Billboards Forever!

There was a big effort under the Carter administration to get rid of "visual pollution" along our nation's Interstate Highway system. Billboards were considered the major problem, and some local governments strictly regulated their size and how many could be along each mile of highway. Other governmental bodies got a gleam in their eyes thinking about all the permitting fees and tax dollars those billboards could generate. No doubt those billboard companies also were generous contributors to many an office holder's campaign coffers.

U.S. News & World Report was doing a story on the billboard problem for their September 22, 1980 issue and they concluded that Florida and Georgia were the worst offenders, with South Florida topping the list. I got a phone call asking me if I could track down a particularly cluttered section of I-95 and come up with some photos showing the clutter. I found these billboards just south of the Broward County line. I was shooting on Ektachrome film in a Leicaflex SL using a 180mm f/2.8 Elmarit lens. The evening twilight threw the cars into shadow while the remaining sunlight illuminated the billboards against a colorful sky.

Click on the picture. It will get big enough to (barely) read the story.