On the road with Thread Tales By Kinga Lubowiecka
There is something timeless about the American road trip; scenic highways, vibrant cities, and national parks. Where better to start such a journey, than Chicago, Illinois where the infamous Route 66 begins. Classic road trip guides would perhaps suggest heading west - Hollywood bound and through Grand Canyon National Park; instead I travelled east, in search of dusty roads, and small town views.
My name is Kinga and I am a photographer at Bright Lens*. I’m passionate about creating simple yet stunning product shots. One of my 2018 US road trip goals was to create a series of travel product images. Throughout the journey, together with my assistant, I searched for the perfect spots to photograph the Hand-woven Cashmere Herringbone scarf with a Neon Yellow Stripe – one of my personal Thread Tales favourites!
Inspired by ‘The Windy City’, the first set of images presents the scarf shaped by the wind, with downtown Chicago in the background. A perfect picture postcard, may I add! Photographing the scarf against the sun also meant that all the wonderful threads were highlighted and shown in their full glory. Time of day was crucial!
Travelling east took me to Northern Indiana and Amish country. The days were overcast, the roads flat and mainly deserted. However, I couldn’t help but notice the Amish buggies pulled by horses. I felt like I’d driven into a 16th Century Pieter Bruegel painting – a real treat!
To take the second set of photographs I stopped along a dusty road, which was by no means a landmark spot. I chose it because I felt that the palette of the landscape greatly complimented the scarf. It was not overpowering, but subtle and simple – exactly what I’d been on the look out for!
West Virginia’s ‘wild and wonderful’ country roads and fields were yet another inspirational backdrop. The yellow road markings imitated the scarf’s yellow stripe and the setting sun added to the romance of the location. You might notice that I appear in some of the latter shots - A shout out to my assistant here for taking the snaps:)
For the final set of images I chose to stop in Millwood, VA because of its rustic charm. It is the home of many of Clarke County's most historic sites including the Burwell-Morgan Mill and Long Branch Farm. One of my favourite shots was taken in front of Locke Store – a local village shop selling local produce, which has served the community since 1836. You can find out more about the location here: https://vimeo.com/80763634.
Images in hand it was time to return home and start planning the next adventure. So, watch this space (…).