urban decay

Case 220

in ,

I will forever love the combination of orange and blue. I saw this old Case tractor this weekend and just really liked it’s shape and colors. A little web research told me that this Case tractor is actually an old one-cylinder, 10 horse power lawn tractor, produced by Case in their Winneconne, Wisconsin Plant between 1968 and 1988.

HDR urban decay

in ,

One thing I like about HDR photography is that it makes the impossible, possible. It allows your eye to see what you ordinarily wouldn’t be able to see. When you shoot HDR, you use a series of images to reveal details in the shadows and highlights which you just wouldn’t see in a single exposure. Adobe Lightroom makes it easy to stack and merge these images, resulting in images like mine below.

Linfield Industrial Park

in ,

Currently under demolition.

The office

in ,

Glad I had my asbestos mask and tripod with me for these images. The first image looking out the window, is an HDR (High Dynamic Range) image compiled of five layered exposures. To do this, the scene is first properly exposed and captured. Next, the same scene is captured four more times, under and over exposing from -2 to +2 stops. Lastly, the images are stacked, aligned with each other, and processed. By using this technique I’m able to overexpose the scene to capture details in the shadows that the eye isn’t able detect, as well as underexpose the scene for those details in the highlights that are normally blown out (Tree branches against the sky). When the stacked files are carefully edited, the HDR image produced can have quite a surreal look.

HDR image.

30 seconds, at f/16, ISO 50, 14mm, Sony A7R IV

3.2 sec at f/9, ISO 50, 14mm, Sony A7R IV

Abandoned Camper

in ,

I’ve been driving past this abandoned camper for months. Every time, I say to myself: Self, you should stop and make some images of that. But I never do. However, the other evening, as I was crossing the Burlington-Bristol Bridge entering into New Jersey, I had my friend Mr. Camper in mind and finally pulled over to take a few shots.

1/640 sec at f/5.0, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2

1/500 sec at f/5.6, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2

Morning gloom

in , ,

Determined to get out early with the camera, I had the Subi packed last night and was rolling towards Glendale, PA by 8:15, this dreary morning. I’ve been looking forward to this weekend for quite a while and wasn’t going to let some crumby weather stop me from getting out there and creating some images. I thought I’d try to use this morning gloominess to my advantage to amp up the drama in some of my shots. Following this thought, Sleighton Farm School came to mind. Sleighton Farm School is an abandoned reformatory school for delinquent children in Pennsylvania. Click here for the complete history on this dilapidated campus.

…Poor Mr.Groundhog.

1/160 sec at f/4.5, ISO 100, 16mm, Sony A7R IV

1/100 sec at f/6.3, ISO 100, 21mm, Sony A7R IV

Photo mash

in , ,

Thought I would post up a few images taken over the last couple of weeks. Typically, when I go out shooting, I try to post only my best one or two images from the day. Sometimes it’s hard to decide which images to post. These ones didn’t make the cut originally, but still have some redeeming qualities, so I thought I’d share them. Let’s call them a photo mash.

Sleighton Farm School

in ,

1/80 sec at f/4.0, ISO 100, 19mm, Sony A7C

The image below was fun to create. It reminds me of one of my all-time favorite photos I’ve ever taken waaaaay back in the day; 2006 or so (Check it out). Still, I had a hard time framing these hanging switches. One of the biggest challenges is in photography is composing your shot in an interesting way. I wanted the switches to be the subject and wanted separation between them and the background, so I stopped down to f/1.7 However, I left a bit unsatisfied with the way I framed this shot.

1/50 sec at f/1.7, ISO 200, 28mm, Leica Q2

Try again

in ,

I’d taken a photo of this chair the other day on a walk around my neighborhood, but was lazy, and accidentally missed focus. Tonight I stopped back, fearing that I’d lost the light for the day. To my delight, the streetlights lit this scene perfectly for a hand held exposure and composition I am happy with.

Sometimes you just have to go back and try again.

1/50 sec at f/1.7, ISO 2000, 28mm, Leica Q2

Neighborhood Walk

in ,

Despite the rain, I was able to get out for after work, with my camera today, and make a few images from scenes around my neighborhood. Rainy days can provide creative opportunities in the form of reflections.

1/200 sec at f/4.0, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2

1/100 sec at f/3.5, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2

1/100 sec at f/3.5, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2

1/400 sec at f/4.5, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2

1/80 sec at f/3.2, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2