Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon TS-E 45mm f/2.8, 45mm, F 11, ISO 100, HDR, 9 Exposures

I’m going to admit, it wasn’t until I previewed this image on my LCD at home that I fell in love with it and it’s solely due to one detail that I didn’t even notice when I was shooting or reviewing the brackets on the back of my camera. When I saw the scratch marks on the key lock, I instantly fell in love. I’m not sure how I missed it but I was so glad that they were there. Those scratch marks add so much haunting character to a shot that is already morbidly frightening. Little details like those make me smile. They add depth and let the imagination wander, forming thoughts over what could have taken place here. It’s all about the story here and you get to narrate.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye, 15mm, F 16, ISO 100, HDR, 5 Exposures

I figure that we are due for another grungy UrbEx shot.

I’m not sure about you, but there are so many times when I get a wacky idea to compose a shot in a certain way only to bail out on it after psyching myself out. I tell myself, “ehh, this is going to be a stupid shot”. That was the case with this shot. I remember walking from one room to the other, while Bob was shooting something else behind me, and thinking about this composition. I set everything up and just before I started exposing the brackets, I started talking myself out of it.

But the more I think about it, the more ridiculous that is. We have at our disposal SO much capacity on our media cards and on the hard drives in our computers. We can store thousands upon thousands upon millions of images without batting an eye. So, with that in mind, I ended up taking the shot and I’m so thankful for it because when I got home and really started processing, this shot became one of my favorites from the day.

With today’s technology and massive amounts of storage available at an affordable price, it simply doesn’t make sense to forsake a shot.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L, 17mm, F 4, ISO 100, HDR, 9 Exposures

<Pun Alert>It’s great when a scene is sitting there, waiting for you to shoot it.</Pun Alert>

Sometimes, there is an element in your scene that is clearly the focal point of the image.  You know that you want your viewer’s eyes to go directly to it.  And, there are plenty of ways to make that happen. In the scene above, I ended up tilting my 17mm T/S lens upward to change the plane of focus to the lower portion of the frame, where the clock face is.  I also ran the image through Focal Point, part of the OnOne Plug-in Suite family, to accentuate the shallow depth of field.  Finally, I ended up dodging the clock face so as to make it pop, while burning the rest of the scene and adding a vignette.

There are tons of ways to focus the attention of your viewers and it should be a major consideration with any image that you share.

PS – You can save 15% off the purchase of any OnOne product by using the coupon code MATIASH at checkout.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM, 14mm, F 4, ISO 100, HDR, 9 Exposures

I’m not a superstitious person. I try to keep a level head about most things (and usually fail at that) but there are certainly some things out there that just unnerve me… like a pentagram when I least expect it. I was walking around this abandoned mill area of Holyoke by myself when I came across this cheery bit. It was one of those things that stopped me in my tracks and really made me swivel around in a 360-degree angle, as if seeing this sign triggered whatever it was that would cause my demise. And that’s my mind for you, my friends.

I know that a lot of the UrbEx shots that I post excite people. I love the comments, tweets, and emails that you share. And it is the responsible thing to give my fellow UrbEx adventurers out there two pieces of advice:

1. Wear a thick skin (literally and figuratively) – There is so much debris, sharp objects, and overall crap that can physically hurt you in a lot of ways so be sure to wear some thick-soled shoes, cover your arms and legs, and wear a cap. Also, you will likely see a lot of the ugliness of people through mindless graffiti and tags (like the one above). And this is relatively tame compared to some of the things that my friends and I have seen. So, consider that before you head out. If you are easily offended, prepare to jolted.

2. Do your due diligence – There are a lot of things that you can do to prepare but for now, my one piece of advice is: make sure you give your destination, route, timetable, and agenda to a loved one or a friend. While I don’t really recommend going at one of these UrbEx shoots alone (especially if you’re new to it), if you do, ensure you make routine check-ins. Some of these places are MASSIVE and getting lost can be very easy.

I do love these shoots – I’d do them every day if I could. And if it interests you, I hope you get the opportunity to, as well. I just want to make sure that you all approach it safely. We’re all here to have a great time and make amazing images. See you out there!

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L, 17mm, F 9, ISO 100, HDR, 9 Exposures

I don’t think I’ve shot any major Urbex locations by myself in a long time. In fact, just about every shoot of this nature has been with my grunge brother, Bob Lussier. The thing is that when we are shooting, we naturally stray away from each other. It’s nothing intentional, but rather second-nature. We come here together to shoot alone and there is so much to say about that. Going on a shoot with someone, anyone for that matter, should be a serious consideration. Now, I am not advocating to shoot alone – not even close. What I am saying is that you really need to be introspective about who you shoot with if you are going with other people.

Do you prefer the social aspect of shooting with others? Then align yourself with those kinds of people. For Bob and me, we tend to retreat to our own places when we shoot. He goes off and makes magic, I go off and try to do the same. We regroup after 30-40 clips, partly to ensure that neither of us is dead and partly to continue to spur our own creativity by comparing brackets. It is a perfect situation for us and I guess my story here is that all of you should make sure that you think about what your perfect situation is. Sure, it can be a solo walk with just you and your thoughts. By all means.

Just be keen to tap into whatever parameters it is that coaxes all of your creativity out when you shoot. It’ll help you concentrate on getting the best possible shots and it’ll also aid in you having the most fun doing it.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L, 17mm, F 16, ISO 100, HDR, 9 Exposures

The trouble with a scene as rich with detail as the one above is not so much how to shoot it but rather, how not to shoot it.  It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the gimme shots, not that there is anything wrong with those.  I know that I have more than my fair share of gimme shots. But, it was like kids in a candy store for Bob and me. In fact, I seem to recall us shaking each others hands when we first entered this room, a combination of amazement and congratulations over the sheer neglect of the place. I’ve never seen anything quite like it.

