Tribute To Ian William Talty
Last Saturday, urban explorer and photographer Ian William Talty and a friend were exploring and photographing a storm drainage tunnel on the banks of the Mississippi near the Lake Street bridge. A thunderstorm nearby caused the drainage tunnel to flood, and both were caught by the rush of water, sweeping them into the Mississippi. His friend made it back to shore, but not Ian, who drowned in the Mississippi. For more go here, here, or here. It’s possible he could have made it to shore any other time, but right now the Mississippi is still in it’s spring mode, with fast currents and eddies, especially along the shore.
Us local photo bloggers occasionally go on photoshoots together, but most of the time we do it alone. Sometimes we end up in situations that aren’t necessarily the safest in the pursuit of a photo. I know I have gotten a little closer to some things than I should have on a few occasions, ranging from stepping out on the Mississippi ice with nearby open water and finding myself sliding towards the open water, or on it’s banks on unstable soil with a raging spring melt just a few feet below, or balancing at the edge of a bluff with a steep drop off, or getting your foot hung up walking down a steep slope. The list goes on.
Ian was particularly interested in photographing graffiti, and I share his interest. There’s a lot of graffiti along the banks of the Mississippi, I’ve been down there. His wife said he often would come home after a photo shoot, proud of what he’d gotten. I know the feeling Ian. This photo is for you.
Update: Some of the comments suggest that I personally knew Ian. That is not the case. If I gave that impression I apologize.
