Jim Mortram- Abbey Reddington

The series Small Town Inertia, by Jim Mortram, takes place in a three mile radius. He focuses on people "living on the fringe of society." He had a serious love hate relationship with the small town that he grew up in. Seeming almost like an island he couldn't escape from, Jim took full advantage of the situation and instead of wallowing in his misery, he turned this relationship into one of passion. He photographed the people in his community who had also lost hope in the long hours they worked, and the seemingly endless days.

His choice of black and white unifies the community into one unit. It helps express their deep sadness and his levels are beautiful, with deep shadows, and complimentary highlights. The scenes look untouched and very natural. It is very clear he feels a deep passion for this community and has spent a large amount of time observing the people within it. Jim is at the same level as the subject in the photographs, showing he is one of them, on the same level. He includes important details of their home lives and this commonly includes man's best friend, the canine. These timeless pieces of passion really go with last class's discussion about using our power of the camera for good.