This evening I was heading back to the studio after shooting when I noticed how beautiful the light looked over the city. The sun was nearly set as I was passing a location I made a photograph at nearly 12 years ago. Some of you may remember seeing this photograph.
I made this when I was in high school. It was photographed using film and scanned and printed digitally. Last January, 2009, was the first time since I had made this/these images that I had ever touched them, let alone scan them.
Like I said, I was heading to the studio to do some work when I saw this. The sky was pretty amazing and I thought it would be a great contrast to the film based image above. I pulled over, grabbed my tripod and camera and proceeded to walk to where the old foot bridge used to be. While I was making a few photographs, the youthful sound of children echoed through the neighborhood. I looked down and happened to notice a crack pipe. Children playing and crack pipes, while I made photographs of the setting sun. Even in the most beautiful of moments, the opposite of beautiful can be seen. The spent utensil of drug waste lay beside me as I continue to make photographs of the sun as it was disappearing behind the mountain.
Prior to this, I made the following photographs. I must say though, my focus is not abandoned buildings. I happened into these places in search of a few things. There exists in such places an aesthetic that can not always be seen. This beauty can be misconstrued as an interested in abandoned buildings. I am more concerned with how these buildings lay in wait for human occupancy to come and breath new life to them. As these buildings and spaces have the potential to be utilized in a post industrialist era.
Nice shots all the way through, Jeff - I recognize all of the locations you posted, I think...! I agree with you 100% that nearly all of the places we see like this have HUGE potential to become revitalized. The costs are high but vision has a whole lot to do with it, too. Holyoke has found new lives for many of it's incredible antique mills and factories, and I hope that many more will find the same fate! Very cool post here!
ReplyDeleteBob, thank you. We share a common interest besides photography, and that is the desire to see the once beautiful mills be fashioned into a new era of life. Holyoke does have potential 100%. During my walk through the places we both know, there was change in terms of landscaping that was not prevalent when were last there. I was shocked to see the change, because I had heard some rumors circulating the mean streets of Holyoke. Seeing what I saw today validated what I heard. Hopefully it will happen.
ReplyDeleteGlad you like the photographs. I had a feeling you would!