Brenda & Carol Vantine
2015–presentMascoutah Ridge, Illinois
Sisters who plan their year around festival circuits — anything with a pancake breakfast, a ceremonial washing, or a Grand Marshal qualifies. Brenda takes the photographs and does the talking; Carol holds the funnel cake and has, per the archive, never appeared in a photograph, a fact neither sister has ever addressed. They also carry their late mother's Polaroid 'for the important ones.'
Equipment on file
- iPhone 6 (2014–2019)
- iPhone 15 (2023–present)
- Polaroid OneStep (1979–1998)
Known tendencies
- Only visit attractions when they are at their busiest and most decorated.
- Bunting, folding tables, and sandwich boards appear in most shots.
- A thumb or a purse strap at the frame edge, about one photo in five.
- Accidentally vertical at meaningful moments.
Dale Hutmacher
1996–2004Loomis Corner, Indiana
Retired postal carrier working through a laminated list of every county seat within a day's drive of his 1994 Coachmen Catalina RV. Dale travels in the off-season because the rates are better and, in his words, 'the attractions don't go anywhere.' His photographs arrive as drugstore prints with the location written on the back in pencil, sometimes incorrectly.
Equipment on file
- Kodak Advantix 3600ix (1997–2004)
- Kodak FunSaver disposable (1990–2005)
Known tendencies
- Shoots from the driver's seat, or from no more than ten feet from the RV.
- The Catalina's side mirror intrudes into roughly a third of his photographs.
- Always overcast, because Dale drives in March and November.
- Centers the attraction the way you'd center a mailbox: adequately.
Gary Sowers (roadtrip_gary_66)
2006–presentSapulpa-adjacent, Oklahoma
Semi-retired HVAC contractor systematically visiting everything described as 'World's Largest,' 'World's Only,' or 'World's Most' between service calls. Gary maintains a spiral notebook ranking all of them on a 10-point scale that has never gone below 7. The date stamp on his camera has been set incorrectly since 2011 and he considers it part of the record now.
Equipment on file
- Canon PowerShot A520 (2005–2011)
- Motorola RAZR V3 (2005–2009)
Known tendencies
- Arrives at the wrong time of day for the light and shoots anyway.
- Gets too close to plaques; the plaque is often the majority of the photo.
- Always one photo of the gift shop door, open or not.
- Date stamp on, and wrong.
Harold Kepp
1991–presentCurwood, Nebraska
Retired AM farm-report announcer (KVWL 1290, 'The Voice of the Tri-County Area,' 1968–1996). Harold narrated the station's tourism minute for eleven years and simply never stopped. He is the voice of nearly all official Slop Obscura visitor footage, which he records in a single take and mails in on labeled media. He has never once been visible in a frame and does not intend to start.
Equipment on file
- Sony Handycam Hi8 (1993–2003)
- iPhone 15 (2023–present)
Known tendencies
- Films for exactly as long as the narration takes, plus a respectful pause.
- Keeps the camera moving at the speed of a man reading a plaque.
- Refers to every municipality as 'the community.'
- The iPhone was a gift from his grandnephew; he operates it like a Hi8.
Kevin Dorsey
2019–presentChandler Bluffs, Arizona
Vice-president of the Chandler Bluffs West II homeowners association and operator of a consumer drone he describes as 'in the final stages of registration.' Kevin provides Slop Obscura's only aerial documentation, all of it from slightly too high, because Kevin is cautious about trees, power lines, birds, and ground effect, a term he uses often and incorrectly.
Equipment on file
- DJI consumer quadcopter (2018–present)
- iPhone 15 (2023–present)
Known tendencies
- Every shot is 30 feet higher than it needs to be.
- Will not fly within a conservative radius of any tree.
- Announces altitude and wind conditions aloud during filming.
- The iPhone photos are taken straight up at the drone, for the log.
M. Pruitt
1981–presentUndisclosed, tri-county area
Infrastructure enthusiast and the tri-county area's most prolific reviewer of municipal vending machines. Pruitt owns excellent equipment and has no sense of subject: the archive contains museum-grade photographs of drainage grates, secondary signage, load-bearing bollards, and the backs of attractions. Pruitt's cover letter is always one sentence: 'Enclosed find documentation.'
Equipment on file
- Nikon D80 (2006–2015)
- Kodak Pocket Instamatic 110 (1972–1988)
Known tendencies
- Photographs the attraction's least significant component, beautifully.
- Always one exposure of the utility access, meter, or drainage.
- Tripod-level steadiness; perfect exposure; baffling subject selection.
- The 110 prints are from an earlier, equally rigorous era.
Submissions are accepted by mail. Media is not returned. Attribution is final.