Exploring small towns yields some of the most unexpected and beautiful wonders. You never really know what you are going to find and see when you step into a town with so few people, it sits barely touched by the outside world. A little while back I explored Redstone, Colorado, which at the time, had a population of only 92 people. Growing up in Dallas, Texas, this was a bit of a culture shock. If you have seen some of my other works on Steemit, you know I love broken detail – finding beauty in the otherwise forgotten. Here are the images from my venture into the small town of Redstone.

Looking at these old license plates, my mind is filled with wonder – what cars were they once were registered to, all the places they traveled. Maybe what I find so interesting in old things is the beauty they hold always has a story. Or maybe it's the beauty, that is the story.

One of my dreams has always been to restore an old tube radio. I have never been able to find one that suits exactly what I am looking for. My eyes are drawn to certain lines, certain feelings, which can make finding the perfect piece hard to do.

I wonder

How much money has gone through this register, what are the stories behind the keys. Did the businesses fail or succeed at the hand of this roughed up machine?

Seeing these cans lined up, I wonder more about the travels the oil inside took the cars on. Did the oil previously in these cans ever fuel a car with a license plate from before? Pondering the many "coincidences" that life brings us lets the mind run away in happiness and wonder.

While I did explore a small town, you may be starting to notice my images are much more focused on specific items I found. While landscapes and architecture are beautiful in their own right, my eye is drawn to the minuscule, the overlooked, and that shines through in my photography.

There's something that focusing on the small details can do for me, and it never fails. Seeing the lines in the old hubcap above through the metal and color, to the fading lettering on the old wood stove below, I am transported to a time not my own. There's something so much more beautiful about things that you don't own. Maybe this is the same longing that drives greed, but for me, I capture and image and let these things go in peace.

Even something as simple as a line of old style paper Coca-Cola cups can evoke emotion when captured in the right light. Whether it be nostalgia or thirst, you inevitably feel – something.

The outside often covers the real story deep within

Like this paint can. The outside reflects such color, such beauty, but we get a glimpse of the rust and wear that inevitably lies inside the metal walls. This is likely deeper than you have ever thought about a paint can. Think more about the things you overlook.

A row of jars may seem innocent enough, but what did they hold in a previous life. Was it someone's grandmother's delicious strawberry jam, or was it the sware jar for a begrudging old man?

Life can take so many turns.

And finally, a glossy yet weathered cigarette dispenser. Who got a smoke from this machine? Even more so, who died at the hands of one of its smokey white sticks?

Exploring small towns can yield some interesting people, but they can also yield some very interesting items. If you want to learn more about my work, you can see my other photos here and here.

Follow me on my visual journey to uncover the #FORGOTTEN.