A Night Under the Stars

A few weeks ago I went camping with some members of my camera club. One of the main purposes was to do night photography. At first that looked doubtful, late evening the skies turned cloudy, but soon after dark we started seeing stars in the sky. We jumped in our vehicles and drove up the mountain to a spot that we had scouted a few months ago. The shot above was the one that I had planned to do, but things do not always go according to the plan. The clear sky only lasted a little over an hour. I usually like to shoot at least 2 hours worth of stars, providing me with nice long trails, but the clouds were a slight disappointment. The other issue that I did not expect was the effect that fire flies would have on my shot. The compiled images had a number of bright yellow orbs. I just had to laugh but also had to reduce the number of shots that I used to make the final image.

The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum Rocks!!!

I would have to say without a doubt that shooting at the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum was the best day of photography I have had this year. Spending so much time there and getting to know some of the staff was great. These folks are trying to save a national treasure. If you have any interest in this type of photography you must make time for visiting Weston, WV. Be sure and check their website because these tours are only offered a couple of times a year.


Click here for a gallery.

A Killer Weekend

                               

Last weekend I joined friends Tweety, Bill Gercken, Jeff Johnson, and Jack Nevitt at the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum (TALA) in Weston, WV. I shot here last year during an overnight “ghost tour” and had so much fun! This year they have started offering photography tours during the daytime and I knew I had to sign up. I know there are lots of photographers that enjoy shooting old buildings that are in a state of decay. The problem is that most of these buildings are off limits, at least from a legal standpoint. Shooting at TALA offers you a way to do this type of shooting in a legal and fun manner and you are helping them preserve a treasure. I’ll post a gallery from the Asylum next time. I still have a lot of shots left to process.

The Start Of A Very Productive Day

I love old buildings with signs painted on the bricks. This past weekend I was in West Virginia waiting to do some shooting and noticed this old hardware store nearby. I snapped a couple of quick shots before getting busy with the main reason for being in West Virginia.