Pavement Ends, West Begins, Lamy, New Mexico, 2025
This roadside sign is a powerful expression of the adventurous spirit of the American West. For Cody Brothers, the sign has become a personal manifesto, symbolizing the transition from civilization to wilderness, from asphalt to dirt, and the prospect of what lies beyond the road’s end.
Located near the historic Lamy train station outside Santa Fe, the sign stands as a gateway. Brothers said he has returned to it countless times, experimenting with angles and light. This recent image was finally definitive. The exposure lasted 30 minutes, long enough for a fleeting detail, a disappearing car, and its driver, to become part of the story. Cropped and printed large-scale, this photograph now serves as an opening statement: an invitation to step into the West, where the pavement ends and your journey begins.
4 x 5” Large Format Pinhole Infrared Analog Capture, scanned and printed on Epson Exhibition Fiber Paper, Collection of the Artist
American Film
Pavement Ends West Begins
