The Beauty of Breaking Down. Stranded Motorists Photographed By Amy Stein.

Stranded Motorists By Amy Stein
Amy Stein captures a broken down vehicle and passenger on Route 84, Texas.

Thanks to the New York Times’ Wheels section, I have learned about photographer Amy Stein’s collection of broken down vehicles and their passengers.

Stranded Motorists By Amy Stein

Stranded is a visual documentation of drivers in distress- accompanied by a Google map which documents the images and their whereabouts. Cars with their hoods up, passengers waiting for tow trucks, vehicles abandoned at the side of the road.

Peri, Route 64, Kentucky:
Stranded Motorists By Amy Stein
Steven, Route 10, Louisiana:
Stranded Motorists photo essay
Walter, Route 90, Louisiana:
photographer Amy Stein
Route 14, New Mexico:
amy stein, Route 14, New Mexico
Clarence, Route 71, Ohio:
Clarence, Route 71, Ohio by Amy Stein
Man Under Overpass, New Jersey Turnpike, New Jersey:
Man Under Overpass, New Jersey Turnpike, New Jersey by Amy Stein
Beth, Outside Tallahassee, Florida:
Beth, Outside Tallahassee, Florida from Stranded by Amy Stein
Car, Route 79, Pennsylvania:
photos of stranded motorists
Interstate 15, Cajon Pass, California and Truck Driver, Interstate 10, Florida:

Third Street, Memphis, Tennessee:
Stranded Motorists By Amy Stein
Family, New Jersey Turnpike, New Jersey:
photo from Stranded, Amy Stein

“I’m interested in the idea of a breakdown as a sort of existential failing,” she said in a recent e-mail to the New York Times.

Inspired by the government’s failed response to the flooding of New Orleans in 2005, she has spent the past 5 plus years driving across American photographing stranded motorists.

Cheerleaders, New Orleans, Louisiana:
Stranded cheerleaders, photo by Amy Stein
Phil, Route 93, Idaho:
Phil, Route 93, Idaho by Amy Stein
Car on Fire, Route 17, New York:
Car on Fire, Route 17, New York, photo by Amy Stein
Route 10, Texas:
Stranded on Route 10, Texas
Courvassi, Interstate 95, Georgia:
Courvassi, Interstate 95, Georgia - photo by Amy Stein
Six Flags Park, St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana:
Amy Stein - Six Flags Park, St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana
Freddy, Outskirts of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania:
Amy Stein -Freddy, Outskirts of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Her Interactive Google Map

These and more photographs from this series can be found on this Google Map that Amy created which documents her travels across the US.


amy stein photography

Amy has several other fabulous series of photographs that are most certainly worth checking out at her website.