R. Wellen

Photos by R. Wellen Photography.

Afraid I don't have a pretentious statement about the importance of my work. No absurd gibberish about the meanings of this and that. But I can say the great thing about photography is how far it can push you if you let it. When setting up this site, I had to look through a LOT of photos to find a few worthwhile ones. A lot of miles and memories in there. Places I would never have given a thought without a camera involved.

The abandoned stuff is particularly remarkable. Sometimes humorous. Like the time Jack-rabbit Jamaar showed me his “Amazing Spider-Man” act after we set off an alarm in a factory that wasn’t as abandoned as I thought. Or the feral heart attack inducing cats. Other times it can be more than a little terrifying. Deliverance hillbillies surrounding a house I was in for instance. I don’t know if there’s a good way to describe what it’s like to stand in a giant empty factory, an abandoned school or a forgotten home. The random noises and the eerie emptiness. All the stories floating around you. It’s both an adrenaline rush and unsettling. These days more and more cities are cracking down on their forgotten treasures. Whether that’s good or bad I suppose is debatable but if you have the chance, try exploring at least once. It’ll definitely wake you up to the life passing you by.

The rest of the stuff is pretty straight forward. Traveling is always fun even when it’s not. Chicago is where I currently reside as it offers the best photo-opportunity to cost ratio of anywhere in America. And yes, I have a thing for subway trains. I don't keep track of them or do any "Trainspotting" or anything like that. Just enjoy them for some weird reason. The horse racing stuff is a personal thing. I was obsessed with the movie “Casey’s Shadow” as a kid and have loved watching the ponies pound their way down the stretch ever since. I rarely ever wager. I have no clue how to tell who’s better than who. I do know the grey ones rarely ever triumph though. They may be purty but don’t bet on them.

All in all, if I never sell a single photo, the adventures alone were worth it.

Tidbits:

YouTube trained with no awards to speak of. Def Leppard fanatic. Currently based in Chicago.

Work published by the Washington Post, Seattle PI, USA Today, and The Guardian