Roy's Café: A Route 66 Landmark Captivating Travelers
Harnessing Vanishing Points to Enhance Depth and Composition
William Eggleston is the one photographer who I can most relate to. His vision of the world is simple and real.
Eggleston’s photographs are a stunning study of muted colors with continuous tonal ranges from the highlights to shadows.
The location of one of his photographs, Roy’s, appears to be at the end of the earth. To some it is.
This little town has been in and out of the news for decades. It’s the home of the Roy’s sign, the retro photo-op of Southern California.
The horror flick The Hitcher (1986) contains a tense scene inside the diner.
Plans to bring the motel and diner back to life are in the works.
William Eggleston photographed Roy’s in his traditional muted colors. The photo is a long shot with a police car in front of it.
Throughout the years, I have photographed the classic mid-century modern architecture of Roy’s including:
The Sign
The Motel Lobby
The Cottages
The Western town of Amboy is hit by perpetual desert sun, a faded landscape, an old gas station, and a diner sitting in the middle of nowhere under a chalky blue sky.
The Bus
Back in the early 2000s, there was a bus in front of Roy’s
The Police Car
Then, a few years later, the vintage police car returned.
Special Effects
Creating special effects such as setting your camera at a slower shutter speed and then taking a shot while moving your zoom lens quickly in and out creates the dreamy spot that Amboy really is.
Recently, Amboy Road has been resurfaced with an added Route 66 road marking, a perfect opportunity for creating the special effect of having the sign in color and the remainder of the image in black and white.
The blue and red that highlight images of Roy’s make Amboy one of the most identifiable retro locations in the United States.