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.