The Mother Road Route 66
AMERICAN MIXTAPE: THE MOTHER ROAD
Route 66 at 100. America at 250.
And I have stepped into my 60th year.
Route 66 has always called for my attention.
On July 4th I’m taking the less traveled route and documenting the journey through storied images of people along the way.
With a listening ear and camera in hand, I’ll begin in Chicago, and travel Route 66 to Santa Monica.
Please join me.
I invite all who have worked tirelessly to keep their businesses alive and those who have supported them.
THE MISSION
To travel Route 66 and document the people and places that have kept something alive for 100 years,
preserving the stories that connect us.
An American mixtape, stories discovered, to hold onto what still connects us.
THE LENS: "ANALOG SOUL IN A DIGITAL WORLD"
I am a GENX mother of twins, + a 3rd generation portrait photographer.
I’m approaching the stories on this road less with my Iphone, and more through my legacy lens.
THE VISUALS:
Photography capturing the people who’ve kept the road alive, historic landmarks and scenic byways that define the American experience. Traveling off the beaten path, I feel, is where the gold lies. I’ll seek out these opportunities.
THE SOUNDTRACK:
Every road has a rhythm, and along Route 66 I’ll be listening for it, building a living American mixtape as I go.
I’ll collaborate with local musicians in each state to score the journey with music shaped by the road itself.
WHY SARAH WATERS
A mixtape is the love language to a GENXer…
In 1985, the government decommissioned Route 66. They bypassed it with interstates designed for speed, efficiency, and isolation. The trend of “faster is better” continued here.
I believe that if you get off the interstate and drive the decommissioned road, you will find an America that the algorithm hasn’t erased.
● An America that still has patience. Like the time it takes to record a mixtape. Waiting until just the right moment to hit STOP, and again after the ads, hit PLAY.
● An America that still has passion. Like waiting through (and cassette recording) 39 songs to find out what Kasey Kasem’s #1 TOP 40 Song of the Week is.
● An America that waves to its neighbor. Not for "likes," but because they are neighbors.
I am betting 2,400 miles that we’re moving back to what is real and tangible. That it is filled with people who know that the future belongs to those who s l o w d o w n, and come together in community.
This is a project, to drive, listen, and share the images and stories that show the heart and soul of America, that it is still here.
Here are the (flexible) dates:
LEGACY
I was adopted and raised by parents of an early generation,
my mother, Shurlee Waters, was my everything, who instilled in me, empathy, humour and joy ~ she passed when I was 11…
my father, George Waters, understood patience, discipline, and how to truly see ~ he passed when I was 22…
As a photographer, George taught me these values.
Not just how to take a photograph,
but how to wait for one.
He showed me how light moves, how it finds its way in…
and how something unclear can come into focus, if you give it the time it needs.
I remember sitting in a wooden chair in the sun as a child, watching him work.
He would steady himself, look down into his waist-level viewfinder, and take his time.
Then he’d ask me to open my mouth as wide as I could…
exhale… and relax.
And just like that, an honest expression would appear.
That stayed with me.
Not just as something I do with a camera,
but as a way of moving through the world.
To slow down, and notice beauty in simple, sometimes little things.
He spent his life photographing and storytelling, working alongside Ansel Adams as a printer of his books, and spearheading the creation of Kodachrome Coloramas which graced New York’s Grand Central Station.
Ansel Adams photographing at the base of Yosemite Falls, by George L. Waters, Jr.
But what he passed on to me was to always have a listening ear, to approach challenges with patience and to always strive to pay attention to detail.
It is with these values, I’ll be traveling this road.
Portrait days will be set up in each town. Subscribe to the list to inquire on how to be a part of the story and have a portrait sitting with Sarah Waters.
Inquire here for your media kit.
BANDS, CITY CHAMBERS, LOCAL BUSINESSES, RESTAURANTS, MOTELS…
Please be in touch I’d love to hear from you!