1995 | Towne Pass, CA-190 toward Death Valley
It’s been two years since my last visit with Henry Wessel. We were going through a roadside set that I had sequenced in anticipation of his comments, which he always gave me straight, always generously. I had been surprised at how well these pictures fit together for me, how consistent they seemed even though they had been made over forty years of travels. Hank was a master of selection and sequence, and I was looking forward to our talk.
He gave me significant encouragement that day, soundly validating my instincts. When he came to this picture, the coda in my series, he said, “Yes, that’s how it is !” And then, “Isn’t photography great? We can do all of this, and then we can go out and do it again!”
See if you can find Henry’s modest yet marvelous slipcased set, FIVE BOOKS (Steidl, 2006)