This morning I got up nice and early to start shooting here in Detroit. It was very chilly and I came across this fire escape covered in ice. I loved the texture and feel if the scene but the images I was taking just didn’t do much for me. Then I got out the fisheye lens and I suddenly loved the image. I hope you like it too!
This could be a dangerous way out of a burning building. Luckily, the building was already burned out so there was no danger.
Denver is filled with little treasures like this. This cemetery is in a very industrial part of town. There are so many symbols of death in this photograph, I couldn’t resist shooting it. From the tombstones to the barren trees to the still factory in the background, death prevails.
Yesterday my brother and I shot our first day in Detroit. Although I knew that times were bad in Detroit, I really had no idea how bad it really was. We found our selves saying “Oh my God” over and over. It looks like a war zone in so many places. There isn’t going to be any shortage of failed business, buildings and family homes to shoot.
This shot shows an industrial building with my brother, Joshua on the right hand side of the image. We’ll be returning to Detroit later this week and weekend to look for more imagery. Although it’s very sad to see so much failure, I look forward to taking the photos.
The Anthony Wayne Bridge, a 3,215-foot suspension bridge crossing the Maumee River, has been a staple of Toledo’s skyline for more than 70 years. It is locally known as the “High-Level Bridge.” This bridge is an iconic image in Toledo.
This shot was taken today at sunset with my brother Joshua. We’ve been shooting together all weekend and plan to do the same next weekend.
Buildings like this are scattered throughout the Toledo, Oh area. Once a great industrial city filled with manufacturers of glass, autos, bearings and other objects is now filled with abandoned shells slowly decaying. In other parts of the country, buildings like this one are coveted as urban Loft projects, but in Toledo they are just a reminder of better times.
I passed this scene the other day in Denver and I was drawn to the juxtaposition of the religious and industrial icons. Both have been worshiped at different times of history by different groups of people. As I start to shoot the fall of our once great industrial sector, I will continue to look for these type of symbolic images.
Today I was out on the hunt for images in preparation for my trip to the rust belt. I was looking for industrial scenes that might make good HDR (high dynamic range) images. I passed this scene earlier in the day but the light just wasn’t right. I waited here for about an hour and a half to get this shot.
This photo was part of a series of photographs I did based on Colfax Ave. in Denver. Colfax is known for it’s neon, motels and used car lots. The Driftwood Motel is located close to the border of Denver and Aurora.
The other day I was heading to Costco for some of the usual staples and I noticed this sunset from the parking lot. I try to make it a habit to always have my camera with me, and on that day, I did. I took about 6 captures and this was my favorite.
I used to miss shots like these because I thought the fence destroyed the scene. I realize now that the fence doesn’t ruin anything. This view is one that so many people see everyday but don’t even really notice. I’ve come to embrace the lines of the city. Telephone poles, wires and street signs are all a part of our every day experience. It should also be in our art.
