The magazine of the art-form of the photo-essay
“A free, really high quality photo-essay magazine. Fabulous!”
Stephen Fry. British actor, writer and film & documentary maker
Oct 2013 back issue
by Andrew Gehman
My story begins with my father Raymond Gehman, a National Geographic photographer, strapping a Nikon to my
neck when I was thirteen and taking me on assignment with him. I remember standing beside our parked Chevy
Blazer in Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park as I watched a cinnamon-colored black bear walk fifteen feet in front
of me. I panicked, tried to get back into the car, with no success because my dad had locked the doors. "Shoot the
picture now!" he yelled. Since then I have been captivated by the power of an image and have continued to document
life around me. Like most teenagers I wanted to live my own life and I fell in love with the moving image and I began
pursuing a career in filmmaking.
After purchasing an iPhone two years ago, I quickly fell in love with the point-and-shoot quality of its built-in camera. I
found the limits of the cell phone camera to be quite challenging and inspiring, while also allowing me to remain
anonymous when taking photographs. Working in Hagerstown, MD and living in nearby Waynesboro, PA, I could not
stop observing the rural decay around me and knew I had to document it, before it disappeared altogether, buried
under a permanent layer of concrete and asphalt, just another piece of the fast approaching Washington DC
Metropolitan puzzle. With a Smartphone always in my pocket, I no longer found myself saying I wish I had brought my
camera so I could capture a moment I didn't want to forget. What you will see is my take on the local world around me
as I traveled by foot and bike, exploring my surroundings, and falling in love with photography one snap at a time.
Mason-Dixon line on Wikipedia
The Dagmar Hotel reflected off the Herald Mail building. The Dagmar is a visual icon
and offers low-income housing to residents of Hagerstown, MD.
Three mops hanging out to dry on a sunny day in Hagerstown, MD.
Bryan, a resident of Hagerstown, operates a small auto mechanic business out of his
one car garage. I snapped a photo of his clothesline as I waited to get my brakes fixed.
Water stained brown paper covers the windows of this vacant property in downtown
Hagerstown, MD. The downtown of Hagerstown is in need of economic revitalization.
Two weeds caught in the middle of a concrete jungle.
In the winter of 2010 the Pangborn Factory of Hagerstown was demolished. What remains is a vast empty
lot of debris and rubble.
An abandoned stable looks colorful on a drab winter day in Sabillasville, MD.
My eye was drawn to the darkness inside an abandoned stable on a bright winter day.
Railroad crossing sign in Sabillasville, MD.
Interior view of an old railroad station in Waynesboro, PA.
Fire escape view of 2 East Main building in Waynesboro, PA.
An abandoned shed sits peacefully at the bottom of a hill in Waynesboro, PA.
Blue paint chips away from wheelchair ramp at Wayne Heights Shopping Plaza .
The parking space everybody works for in life. The business is Homes by Keystone.
Food Lion flags catch the winter light on a cloudy day.
