Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Beautifully Abandoned




I love the image above. For it's simple lines that suddenly collide with the wild ones provided by nature. For the contrasting light. For the texture that the aging and neglected silver wood displays. For how I regret that I couldn't see the interior, left to wonder what these abandoned walls contain. If they contain anything.
This image is from my back roads trek I made earlier this month, in search of old forgotten cemeteries... but I found myself once again drawn to images of other lifeless subjects from that same day. Just thought I'd share it with you.
I've abandoned the notion for now of even posting the actual shots I got of so many interesting country cemeteries... the subject matter I'm relishing at the moment seems to have a much stronger connection with me. I can't put my finger to it exactly, but I just recall how excited I was shooting the old abandoned house, and the forgotten and charred remains of the junkyard I shall post next.
I think part of it is that for artists, there has always been an ability to see beauty in the broken. To enhance the last mysterious moments of what has been... and the certainty that all good things end sometime.
I guess I could say I abandoned my journey, to capture the beauty in the"now".

Thanks for letting me ramble on, have a good one!

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Back From The Grave


"Goodbye Goodyear"
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The image above was the result of a 7 hour photo trek of area cemeteries. Sorry, you probably just did a double take and I don't blame you in the least. But it's true. Myself and another wonderful photoger friend of mine were intent on exploring hidden back roads in search of ancient cemeteries in the middle of fields and hidden in pine tree topped knolls ... and we DID explore about 5 or six we never knew existed, full of old stones dating back to the 18oo's. In Southern Ontario, you can drive in almost any direction from a major city center for about twenty minutes and suddenly you're in the country!
What in the world does all of this have to do with the resulting image above?
Have you ever gone in search of something, and instead come back with an unexpected find that makes your day? In our search for forgotten graves, full of history, and a touch of mystery (of which I will post images in future blogs) my friend and I came across another kind of "decay". Tucked behind grassy inclines, or parked in the corner of fields close to the road looking as if they had limped over on their own to collapse one final time... were cars, trucks and old parts that on this day probably excited me far more than my photo partner, who graciously pulled over for every find and patiently explored the rusty ghosts with me on our way to our next grave discovery.
This shot was taken almost mid day, with my telephoto lens at 1/500 sec.@ F4, ISO 100. I didn't mind the harsh direct light (nary a cloud to be seen) for such a rusty, gritty subject as it seemed to suit and enhance the dismal condition of the old van parked in the dirt. And it was the first in a series of shots I couldn't wait to get home to review... and can't wait to post for your future viewing pleasure.
A special shout out and thanks to my photo buddy Kat for our fun adventures yesterday, you rock. Link to Kat's gallery to come...
Leave comments by clicking the comment option below this post :-)
Thanks for letting me ramble, have yourself a good one folks!