# Stops with keyword Bus Infrastructure I think one of the most rigid [[The Rules Themselves|rules]] I ever tried to observe while undertaking this project was the strict avoidance of portraying any infrastructure associated with the bus. This includes benches, signs, pavilions, informational signage, and of course the busses themselves. It was a rule I broke early on, such as at stop 2113 above, but this was before I realized it was a rule. Most times I broke it afterwards was out of negligence or inattention to exactly what my composition contained. ![[2113.jpg]] *[[Stop Number 2113]]* I felt strongly that this rule ought to be maintained because I was adamant that [[This Project is Not About the Bus]]. The impression I wanted any person to have upon a totally naive viewing of this project was that it was primarily about the city. The fact that I referred to it as the "bus stop project" was a term of convenience, basically. That said, I've always been careful to say that I'm taking pictures *at* bus stops, not *of* bus stops. The simple geometry of the matter is what concerns me- this was facing out, not at. ![[1245.jpg]] *[[Stop Number 1245]]* Looking at this collection of photographs here, I can see that the project is prone to take on a wholly different tenor should the bus infrastructure become a valid subject matter for the imagery. A photograph of an empty bench is sad enough, but a series full of pictures of empty benches and bus stops full of waited-on busses begins to scream of a sort of juvenile and indeterminate longing. If it's hard to wrap my arms around what I want this project to say and not say, I at least don't want to revel in that fact. ![[261.jpg]] *[[Stop Number 261]]* Put another way, busses as a subject matter are too broad to possibly have a hope of achieving a level of specificity that I think is necessary to carry meaning in a photographic series. The disciplined fine art photographer must be exceedingly selective in his or her imagery choices. Imagery can carry a viewer far beyond the scope of normal language, but lacking discipline, it will carry them farther or in altogether different direction if the photographer is not judicious. If you've found yourself in the midst of this project, you will realize- I am not disciplined. ![[1863.jpg]] *[[Stop Number 1863]]* However, choosing the bus as a photographic subject is akin to choosing *walking*, or *driving a car* or even *being in an airport* as a photographic subject. The subject matter is so laughably vague that I'm sure meaningful imagery will elude all but the most talented photographers. Furthermore, not being a frequent user of public transit myself, I knew I had little to "add to the conversation" around public transit. I believe in its virtue and necessity for cities, but beyond that, I have little interest in public transit. ![[447.jpg]] *[[Stop Number 447]]* That said, I love cities- I love looking at different parts of the city, I love finding new angles and pockets and things to explore. Bus stops were therefore a choice of per convenience, a *reason* to leave the house and make more pictures[^1]. To avoid being roped into these discussions about public transit or to avoid the close association with public transit as a "speaking role" in the project, I thus pivoted fairly early in the project to avoid portraying anything having to do with the actual infrastructure of the GRTC. ![[696.jpg]] *[[Stop Number 696]]* I did run into some problems with this approach. Early on, I decided that the nearby bench itself was the most interesting form and photographed that before I had a more well-formed sense of the rules. Later, I would simply miss the fact that I had created a wide-angle view which included a bus stop sign across the street. I also ran into the sticky situation of whether or not *any references to this bus* met the threshold of this rule. The red band of the Pulse bus lane in Broad Street was one of the issues the vexed me. (Written August 26, 2025 by Nick Seitz) ![[1116.jpg]] *[[Stop Number 1116]]* ![[722.jpg]] *[[Stop Number 722]]* ![[1261.jpg]] *[[Stop Number 1261]]* ![[354.jpg]] *[[Stop Number 354]]* ![[1365.jpg]] *[[Stop Number 1365]]* ![[1943.jpg]] *[[Stop Number 1943]]* ## Footnotes and Miscellany [^1]: See [[The Fetch Quest Mentality]]