story behind the photograph Archives

Shooting History: Abandoned Places Photography in Tennessee (My Full Presentation at Middle Tennessee State University — June 25, 2025)

Photographer Keith Dotson had the honor of speaking to an engaged and curious audience of about 50 people as part of Middle Tennessee State University's Summer Alumni College. He had been asked to present a photography-based topic as "edutainment" for the group, which was a general interest audience and not a comprised of keen enthusiast photographers.

An Early Predilection for Abandoned Buildings

This recently discovered color drugstore print shows an early preference for abandoned buildings that fully emerged in my work decades later

How Important is the ‘Story’ to a Fine Art Photograph? (Podcast Episode 65)

In this episode of the Fine Art Photography Podcast, we ponder this question: How important is a story to the making of a fine art photograph?

History and Photographs of the Abandoned Building at 3606 Jacob Street in Wheeling, West Virginia

Fine art photographer Keith Dotson tells the story of Charles Seybold and the abandoned building he used for his house painting business in the 1890s in Wheeling, West Virginia.

Weld Boathouse — 15 Years Later (The Photo that Started My Career)

Photographer Keith Dotson talks about the simple photograph that launched his career and changed his life.

Photography as Architectural Preservation: The Old Almeda Theatre in Houston

Fine art photographer Keith Dotson presses his point that photographs of abandoned buildings are a form of architectural preservation, with a rare color photograph of a demolished Houston movie theatre.

Video: 1950s Plymouth Crashed Against a Tree in the Forest

In this video, fine art photographer Keith Dotson takes us along on a second visit to a mysterious old car that was crashed into a tree on a hillside in the forest decades ago.

Who Were Bell, Barker, and Jennings? (From an Old Sign in Lynchburg, Virginia)

Fine art photographer researched an old sign he shot in Lynchburg, Virginia. Who were Bell, Barker, and Jennings?

How I Shot These Dead Flower Macro Photographs

Fine art photographer Keith Dotson gives a behind-the-scenes look at how he shot these backlit dead flower blossoms.