Route 66 Mural and Puddle Reflection Photograph in Pontiac
The Highway Shield Reappears in Rain-Darkened Pavement
The puddle was the detail that made me stop. I was in Pontiac, Illinois, looking at the large Route 66 mural and the Wishing Well Motel sign beside it, when I noticed the highway shield reflected in the wet pavement. This black and white photograph grew from that unexpected second image at my feet.
I had been wandering and waiting for the rain to pass, rather than planning a particular composition. The mural already had a strong presence, with its huge numerals and curved shield painted across the brick wall. The reflection gave it another life, turning those bold shapes upside down among the small textures of the asphalt.
A separate Historic Route 66 emblem painted on the pavement sits beside the reflected mural. I like how those three versions of the road’s identity overlap: the wall, the ground marking and the image held in water. The motel sign and neighbouring brick building keep the photograph connected to a specific street corner, beyond the familiar symbol itself.
I chose monochrome to bring the surfaces and lettering together. Bright signs stand out against darker brick and wet ground, while the square frame keeps the two halves of the composition in conversation. I have travelled Route 66 with my camera looking for encounters like this. What stays with me here is the small change a puddle made to a much-photographed landmark, giving me a view I could only have found on that walk.
© Dan Kosmayer, 2022
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About My Fine Art Photography
Every photograph in my collection comes from my own travels, explorations, and years behind the camera.
I create my work as photographic art rather than mass-produced decoration. From street portraits and abandoned places to landscapes, architecture, and the unusual subjects I discover along the way, each image begins with something that made me stop and look.
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