Brief history of Studebaker Bros. Corporation, South Bend, Indiana

Panorama

This panoramic photo documents the lasting impact of South Bend’s economic collapse after the Studebaker closure. The complementary colors and harsh overhead sun highlight the decay and texture of the buildings, showing the reality of a city shaped by loss and endurance.

Victorian Shopkeeper

This composite blends two photos of an abandoned storefront with a stock image sourced under an Unsplash license. The overgrown houseplant creeping across the entrance shows how long the space has been empty. Behind the mesh-patterned door, a faint figure holds the vine from the other side, symbolizing presence within absence.

Attribute Stock 1: Portrait of Woman Outdoors by Reuben R. Sallows.Unsplash.com.<https://unsplash.com/photos/SDXLdzUxndl>. Free to use under the Unsplash license.

Herb's Truck

Much of my work documents loss, but this image focuses on maintenance, on the quiet, steady effort to hold onto history before it disappears. The image centers on Herb’s old work truck, parked at a historic campground beside the former Studebaker proving grounds, 840 acres built in 1926 (Hilts, 2013).

Timelapse

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https://youtu.be/YU60bYbPnx8

The subject of this timelapse is South Bend, a city that has shaped much of my work over the past decade. I filmed from the top floor of a parking garage overlooking several historic landmarks. The elevated view allowed me to observe quietly and capture the city without interruption.

When I arrived, a haze hung over the skyline, but as the sun set, heavy clouds rolled in faster than expected, completely changing the mood of the scene. Using a tripod and an intervalometer, I shot one frame every 7.5 seconds for 30 minutes, producing more than 240 images. These were later compiled into a 24fps sequence during post-processing.

From above Main Street, the old business center and path to the Studebaker factories (South Bend Tribune, 2015), I could almost picture Studebaker workers from the past heading home at the end of the day.

Color

I keep coming back to the spaces people pass by without noticing. There’s something about what’s been discarded that feels familiar…like if I notice it, maybe it’s a little less forgotten.

In this series, I paid attention to color as much as subject. Cool tones calm the frame, warm tones pull it forward. The orange and blue building at the edge of town and the red TECO truck caught my eye for that reason—they stand out against everything fading around them.

(Building & TECO Truck demolished Winter 2024).

Argus Super Seventy-Five

This series features the Argus Super Seventy-Five, a vintage camera from my own collection. It was made in the 1950s in Ann Arbor, Michigan (Eckman, 2015) and found again seventy years later in an antique shop in South Bend.

The Argus represents how old tools can find new relevance. Film photography has seen a comeback for the same reason, and people are drawn to its imperfections and unpredictability (Ellison, 2024; The Sunday Times). By photographing this camera now, I wanted to show how objects, and even cities like South Bend, can still find purpose long after their prime.

Sources

(2015, March 2). On the Block: The heart of downtown. South Bend Tribune. Retrieved December 3, 2024, from https://www.southbendtribune.com/story/news/local/2015/03/02/on-the-block-the-heart-of-downtow/45862111/

Downey, A. (2024, January 9). Viewpoint: Studebaker's history in South Bend is complicated. South Bend Tribune. Retrieved December 3, 2024, from https://www.southbendtribune.com/story/opinion/columns/2024/01/09/studebakers-enduring-influence-on-south-bend-is-complicated/72148730007/

Ellison, A. (2024, July 5). Retro cameras back in the frame for Gen Z snappers. The Sunday Times. Retrieved December 9, 2024, from https://www.thetimes.com/uk/technology-uk/article/retro-cameras-back-in-the-frame-for-gen-z-snappers-hrg7q53cv

Eckman, M. (2015, October 26). Argus Seventy-Five (1955). Mikeeckman.com. Retrieved December 8, 2024, from https://mikeeckman.com/2015/10/argus-seventy-five-1955/#google_vignette

Hilts, V. (2013, November 18). The ghosts of The Studebaker Proving Grounds. The Truth About Cars. Retrieved December 3, 2024, from https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2013/11/the-ghosts-of-the-studebaker-proving-grounds/

Stock 1: Portrait of Woman Outdoors by Reuben R. Sallows.Unsplash.com.<https://unsplash.com/photos/SDXLdzUxndl>. Free to use under the Unsplash license.

After studebaker: a photo series