52 Weeks Photography Project

52 Weeks Photography Project

April 2026

Theodore Crandall

The end of the bleak, dark winter with its abundant snow, cold and ice. Spring forward to warmth, new growth and all those colors. Cherry blossoms represent a great start to the new season, highlighted here at the Tidal Basin and the Thomas Jefferson Memorial in Washington, DC. Onward to this month’s project.

#15 Another Roadside Attraction- Like the book or not.

Dairy Queen (orDQ) is Another Roadside Attraction. It’s a popular international fast-food chain founded in Joliet, IL in 1940. DQ’s are located along major roads and highways and are visited on short and long trips. As a youngster a favorite outing was for a Sunday treat for a sundae with the family. They serve a variety of foods and Dairy Queen treats. Having worked in my hometown DQ as a teenager I can recall my boss commenting on some of their products. The term ice cream was never used. Instead, the products were Dairy Queen treats to indicate the unique formula used to create them. This was my introduction to branding. Popular items include frozen cakes, dilly and buster bars, cones and blizzards. The latter is my favorite. What’s yours?

#16 Out of Line- Interpret that as you will.

While on a Sunday afternoon drive with my wife, we encountered this business. What caught our eyes was the Reed Mobile sign. That business was owned by a family member, sold and repurposed as the Phelps Nursery. The siding is off in multiple places and several pieces are Out of Line.

#17 Shades of Gray- Like the book, or not.

In Somerset County, Pennsylvania is the Flight 93 National Memorial, Another Roadside Attraction. It was established to honor the the 40 passengers and crew of United Flight 93 who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. Their actions to gain control of the terrorist-controlled aircraft saved many lives. The Memorial includes a Visitors Center with an overlook along the flight path, the Tower of Voices containing 40 wind chimes, one for each passenger. The Wall of Names is along the flight path and contains forty marble slabs, each one with the name of a passenger or crew member. Shades of Grey are evident throughout the Memorial.

#18 Multiplicity- Interpret that as you will.

The Korean War Memorial in Washington, DC includes The Mural Wall, The Column of 19 statues depicting a platoon of soldiers on a combat mission and a Wall of Remembrance with names of deceased soldiers. Multiplicity is present in The Mural Wall- soldier images embedded in the granite, reflected Column statues and visitors. The coarse- grained granite in the wall contributes to the Multiplicity.

#19 Incomprehensible- Like the Song, or not.

On a trip home from a photography workshop, I came upon graffiti/street art at Clement Way Graffiti Alley in Pittsburgh. These two terms are recognized by many as synonymous. Several of the murals at this site represent street art while others are graffiti, in my opinion. The distinction that I make is whether the mural displayed in a public space conveys a thought, scene, social or political statement or consists of random lines that contain no recognizable message. The left mural contains no message, is Incomprehensible and represents graffiti. The right panel is street art. What was the artists intention in the left panel or did several artists contribute to this mural altering the message and making it graffiti? Is the left panel graffiti or street art or both? What say you?

Thank you for reading. Special thanks to the initiators and editors of the project. I have found it interesting, challenging, fun and it has promoted a new perspective on seeing for me.