I first started making travel pictures in graduate school sometime in 1975. I had made vacation pictures before, but those were only meant for distribution to a small circle of friends, functioning more like place markers and notations in a personal history book. My new travel pictures were an attempt to open up the same subject to a wider audience. To remind me of this fact, during travel for the next several years, I carried two cameras - one to make vacation pictures and one to make travel pictures.

In 1983, I spent 3 months traveling around the country creating a series of interview programs for radio station KAXE, a NPR affiliate in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Since I had no access to a darkroom while on the road, I switched to color film and had the images processed in one hour labs which were just starting to be available across the country. I collected the images in their 4 ”x 6” form, and eventually issued a boxed set of 40 4 ”x 6” images in an edition of 50, produced directly from a one hour processing store. This collection of work was called Travel Places: The Road Show after the radio program.

Since then I have continued to make images while traveling. Over the years, the title of the growing collection was shortened to Travel Places. These days I only take one camera, a digital camera, and now print on a 52” archival ink jet printer. Though the technology has changed since 1975, the need remains the same.

There is something in the thrill of travel that necessitates pictures. Travel sharpens the senses, and adds a slight edge to life. I hope it shows in these images.

Dan Younger