The UFO Welcome Center.
For a photography assignment, I was tasked with creating a slideshow of photographs of my choosing. With such freedom to photograph what I wanted, I decided to take a trip to Bowman, South Carolina and visit the UFO Welcome Center. I had heard stories and seen pictures of the Welcome Center, but I honestly had no idea what to expect. What I found was better than anything I could have imagined.
I met the owner, whose name I never learned, and he told me about his work on the makeshift spacecraft as I photographed him. He'd been constructing the craft, a three story spaceship made of wood, since the early 90's and has had hundreds of visitors since its inception. He showed me around and told me about his intergalactic adventures, spaceship sightings, and trip to the Area 51 storming this Fall. I was lucky enough to spend substantial time with him, and we quickly developed a rapport as we worked together. He was a fantastic model and often gave me ideas on how to photograph him as he told me about his life and work. I've never met anyone like him, and I'm sure I never will again. People like him are what make us crazy and unique as humans, and he reminded me what it means to embrace your weirdness and share it with the world.
