About Tom Spaulding / Tom Spaulding  

Select photos from my collection are now available for sale at ImageKind.

Hi,

I grew up in Billings, MT, and went to school in Williamstown, MA; Missoula, MT; and Davis, CA. In 2002 I moved from Davis, just west of Sacramento, to Ben Ali--an old name for an unincorporated suburb to the northeast of Sacramento. The larger area is generally referred to as Arden-Acrade now, after the county put up some signs. I wish I didn't live in the suburbs, but moving is not an option for me now.

I love the wilderness, and take advantage of the glorious variety of Northern California--the coast, the coastal range, the Great Central Valley, and the Sierra Nevada--to go hiking frequently. I also love the city: the great variety of ethnic restaurants, the grand old architecture of the central city, and the long human history of the place.

I'm interested in local history: in all that is unique to an area, and the long-time institutions that give continuity to a community. Consequently, I'm disturbed to see large national chains replace local businesses.

Freeways, the reliance on automobiles, and the suburbs all have resulted in massive destruction of the things I love. Freeways and the suburbs eat up massive amounts of wilderness and farmland, and use up massive amounts of natural resources. They have also led to the decline of city centers, and the older suburbs close to the city center, where people lived, worked, and shopped in small areas. They did a lot of walking, and used public transportation. With the popularity of the automobile, many old, small businesses within walking distance were replaced with much larger "drive in" shopping centers. And the architecture of the past--built with style and to last--was demolished, while in the suburbs hastily erected strip malls and chain stores--built with the intention of being torn down in 20 years or so--replaced them. And let's not forget all the parking lots.

I started photographing old buildings and signs just to document them. Later I started hiking, and took photos on those expeditions. Thanks to digital cameras and Flickr, I started working on taking better photos, although I still don't consider myself to be much of a photographer. Then, after long having wondered about the history of many of my subjects, I started putting my academic skills to use by researching them. Now I'm trying to put it all together with my Flickr photostream and my blog.

E-mail: tspauld [at] sprynet [dot] com.