Photo Flood 1: Downtown

photograph by Jamie Kreher

“St. Louis never disappointed me. She was there at every turn. Turn from the river with your back to the east, and you can see the dust of the prairies granulating the light. I’m tempted to say ululating, for there is a persistent tremor in the light at that particular point in our geography where St. Louis rests. There is no other place like it.” -Joel Meyerowitz, foreword to his photobook, St. Louis and The Arch

It is quite true that St. Louis is a town unlike any other. It is a city where the salve of history soothes the wound of decay. Still, there is a new breed of residents (artists, designers, entrepreneurs) who look to the future, and they have already done much to revitalize the area. The downtown core represents the heart they wish to revive.

This area, bounded by Washington, Walnut, 10th Street and the Mississippi River, is where we decided to focus our lenses for the first ever Photo Flood Saint Louis. Much of the region’s (and some of the Nation’s) heritage rests in this section of the city, so it is only natural that we would begin here.

photograph by Andy Holman

As evidenced by Joel Meyerowitz’s statement above, we are not the first photographers to photograph St. Louis. In fact, the city boasts a long list of camera-toting artists who have produced work here, including Ansel Adams, Catherine Opie, John Gossage, Alec Soth, and more. St. Louis’ relationship with photography goes back almost to the beginning of the craft, when Thomas Easterly, a St. Louis daguerreotypist, took (arguably) the first photograph of lightning.

We are proud to embrace this legacy, and to add our own little mark to the cultural topography of this great city. At Photo Flood 1, a broad range of photographers, employing technology ranging from medium format film to camera phones, arrived to document this small part of STL. The photographs displayed here represent the best of what resulted. Enjoy!

photograph by Andy Holman

photograph by Steven Ley

photograph by Brett Williams

photograph by Jason Gray

photograph by Jamie Kreher

photograph by Brett Williams

photograph by Jamie Kreher

photograph by Jamie Kreher

photograph by Jason Gray

photograph by Jason Gray

photograph by Andy Holman

photograph by Steven Ley

photograph by Jamie Kreher

photograph by Jamie Kreher

photograph by Brett Williams

photograph by Jason Gray

photograph by Andy Holman

photograph by Jamie Kreher

The map:

Our end point was The Bridge Tap House & Wine Bar which was an inviting location to discuss our first outing and plan for what was to come. Oh, and did I mention that they have a FANTASTIC beer selection?

(image is not one of ours- from owner, David Bailey’s, Flickr)