Suburban Decay

Lately, I've missed a lot of opportunities for what's known among photographers as golden photography.  I'm not talking about bling.  I'm talking about shooting during those golden hours that occur twice each day.  When the sun is low on the horizon, and the sky is full of reds and oranges the rising/setting sun pelts the sides of buildings, trees and everything in it's path with a beautiful, surreal, golden light.  The term, golden hour is misleading because it really only lasts for a few minutes, but if you're lucky enough to catch it, it's a wonderful experience.  Experiencing it always makes me feel good.  Experiencing it with a camera in my hands, in an interesting environment, is just the best.

Well, I did not make it out of the house early enough to catch it this morning, but IT got me out of bed and motivated me to go out and shoot.   I've been trying to push myself to shoot more often because I've fallen into a photographic rut lately.  I just don't have the motivation to get out there and be creative like I used to.  The golden hour, enjoyed from my kitchen window while brewing a cup of coffee, motivated me to grab my camera bag and get out there.  I hopped in the Tacoma and drove over to the old fence post yard on Route 140.  There is not a lot inside of these old structures.  A lot of the brush around them has been cleared and it looks as if someone is preparing to demolish them.  I did, however, encounter an owl living in the rafters and found an old Coke bottle among the ruins.  None of these photos are amazing, but it was good to get out there and enjoy myself on a sunny, cold morning.

Farm house revisited

Nature using synthesized nature as a habitatual asset?

As I mentioned yesterday, I am working nights this week. Yesterday I got a little stir crazy and decided to grab my camera and head over to the old farmhouse I had walked through, back in July of last summer. I didn't stay long but I was challenged with a particular scene for quite a while. On the second story of this house, at the staircase landing, is a window that illuminates the 2nd story hallway. Its window pane has been broken out, but the curtain still hangs neatly, with no idea that its intended job is no longer needed. Quietly; mute, it sails with each intruding breeze and mimes congenially, in eerie oblivion. I like how the stationary red curtain top contrasts boldly against the dingy interior of the house. This scene just begs to be photographed but I grew frustrated trying to best capture it. If you were to shoot this window, straight on, the extreme difference in exposure (bright outside & dark inside) would produce what I call an "exorcist style" image where the window is completely overexposed and white, and the interior would be underexposed and dark. The technical way around this issue is to create an HDR image (a combination of multiple exposures taken at extreme EV stops). Not a huge one for HDR, I opted not to shoot it head on. I played around with different wide angle perspectives up close, from the floor and from the ceiling, as well as some long shots of the window, set up at the other end of the hallway. I walked away feeling like there was something I was missing; not in terms of the exposure, but in the composition. I'll just have to go back and give it another shot sometime!

Picture of the day

I took this photo last weekend while camping in Hartsville, NY. I cannot remember what this piece of machinery is called, though I really liked it's texture and menacingly prominent appearance in the foreground, while an empty and innocent swing set stands in the background.  The theme song from Jaws ran through my mind while I framed this shot.

Suburban decay: Farm house

I had an itch to get out with the camera again this weekend so I grabbed my gear, hopped in the jeep, and just started driving. Ten minutes later I passed an old farm house left unmaintained and nearly hidden entirely by overgrown grass, shrubs and trees. I drove in as far as I could on what was once a paved driveway, but is now completely covered by tall grass and small trees. I spent a couple hours crouching behind my tripod shooting interesting scenes in rooms on all three floors. A lot of the plaster has fallen from the ceilings and random pieces of broken furniture are strewn about the interior. Floors sagged and creaked underfoot and wallpaper flapped in the breeze blowing through the old house through the numerous broken windows. Perhaps the creepiest scene throughout the house were the raccoon tracks which went everywhere; even inside a toilet bowl. The images below were shot with my Nikon D700.