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I’ve always been drawn to old things—the worn, the distressed, the forgotten. Many of the signs I’ve photographed are virtually invisible to most people. They pass them every day but they don’t really see them. Their colors have faded, their paint is peeling and they can’t compete with all the new, shiny things around them. But old signs have a history and they can tell a story that no Wal-Mart or Taco Bell sign can. They were once works of art themselves done by designers like me. They were landmarks and guideposts, promising a cold beer, a good meal or even a good time. They helped define a street, a neighborhood and an era. They had power. As a photographer, I want to give them a second life, pull them out of the past and elevate them once again to a place of distinction and even grandeur. I strive for a sense of hyperrealism and a graphic feel in my photographs, wanting the signs to be larger than life, appearing much bigger and important than they do in real life. I want people to see the colors and details as if they were standing just a few feet away. Prints can be ordered from my website at www.marcshurphotography.com