lot of people ask us where the name Dry Heat Photography came from.  For those of you who don’t know the whole story; once upon a time Rick and I managed a different studio here in Albuquerque and we had a side project that was our collective works from all the ghost towns and old cemeteries that we would shoot, usually on the way to somewhere else, like a wedding.  Eventually, we amassed a large body of this work and began to seek gallery representation for it.  In order to this we needed a name and a website and, after much deliberation, Dry Heat Photography was born.  Later on, when we decided to open our wedding studio, the name was already in place and people knew Dry Heat Photography meant Rick and DeAnna so we just decided to keep it.

Anyway, we don’t get out to these places as often as we used to but last fall we went camping with our friends Jessica and Kemp.  They have a boat and like to hang out at Ute Lake near Tucumcari.  There are several ghost towns along this stretch of I-40 (between Albuquerque and Tucumcari) that once thrived on the motorists traveling Route 66.  Unfortunately, when I-40 was built most of these towns declined and fell into ruin.  Cuervo was never really a booming metropolis.  At it’s height it boasted a population of about 300.  Today, the population is less than 50 but what Cuervo does have is an abundance on semi intact, creepy looking structures that are a ghost town photographer’s ideal playground.

These first 14 shots are from another little ghost town that is just west of Cuervo.  I believe the name of it is Montoya.  Montoya boasts a tiny gas station that just might have the most repugnant bathroom this side of the Mississippi. The remainder of the town is comprised mostly of abandoned buildings.

If you want to visit Cuervo I strongly suggest not going alone.  There ARE people around who ARE watching you and sometimes it feels a little uncomfortable in a The Hills Have Eyes kind of way.  In addition there are partially covered wells and most of the structures are not sound.  All I’m saying is – pay attention to your surroundings and make sure you tell someone where you’re going.  If you disappeared it would be a long time before anyone figured out what happened.

-DeAnna Dimmitt

Dry Heat Photography

P.S. Here are a couple links to some past trips down the Mother Road

Seligman, Arizona

Ashfork, Arizona

Cuervo starts here