Episode 11 - This week Zach & Courtney discuss photographing road trips, including Zach’s photos on the road and in the Florida Keys, plus Joel Sternfeld’s project from the 1970s and 80s, American Prospects.

“Photography is nothing–it's life that interests me.” - Henri Cartier-Bresson

Index

0:00 - Intro - Missing a great moment because he ran out of film

0:45 - We loved road trips growing up

3:18 - Road trips were more fun/dangerous in the 80s & 90s

4:43 - Zach’s photos from rest stops and gas stations on the way to Florida 📷

9:22 - A road trip through the Florida Keys 📷

17:16 - Joel Sternfeld’s American Prospects feels like a road trip across the United States.

17:38 - McLean, Virginia, December 1978. 📷

18:01 - Joel Sternfeld’s idea behind American Prospects

20:17 - After a Flash Flood. Rancho Mirage, California. 1979. 📷

20:42 - The Space Shuttle Columbia Lands at Kelly Air Force Base. San Antonio, Texas. March 1979.📷

21:21 - Exhausted Renegade Elephant. Woodland, Washington. June 1979.📷

23:33 - Glen Canyon Dam. Page, Arizona. 1983.📷

24:19 - Wet ’n’ Wild Aquatic Theme Park. Orlando, Florida. 1980.📷

25:05 - Buckingham, Pennsylvania. August 1978.📷

25:43 - Bikini Contest. Fort Lauderdale, Florida. March 1983.📷

27:22 - Near Akron, Ohio. May 1983.📷

28:26 - Portage Glacier, Alaska. August 1984.📷

29:15 - Lake Oswego, Oregon. June 1979.📷

30:38 - Canyon Country, California. June 1983.📷

31:52 - Courtney says this series is a great introduction to the vastness of the United States.

33:32 - This project helped Zach to realize that there’s wild stuff happening everywhere all the time if you’re looking for it.

35:01 - West Aztec Avenue. Gallup, New Mexico. September 1982.📷

35:25 - Great Salt Lake, Utah. August 1979.📷

For links to all the sources for this episode, check out our resources page here...https://blog.zachdobson.com/2025/09/photography-is-nothing-ep11/

Find Zach

Website: https://zachdobson.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zachdobsonphoto/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zachdobsonphoto

Threads: https://www.threads.com/@zachdobsonphoto

Find Courtney

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/courtneymccracken_/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@happy_life_lessons

Threads: https://www.threads.com/@courtneymccracken_

About the Podcast

Photography is Nothing with Zach Dobson and Courtney McCracken is a weekly conversation about photography and all its impact. Each week Zach and Courtney discuss their latest adventures, life lessons, and anything else that sounds interesting.

Photography is Nothing invites you into the conversations they were already having as a married couple running a photography and media company in the current world.

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