Archive for abandoned – Page 3

Finding Beauty In a House of Entropy

Empty House 1 - 1
Entropy…  The beauty of falling apart.

Sometimes photographers take risks in pursuit of their passion. I sometimes take risks that are beyond the threshold of most other photographers and people I know. On a tip to visit Centralia, Pennsylvania, I came across this nearby house located in Ashland. According to a handful of local people I talked to (who wish to remain anonymous), Centralia is known to be a somewhat hazardous place ridden with sinkholes and toxic gases. While I will likely refrain from visiting the place, lots of other people continue to post photos.

Like Centralia, Ashland is a town, whose economy is supported primarilly upon coal mining. The trouble with having an economy based upon a non-renewable resource is that once the resource is exhaused, the economy falls apart and the towns people are forced to leave with what few posessions they can afford to take with them. The photographs presented here are taken of a house that met the fate of an unstable economy, but you can find more photos of Ashland here. Read More→

How To Photograph A Dead Car

There are certain things that attract people to grunge photography; they are mainly abandoned places, forgotten objects, and of course, dead cars. In this post, I’ll show you how to properly photograph a dead car, or at the very least, the methods I use to photograph one.

If you are looking for inspiration, there is a fantastic group on Flickr dedicated to dead vehicles appropriately called Found on Roadside Dead.

Dead Car (1 of 6)
I came across this old abandoned car while visiting a close friend. Although this car is currently sitting on private property, with buildings nearby, the angle of this shot gives the illusion that the car is in the middle of absolutely nowhere. The negative open space gives the feeling of isolation. Read More→

Exploring A Ghost Train

Two Train Cars

Along US Route 209 in Hurley, New York, sits a series of railroad coaches and freight cars. These were the same cars that used to travel the Ulster and Delaware Railroad throughout the Catskills during the early tourism days.

Railroad To Hell
This section of track shows the effect years of disrepair and neglect can have on a railroad line.  The good news is that the rail cars will likely not be going anywhere anytime soon. Read More→

What Abandoned Places Can Teach You About Photography

Taking photos of abandoned places can teach you an enormous number of specialized skills that are generally not taught in a traditional classroom setting. This article will highlight the most important skills you can achieve simply by photographing abandoned places and buildings, which can help enhance the quality of other types of photography.

I must again emphasize that safety and legality are foremost, and neither should be overlooked simply for photographic pursuits. More about legal and safety considerations can be found in this post.

Framing

Abandoned Industrial Mine (8)

If you think that framing is something that happens when a photo is hung on a wall, you are mistaken. When a photographer takes a picture, special consideration must be given to how that picture will be viewed even if it were held in someones hand, for example. This above shot was taken with the chain link fence out of focus with the doors and windows in perfect focus. The fence wire gives the feeling of abandonment and desolation. Read More→

The Exploration of Letchworth Village

…. As the law provides that we are to care for epileptic and feeble-minded persons, and as the training for both is along similar lines, it has been thought advisable to classify both feeble-minded and epileptics into groups, separating them only with distinct and suitable buildings ….. Excerpt from the Year 1912 by Charles S. Little – Superintendent of Letchworth Village

In September of 2009, I decided to explore Letchworth Village, an abandoned facility that housed the mentally ill, developmentally disabled, and those with conditions that at the time were felt to be a detriment to society.  Letchworth Village is located near Thiells, New York, and was opened in 1911 and closed in 1996.  It has been abandoned ever since, and while a small handful of the buildings are being used for other purposes, the vast majority of them have been slated for demolition.

I should probably mention that it is NOT recommended that you visit as doing so exposes you to peeling lead paint, asbestos, and, according to rumor and urban legend, diseases that have been not been seen in decades, having eradicated through the wonders of modern medicine.  Despite these risks, and strange stories that go along with just about any other asylum, I decided to go ahead and explore one of the many buildings still standing on this site.

Top Floor Hallway

This photo was taken on the top floor of one the building I explored. The red biohazard bag in the middle was just one of many that were scattered everywhere.

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Finding Amazing Photos in The Strangest of Places

Sometimes as photographers, we can find amazing photo opportunities in the strangest of places.  Aside from my regular work, on occasion I might stumble upon a place that could use a closer look.  My curiosity has brought me to places that the ordinary sensible person might never go.  These places include abandoned industrial sites, hospitals, railroad stations and cars, and on very rare occasion, abandoned residential complexes.

Destroyed Box The Life They Let Slip Away Abandoned Farmhouse, Burned (10) Dead Crane Truck (2) Old Phone ESP (17) Deserted Garage

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