urban decay

Cuautitlan, Mexico

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A recent business trip took me to Cuautitlan, Mexico, where I spent a free Saturday walking around with my Leica Q2, capturing whatever I found interesting. I’m finding that a my eye is starting to gravitate towards minimalist scenes and negative space.

1/800 Sec at f/5.6, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2

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

1/500 sec at f/5.0, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2

1/320 sec at f/4.5, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2

1/500 sec at f/5.0, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2

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

South Otselic Fish Hatchery

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Driving home from upstate NY, I stopped by this old NY DEC Fish Hatchery to catch some frogs with my son. Onsite, there is an old building that I’ve driven past since my teenage years, and have always wanted to photograph. Built in 1932, it’s old weathered paint and classic framing is attractive to me. The hatchery itself originally raised bass but was home to trout and walleye over the years as well.

1/4000 sec at f/4.0, ISO 500, 24mm, Sony A7C II

1/1250 sec at f/6.3, ISO 500, 35mm, Sony A7C II

County Road 217

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Passing through Port Crane, NY, on my way home from the Adirondacks, this set of attractive buildings had me pulling over to make this photo. What first caught my attention was the set of windows on the front face of the blue building. The weathered tones on it’s side further drew me in and the complimentary colors of its red accents and neighboring building sealed the deal on this scene as a must make photo.

1/1000 sec at f/4.8, ISO 200, 40mm, Leica MP

Falls Bridge

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Driving back from Lindenwold, NJ today, I passed the Falls Bridge and had to stop to enjoy it. A sucker for bridges, I spent some time admiring it’s construction and played Frogger while making these images. Again; orange and blue coupled with decay is always a recipe for interest to me. Reading up on this bridge I learned that it was built utilizing the Pratt Truss design. 

1/2000 sec, at f/4.0, ISO 200, 40mm, Leica MP

1/2000 sec at f/4.0, ISO 200, 40mm, Leica MP

Sabreliner

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I enjoyed making these images for a few reasons. Firstly I’m an airplane nut. I’ve always loved planes. Secondly, the plane’s deteriorated condition also appeals to me. I enjoy the esthetic of decay/patina on objects. Wear, use, and neglect make items and scenes more interesting to me. Lastly, orange and blue is one of my favorite color combinations. All of these facets combine to make this T-39 Sabreliner so cool looking.

1/1000 sec at f/2.4, ISO 200, 40mm, Leica MP

1/180 sec at f/4.8, ISO 200, 40mm, Leica MP

1/160 at F/4.0, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2

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

DC-3

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Driving past the Champlain Valley Educational Services Aeronautical Institute, in Plattsburgh, NY, I noticed an old DC-3 basking in the evening sun. It has always been dream of mine to photograph a true airplane graveyard out west. This is the closest I’ve come to doing so. As a licensed aircraft mechanic I’ve always had a fond interest in aviation and just had to pull in and make a few images.

1/125 sec at f/8.0, ISO 200, 35mm, Leica MP

1/250 sec at f/3.4, ISO 200, 35mm, Leica MP

1/750 sec at f/2.4, ISO 200, 35mm, Leica MP

1/1000 sec at f/2.8, ISO 200, 35mm, Leica MP

Into blue hour

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Took a walk around my neighborhood this evening as the sun set. Wish I had passed by this scene about 20 minutes earlier to catch it covered in that wonderful golden light. I’ve made images of this car before, but I like tonight’s results better.

Golden Hour

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Driving home from the grocery store this evening, I was glad as ever to have my camera with me. Which made me realize that I’ve learned a couple of valuable lessons over the years.

One is that taking my camera with me everywhere I go has given me huge rewards. It’s not that I get “banger” photos every time I use it- because that is definitely not the case. It’s more that I am so happy that I get to use it when I want to. I sometimes have a hard time enjoying a scene when I don’t have my camera with me to capture it. Not always. But sometimes. Like I learned in the Boy Scouts: Be prepared.

The other is that if I want to make great photos, I need to seek the light. Not the subject. So many times I’ve gone to a known subject (truck, building, scene etc) but the light was not cooperating and I left frustrated. Instead, I’m now realizing that I need to go where the light is. Only then, are the possibilities of making a photo available. No duh right?

Leica MP

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Using the last 30 minutes of light, this evening, I was able to get out and test my new Leica MP(240). I am absolutely loving it. Below are just some test images I took, of interesting patterns, while figuring out the best settings and how to manually focus for proper exposure. These are a little dark. Though the evening light was quickly fading. These were shot using a TTArtisan 21mm, f/1.5 lens.

1/1500 sec at f/3.4, ISO 1000, 21mm, Leica M240P

1/1500 sec at f/3.4, ISO 1000, 21mm, Leica M240P

1/500 sec at f/4.0, ISO 1000, 21mm, Leica M240P

Imp

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I stopped to make some photos of this snowcat just outside of Lake Placid, near the summit of Whiteface Mountain. I just love the vibe of this old machine. It’s an Imp. What a weird word. I had to look it up. The formal dictionary definition is: a little devil or demon; an evil spirit. a mischievous child. This little hellion was Manufactured by the Thiokol Ski-Lift and Snowcat division of Thiokol Chemical Corp in Logan, Utah. That panel light technology, down below, makes me smile. So simple.

1/500 sec at f/5.0, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2

1/500 sec at f/1.8, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2

1/500 sec at f/5.6, ISO 5000, 28mm, Leica Q2

1/500 sec at f/1.7, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2

1/320 sec at f/9.0, ISO 6400, 28mm, Leica Q2

1/400 sec at f/5.6, ISO 6400, 28mm, Leica Q2

Hamburg, PA

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1/640 sec at f/5.6, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2

1/1250 sec at f/4.0, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2

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

1/500 sec at f/2.8, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2

1/640 sec at f/5.6, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2

1/800 sec at f/5.6, ISO 100, 28mm, Leica Q2

New Life

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The more I look at this scene, the more I realize why it holds my attention. It’s the combination of my two favorite subjects: Urban Decay and Nature photography. I’m also happy with the composition. Allowing just enough depth of field to make obvious the foreground subject (shrooms) without loosing so much contextual detail in the background.

It’s beautiful to me, to see this new life; these mushrooms, growing amongst the discarded & forgotten in this decaying pile of rubble. Natural beauty. Happening.

1/60 sec at f/2.0, ISO 50, 28mm Leica Q2