Crossroads

My camera weighs heavily around my neck. I walk around the structure looking for the best angle, making sure the sun's glare will not distort the picture. ...

As I bring the camera into focus, I see something I didn't expect to see. Startled by the sheer power of what had been evading both my lens and my mind, I start to see images of how this object came to be, and why it is here ...

At first I cannot comprehend the significance of what I am witnessing. A man appears in the frame as it comes into focus, and his story unfolds before me. I see him standing in a poorly lit garage, the sole source of light coming from a naked bulb hanging from the cord above. He is a big man, tall in stature with a broad chest and wide shoulders. His muscular arms are clothed in a dark blue flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up, revealing brawny forearms. Everything about this man feels powerful and strong. This is someone you would turn to for guidance and support. At this particular moment, however, he looks devastated and hopeless.


In August 2003, Shana Duty gave up the comforts of her home and the security of her job for the opportunity to travel the United States with her husband, Coner, a long-haul truck driver.


When Shana embarked on her journey in an 18-wheeler, she had no idea that the highways would hold such a poignant story. Armed with a camera she bought at a local flea market, Shana began capturing the world that sped past the windshield-listening while the roads spoke to her. One day while Coner parked the truck on the shoulder of I-25 just outside of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Shana began photographing a wooden structure on a median when suddenly a man appeared in the frame. As his story-both tragic and inspirational-slowly unfolded before Shana, she soon realized that living on the road with Coner was becoming an eye-opening experience that she would never forget.


What Shana saw that day changed her life forever. It was only after Shana returned home that life turned full circle and she vowed to share what she witnessed in the middle of a highway median with the rest of the world. This is her Crossroads.