Pristine Decay

In theory, the words pristine and decay should contradict one another.  Yet, on this occasion I found myself within a church that while undergoing obvious signs of decay still have a rather pristine quality about it.  It hasn't yet been exposed to a large amount of activity from scrappers, vandals, or even graffiti artists. Standing within this church, the term seemed a perfect fit.

Starving

Buffalo, NY was the world's largest grain port from the mid 1800s to the mid 1900s.  As such, the waterways in and around Buffalo were home to a large number of grain elevators, a key component in grain receival, storage, and logistics.  Today, many of these grain elevators are decaying shells, mere reminders of their former glory.

Breakout

I know, it's stereotypical, but... what is it that one must shoot while exploring an abandoned prison?  Jail cells, of course.

Penthouse Suite

This open concept suite features a spacious living and dining area, 2 bedrooms, a private walk out patio. It is located in the heart of Detroit, within walking distance of many amenities. This great space is just one coat of paint away from being ready to move into!

If you aren't familiar with my snarky sense of humour... the above is a bit of fiction that I thought was very fitting to this space on one of the upper floors at Metropolitan Hotel.

Exit Through The Gift Shop

A Fresh Light

Those involved in urban exploration have learned to appreciate that this activity takes us to a huge variety of places; factories, hospitals, schools, theatres, churches, etc. As a result of the original purposes of these places, they tend to have very different characteristics, especially once abandoned.

This was clearly illustrated on a recent trip to a decommissioned correctional facility I explored. Since this was the first time I've ever explored a penitentiary some of these characteristics jumped out at me; beds, kitchens, cells, etc.

While I'm passionate about exploration in general, it's very refreshing to visit places that are so different from others I've been to.

Detroit Lookout

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of spending a weekend exploring and shooting in Detroit with Neil Ta, Bart Synowiec, Ed Serecky, Detroit Liger and others. One of the locations we'd visited was the Lee Plaza. Neil has captured the plight of this location in a recent post so I won't rehash it here. Since it was my first time there, it was interesting to juxtapose what I was hearing about what the Lee Plaza was like in the past versus what it is like today.

Broken Stairwell

Calm Reflections

There is something to be said for a quiet and calm abandonement. No street noise, no sound of scrappers at work. Quiet enough that you hear the occasional drop of water falling into a puddle.

So often you have to momentarily forget about photography to really experience and feel your surroundings. Yet, sometimes that moment occurs while doing something as simple as setting up the shot. Despite the frantic pace at which we were shooting here (only had about an hour) that feeling of quiet, calm, and immersion in the surroundings came upon me while setting up.

Doorways