What am I trying to accomplish?
What if you're uncomfortable releasing a copy of your photo(s)?
Tips on getting good photos...
Background:
When I first began the "End US Highway" pages in 1998, it was just a
quirky little afterthought, tacked on to some other road-geek pages I
had posted. Not that the concept will ever cease to be quirky... but
the site is no longer small - I never expected to have this many
photos available! However, starting in 1999, several people offered
(or agreed) to let me post their "End" photos on my pages. Since
then, this site has begun to grow rather quickly. I never thought I'd
come anywhere close to having a photo of every US highway terminus in
the country. But, considering all the help lately from other
interested people - I'm beginning to think it may actually be a
possibility.
What kind of photos am I looking for?
My aim is to show photos of the "End" (and/or sometimes "Begin")
signs that highway departments often post at the termini of US
highways.
Example (this is the west end of US 18):
I've found, though, that at many highway ends, the "End" sign has been neglected. In those instances, I try to take a photo of any signs that are there: signs on the highway itself, as well as signs posted at any other approaches to the intersection or interchange where the terminus occurs.
Example (this is the west end of US 34):
Sometimes, even those signs are non-existent. If that's the case, I try to at least get a photo of the intersection or the place itself.
Example (this is the east end of US 360):
How can you help?
Maybe you have one or more photos of the end of a US highway... Or
perhaps you live near one, and you'd be interested in taking a photo
of the sign... Or maybe you've got a road trip coming up, and your
route will take you past one or more US highway termini... In any
case, these pages would be a great place to share your photos and
information with others who are already here, looking for it.
Are you interested in knowing what US routes end (or once ended) in a specific part of the country, but don't have access to the appropriate map? I've got a couple ideas on how to search for that information:
If you have a photo of a highway end that's better - or even different - than one I've already got posted, please let me know. Or, if you have some information that will add to, correct, and/or clarify what I've written on my pages - I'd like to know about that, too.
Obviously I can use digital images - but I can scan prints as well. Either way, please use the e-mail address below and let me know what you have (don't forget to manually remove the text "garbage" from my address). Let me know where you were and what's visible in the photo, approximately when the photo was taken, and whether you have a website to which you'd like me to link your name in my credit line.
What's in it for you?
No money, unfortunately. But you can take pride in knowing you've
added to the wealth of trivial information on the Web. That doesn't
cut it for you? Then how about the possibility of increased traffic
to your own website? I always give credit to the photographer, and
I'm glad to link your name to one of your web pages (or to your
e-mail address, if you prefer). I'll also list your name (with a
link) among the contributors on my acknowledgements
page.
What if you're uncomfortable letting
me have a copy of your image(s)?
I understand. If you really just don't want to, I'd still appreciate
if you'd let me know the address where your photos are posted. I'll
just link traffic from my site to yours.
A few things I've learned about getting good
road sign photos:
I've found that photos taken out the windshield or side windows of my
car don't usually turn out well. You don't realize how much glare and
obstructions there are on windows - until your photos come back all
blurry. It's enough to significantly reduce the clarity of your
subject. So I try to pull off onto a shoulder if I can - or someplace
from where I can walk up close to the sign. I try to fill a good
portion of my frame with the sign itself - if the camera is too far
away, then I can't even make out what the sign says when the print
comes back. And I try to get the exposure using natural light only -
flashbulbs tend to overexpose the signs, because of the reflective
paint.
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