HDR

Chicago Sunset

This photo of a lakefront view of downtown Chicago was taken during my rust belt tour earlier this year. Although most of the trip was focused on finding the beauty in the decayed and neglected industries, we would take moments like this one to see the beauty in the modern city as well. This is a high dynamic range (HDR) shot using three bracketed shots combined into one image.

Easy does it

Copyright Jeff All

Sometimes when my brother Joshua and I were exploring these abandoned buildings, we put our self in some dangerous situations. This complex was easy enough to access but it was filled with deep pits in very dark rooms. One of these pits actually had the skeleton of what appeared to be a dog. We theorized that the dog fell in the pit and couldn’t get out. Joshua even saw scratch marks on the sides of the pit where the dog had tried hard to escape.

This photo was taken at the Chicago Steel and Wire Company building in South Chicago. I love water towers so I wasn’t going to miss the chance to shoot this one up close and personal. I climbed on to the roof to get a better vantage point. I realized the roof was pretty soft so I walked carefully to get my shot. The shot took about 5 minutes to get the different exposures I wanted and once I had the shot, I stood up and started walking back to the edge of the roof. I had momentarily forgotten how soft the roof was and my foot broke right through the roof. As I began to fall, my first instinct was to protect the camera. I turned my body and my shoulder hit the roof. Luckily, my body didn’t break a larger hole in the roof sending me two floors down into who knows what.  My heart was racing, my leg scratched up and a deep sense of relief that I didn’t fall to certain  injury or death. I carefully eased my leg out of the hole I had created and made my way to the edge of the roof and down the ladder. I found Joshua and we had a good laugh over it. We agreed to stick together from that point on.

To say the least, I think this image will always serve as a reminder to be more careful!

Santa Fe Grain Elevator Complex #1

copyright Jeff Ball

This building is part of the Santa Fe Grain Elevator Complex in Chicago, IL near Interstate 55 and Damen Rd. It was build in 1906 and then rebuild in the 30’s after a grain elevator explosion. There are several buildings including a power plant, a drying building, a rail car repair shop and several large grain silos measuring 40′ wide by 100′ tall.  At one time, this complex could process and store 1,700,00 bushels of grain.

The whole complex is now abandoned and is the substrate for graffiti artists, sleeping quarters for a few homeless and the muse of urban explorers and photographers. When I was on the site, I could just sense the productivity that it once had. It is also flanked by a small waterway and frames the downtown skyline of Chicago.

This image is of the only one story structure on the complex that still stands.  The eerie feel of this image is exactly what the space felt like. It was very calm with the only sounds being the dull roar of a nearby highway  and the creaking of  metal hanging from the roof as they blew in the wind.  Despite the beauty of the sunset, I couldn’t help but feel disturbed by the piles of debris and wet insulation that littered the space.

Reclaim

Copyright Jeff Ball 2010

As my brother, Joshua and I explored forgotten buildings throughout the rust belt, we noticed a relationship between the man made structures and nature. As the wind, rain and sun work on breaking down many of these old buildings, plant life begins to invade. Often the plants will grow on the roof tops or inside the building where the roof has failed. The roots can crack foundations and shift walls creating even more opportunities for mother nature to do her work.

This image was taken at sunset on our first day in Chicago. We spent much of the day searching for imagery with little luck. Our determination and faith that we would find something lead us to this complex of buildings and silos just off Highway 55.  I was able to capture this image using 3 bracketed shots and a fisheye lens borrowed from Joshua.

Pressure

Copyright Jeff Ball 2010

I’ve always had a fascination with water towers. I’m not sure what it is about them but since I was a kid I’ve been attracted to them. During my trip to the rust belt, I took the opportunity to shoot a lot of water towers. Many of which I’m sure I will post on the site.

The potential energy of these towers is very interesting. Huge amounts of water stored in a tank on top of a building could have devistating effects. At the same time they represent an early technology that provided access to water and water pressure for buildings and whole communities.

This shot was taken in Toledo, Oh at sunset.  The building is located right downtown along the Maumee river and serves as a reminder of simpler days.

Desicration

copyright Jeff Ball 2010

As my brother Joshhua (www.ballmultimedia.com) and I were looking for building to photograph in Toledo, Ohio, we came across this church.  As I looked over the desicration of this place of worship I thought about what had happened here.

Who got married at this alter, now painted with inverted pentagrams? Who sang in these aisles  or attended Sunday school in the basement littered with beer bottles and fallen plaster? How did this church fail? Did the congregation move from the neighborhood? Maybe they just couldn’t pay the bills to maintain the space. Whatever the reason, the results are a sad sight.

I don’t consider myself a religious person, but I can’t help but feel that beautiful spaces that once meant so much to so many should be preserved. I hope that this church one day finds a new use to hold on to it’s history and not end up another empty lot in a struggling rust belt city.