Red Hot Rockin Relics
Rockin Relics has been the go to meeting place for lunch in Rugby, North Dakota for sine 2006. It is also where the North Dakota Workshop gathers most days for lunch during the workshop. Usually about noon a text message will go out saying “meet me at RR” for lunch. And depending on where folks are working many will head to Rockin Relics for lunch and a break from photographing.
The building originally housed two different hardware stores over the first 80 years of its existence. In 2006, Bonnie Berginski turned it into a soda fountain and diner open for breakfast and lunch creating its unique atmosphere and 50’s themed sandwiches. My favorite is the Chubby Checker.
Light and Environment
During a Spirit of Structure Workshop I don’t usually give assignments per se unless someone asks specifically for a “getting out of a rut” assignment. In my opening lecture I do try to give some ideas about how to approach photographing in a building you have never been in before. How do you start to see the location? What is the light doing? Are there any interesting details? How is the place sitting in its environment? How do you tell the story of the location where you are working?
Self Assignment
Another issue for photographers is how to photograph a place they know well or think they know well. As I said Rockin Relics is the go to place for lunch in Rugby ND. I have eaten more lunches there than I can count. So I thought I knew it pretty well. One afternoon during the last North Dakota Workshop I gave myself the assignment of photographing in Rockin Relics. I spoke with Bonnie and asked her if I could hang around and photograph the space.
Overall, Middle Distance, Detail
As folks began to leave to return to work, I just hung around and looked. I didn’t touch my camera for at least 30 minutes. I found myself attracted to the red stools at the lunch counter. One of my talking points in my first lecture of a workshop is always to try to see the Overall, Middle Distance and Details of any location. So I took that approach to the red stools in Rockin Relics.
Overall
The overall image for me was the stools all in a row at the lunch counter looking out toward the front door. You can see the lunch counter, the stools, a table off to one side implying more tables on your left, you can see the atmosphere of the store, and know that it is a patriotic store, with a lot of 50’s memorabilia around. It sets the scene.
Middle Distance
Next I moved oppositie the lunch counter. I wanted to capture the stools from a table top height. In this view you can see the five stools tops each with its own attitude, the counter and behind it all the paraphernalia needed to run a soda fountain. You can even see what type of ice cream and cones they offer. This image gives the viewer information about Rockin Relics as well as sets an atmosphere.
Detail
Then I found the most interesting stool seat and moved in for my detail image. If this stool could speak, the stories it would tell. Its chrome is shiny but scarred. Its red seat is has a texture that speaks of age. It is red, white and blue.
Favorite Image
I covered my bases, overall, middle distance, detail images. But I felt there was more to tell. I continued looking and thinking and finally realized that one stool could become that monolithic icon for Rockin Relics and perhaps for all soda fountains. So I searched for and found the vantage point, distance for the subject and choose the lens that made one stool become iconic.
I had to work my way through the store, following my own advice, looking for the one image that sums up Rockin Relics, and for me, it is the monolithic stool. It stands proud, it reflects the outside light and it wears its cardinal hat of dignity just waiting to support the right customer, making sure their experience in Rockin Relics is complete.