Something Different

During my recent trip to St. Albans my friend Denise Silva was working on some self-portraits.  Considering this was  a former asylum, I was striving for a look that might fit a former resident in distress.  

Something Simple

A few weeks ago I visited St. Albans in Radford, Virginia.  The former school and asylum is now undergoing some modest redevelopment, but is still open for ghost tours and occasional photo tours.  Much of the facility I found lacking because there was just not enough decay.  But this is a personal bias and I suspect others might find this a fantastic location.  One high point was when I visited the basement and found this small cell,  I felt like I hit the jackpot.  The texture of the peeling paint is some of the best I have ever seen.   

The Classic Shot

          

      

I think most of us have seen this shot before.   Not my version mind you, but shots taken by others.  It is a classic, as far as DC monuments are concerned.   Sometimes I struggle with shots like this, because if everyone else has done it why do I want to?  Is it just to replicate someone else’s work, or is there some way I can make it mine?   I have not answered this question in my own mind yet, and I’m not sure that I ever will.  But I think the question is worth pondering. 

Barren and Blue

               

Winter is turning out to be a slow and non-productive time for me this year.  So I’m digging into the archives to post another shot from the Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum.     

Pennhurst

      

Two weeks ago I made my 2^nd recent trip to Pennhurst Asylum.   While the campus is huge, most of the buildings are off limits due to asbestos or other hazards.  Currently the site is used as a mulch facility, haunted house and paranormal tours.  Only recently has the owner been open to photography tours.  The scene above is the raised sidewalks that connect most of the buildings.  Under the sidewalks are tunnels, but we did not have access to them this time.  

It's how I feel

After I finished editing and processing this picture I realized how my emotions influence my work.   Suffice it to say that today I was not in one of my better moods.   Thus I think I ended up with a picture that perhaps conveys a sense of my mood.    Some will just see an old car, but I think others might sense just a bit more.  

Every Picture Tells a Story

       

A couple of years ago I was shooting at Lorton Prison with Corey Hilz and a couple other friends and just before our time was up, Corey found this picture of an American flag inside one of the maximum security cells.   On my next trip to Lorton I made sure to find this cell.  On the inside of some of the cells you find a variety of drawings, posters and such that perhaps provide a little insight into the former residents.  Finding an American flag in a place like this is a favorite of mine. 

A few years ago access to Lorton was limited to a select few, not because of any arrangement, because it takes time to navigate the necessary channels.  Well now the secret is out an a number of photo clubs and groups have been shooting this place for the last year.  So last fall I was looking for this cell to work on this shot once more.  I was certain I was in the right area, but this cell eluded me.  Then I found that someone had shut the locker door so the flag was not exposed.  I’ll never know for sure, but I suspect it was another photographer that thought they had found something unique and by closing the door would deprive others of getting the shot.