Cades Cove Missionary Baptist Church - Documenting America with TRD Photography

I grew up visiting Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains in the 1980’s and 1990’s. I have so many fond memories of camping in the campground and then either biking the cove or riding in the back of my dad’s small Nissan pickup. Of course as a kid you were excited about the deer, and ever hopeful of seeing a bear, but I also loved seeing the old cabins and churches along the loop trail.

I always love the Missionary Baptist Church, I honestly don’t remember why I was drawn to it. I think that back then it may have been that it was the third one on the loop road and may not have been as busy as the first two! Whatever it was I still love it to this day.

Recently I made a trip to the Cove to photograph with some film. I don’t go into Cades Cove hardly anymore because it’s so busy. I honestly prefer to explore areas that are less crowded and popular, but I really wanted to photograph some of the churches on film. It wasn’t as busy as usual, but by the time I hit the midway section of the loop, traffic was backed up to the exit. I didn’t stop at anymore spots because I had another appointment to get to.

If you don’t care about traffic or time, it’s definitely a nice drive, but in the Smokies there are some places that you may find a little less crowded like the Historic Nature Motor Trail in Gatlinburg, TN.

Cades Cove Missionary Baptist Church - Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Kodak Tri X Film - Documenting America with TRD Photography

Old Car City USA Photographed on Film

Picture a place where you pull up to what appears to be a forgotten apocalyptic hellscape of vehicles left behind from a civilization that just vanished. After you go through the entry building and pay your $30 fee to explore and take photographs, you emerge into a land of rusted old cars and trucks. Everywhere you turn there are more cars and trucks, and then signs spreading “wisdom”. You start walking into the woods, and you find row after row after row of more antique cars and trucks, not to mention hidden surprises along the way like abandoned tricycles, old coca-cola coolers, gas pumps, etc. It’s a paradise for people that love history, love old cars, love nostalgia, or love to take unique photos.

Old Car City USA - Kodak Tri X Film - TRD Photography of Chattanooga, TN

I have visited Old Car City USA somewhere around four to five times now. It’s located down in White, GA, which is right around an hour south of Chattanooga and an hourish north of Atlanta. It’s the oldest junkyard in America and has over seven miles of trails for you to explore. To be completely honest it is very easy to get overwhelmed. On this trip I went specifically wanting to shoot film. I shot around six rolls of Kodak Tri X 120 film and these shots are just the beginning of what I captured on this trip.

Old Car City USA - Kodak Tri X Film - TRD Photography of Chattanooga, TN

Myself, I’m not really a huge car guy. I love the aesthetic of old cars and trucks, but I’ve never been one to know it’s this year or what motor it is. My mind just never really worked that way growing up. My dad was a huge car guy and loved going to the rod runs and seeing old card. I had tried talking him into going with me to Old Car City many times before he passed in 2020. I never could quite talk him into it. Each time since then that I’ve gone, it’s been a little heavy, but a little therapeutic as well. Walking through silent woods surrounded by these machines that my dad loved. It’s been something that has helped me to heal a little bit and come more to terms with things I think.

Old Car City USA - Kodak Tri X Film - TRD Photography of Chattanooga, TN

In closing, if you ever get the chance to go check it out, I highly recommend it, even if it’s just to go out and try to take it all in. Depending on the time of year, take plenty of water as well as bug spray. There were quite a few mosquitoes out this time, which I’ve never dealt with before. The owners had cans of bug spray you could use, but just plan ahead with that in mind. I did not and my legs are covered in mosquito bites. Ha!

Until next time…enjoy the rest of these photos.

Ricky

Old Car City USA - Kodak Tri X Film - TRD Photography of Chattanooga, TN

Old Car City USA - Kodak Tri X Film - TRD Photography of Chattanooga, TN

Old Car City USA - Kodak Tri X Film - TRD Photography of Chattanooga, TN

Old Car City USA - Kodak Tri X Film - TRD Photography of Chattanooga, TN

Old Car City USA - Kodak Tri X Film - TRD Photography of Chattanooga, TN

Old Car City USA - Kodak Tri X Film - TRD Photography of Chattanooga, TN

Documenting America with TRD Photography - Jesus or Hell?

Scenes from the South - Jesus or Hell?

So one of the things that I’ve been doing a lot of lately is exploring small towns and different places around the South. I have a lot of fun getting out and just finding different places and documenting kind of a different way of life. One of the things that I’m working on in my series is religious signs.

When I first started this series I remembered seeing lots of signs growing up along the roadways that we traveled. Even though I grew up in a strict, Christian conservative home, I was always taken aback by the signs. As an adult, I’ve actually been deconstructing alot of the things I was taught. I believe in God but a lot of the teachings seem to be in conflict to the teachings of Jesus. So I feel more inclined as I look around and see things, I want to capture it and have conversations about these things.

This sign I found going down into Georgia on a recent trip to take some photos at Old Car City USA. I knew I had to photograph it on the way back. It was in the Dalton, GA area and they had actually purchased the same billboard on both sides so they could hit people coming and going on the interstate.

When it comes to these signs, I don’t know if people understand how it comes across. I truly believe that all these signs do is to cause separation from those they think they are witnessing to. I do think that some of them have good intentions but they are so out of reality that they don’t realize how they come across. I’ve been in that boat before at times myself. It’s something where when it comes to your beliefs you’re never going to change minds by yelling and telling people how wrong they are. Changes come from relationships and true connections.

Anyways, about this photo, it’s just the first of many to come in this series. I shot this on Kodak Tri X Film.