My experience with salvage yards is mixed and I bear the responsibility for most of the negative outcomes. As a teenager, I ignorantly shot a number of wrecked car windshields and rear windows at our neighbor’s salvage yard. I did not know that he sold them. That bit of learning cost my parents $600 in 1964, which was a considerable amount of money back then. At $1 per hour, it took me a long time and lots of unpleasant work to repay my folks. Recently I sought permission to make some images in a salvage yard, got the approval, and then had it revoked before I could get my camera gear from the car. I’m pretty sure the owner had a change of heart and it had nothing to do with anything I said or did.
In between those unfortunate bookends of experiences, my time in junkyards has been quite pleasant. It’s there I was able to find replacement items for a few of my cars at a price friendly to my budget. I’ve also met some really nice people who work in the recycling business. It’s also a place that is teeming with possibilities for interesting images.