But back to the point. What I ended up doing is what I am recommending here, especially for those of us who get easily distracted – get the gimme shots out of the way. The gimme shots are those shots that require little-to-know thought in terms of composition and style. They are usually your head-on shots taken at eye level. I advocate taking these shots up front because they will free your mind of the nagging itch to get them (because you’ve already gotten them! ). Doing this will free you up to really start composing some creative shots.

It wasn’t until after I got my fill of the gimme’s that I started really looking at the scene for what it was worth. And, sure, if that meant taking up some space on a CF card or two (and subsequently on my hard drive), it was worth it. I started experimenting with angles and vantage points because I knew that I had the gimme’s in the bag.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L, 17mm, F 16, ISO 100, HDR, 8 Exposures

So right off the bat, I can tell you that this shot is dedicated to my friend, the Usher of Urbex, and Alt Perspective Alum, Jacques Gudé. As soon as I saw that hammer & sickle, I knew that this one was going to be a shout out.

I cannot express how excited I was to shoot in this abandoned structure over the weekend my friend, and additional Alt Perspective Alum, Bob Lussier. Bob had the crazy notion to find this place out and upon walking inside, we were both radiating. We still had that afterglow the next day. There is something so amazing about seeing what happens to fully built out structures when they are left in utter neglect for years upon years. To see the vegetation and nature just take over. To see these manmade objects whither, crumble, fracture, break, snap and splinter. It’s something else.

And the scene above. There is so much angst here. I look at this scene and I think get wound up. I imagine what took place here. What is the story? I guess it’s a tale best left to the imagination at this point.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye, 15mm, F 16, ISO 100, HDR, 9 Exposures

Styles change. No big surprise here, right? What piques your interest today could be totally boring to you tomorrow. It’s important to be in tune with what gets you going so that you can seek it out and develop it, as it were. For the longest time, I’ve been a huge fan of this grunge/urbex photography. Without going into a dissertation, a lot of the characteristics and elements found in these scenes really jive with my sense of style.

But I’ve also noticed myself lately gravitating towards processing and posting different styles of photos. Some are more nature-based, others are more on the architecture side. But, I was cognizant that I was keeping away from this sort of grunge photography. I think part of it has to do with just how intense grunge photography can be. It really is a barnyard full of different and competing elements, on top of the constant task of herding just the right amount of varying texture in each part of the scene. In short, it’s a lot on the mind and on the eyes to process (and view).

So, I took a break from it. I haven’t really shot any grunge/urbex as of late nor have I visited any of my urbex backlog… until last night, when I happened upon the shot above, taken during my very first visit to the Stone Mill with Mr. Mills himself, Bob Lussier. I remembered composing this shot and being very jazzed about the warped symmetry in windows created by the fisheye. I loved having such a distinctly crusted foreground element in the paint pan. It all worked for me and all of those memories came flooding back. It got me revved up and I was back in action.

I am left wondering how I’d react if I hadn’t afforded myself this break from the grunge. Would the excitement have been diffused and would that translate in a poorly processed image? Considering that as a possibility, I was really glad that I took a break from the type of photography that I was enveloping myself in… if just for a few weeks.

So, never discount a well-timed respite. Sometimes, it is the exact prescription to revitalize your style.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon TS-E 45mm f/2.8, 45mm, F 7.1, ISO 100, HDR, 9 Exposures

I had all but given up on this impromptu shoot at the ol’ train tracks yesterday with my buddy, Laz.  We’ve shot there before and I don’t think either one of us were feeling ‘it’. So, we resolved to pack it up after about 20 minutes and head back to my place. As we were walking back, I happened to take a quick look back over my shoulder and saw this little track marker. I’m not sure why I had never noticed it before but I instantly knew what I wanted to do with the shot. Sure enough, after I got home and imported the photos into Lightroom, this was really the only keeper of the bunch.

Trust me, I know how easy it can be to get disenchanted during a shoot that isn’t yielding instant results. And I took away two lessons here, after reflecting on it for a bit. The first is to not force the situation. I tip my hat to Chris on that one. Chris can take it in stride pretty well when he’s dealt a cold deck on a shoot. Me? I get spastic and end up wasting space on my CF card taking shots that will never see the light of day. But today, I went with the flow. I wasn’t really into the scene and it was all good. We both nodded and decided to head back and grill up some burgers instead. Never a bad compromise.

The second item that I took away is to never leave a scene with your back to it. That is, always take a quick look back before exiting. Every few feet, stop for a second, look back, and see if you missed anything that you hadn’t seen when you first got there. I totally overlooked this track marker and would never have gotten this shot if I didn’t take that quick glance. Things always look different when you’re coming and going.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye, 15mm, F 16, ISO 100, HDR, 9 Exposures

I know that this shot has been done before. I know that if you own a fisheye and you happen to find yourself with ready access to a series of train tracks, one of which is occupied by an idling freight train, you will get this shot. And I’m totally fine with that. I know that I have other versions of this shot and I know that my friends likely have similar shots. And that’s all good. You know why? Because it’s my shot. I went out and I took it. Again. And will likely take it again at a future date.

I think that as photographers, we sometimes put a quota on how many times we will shoot a locale or get the same type of shot. I know I’m guilty of it. But, when I’m in the moment and I see this shot through the Live View, believe that I’m going to get it. At the most, it’s just some space on the hard drive. You just never know what sort of inspiration will hit when you’re going through Post. Sure, the comp may be the same but the final image might be totally different. And that, right there, is where taking the same shot over makes it all worthwhile.

The next Alt Perspective contributor will be by my good friend, Rich Williams. Rich and I have a running inside joke where we’ll head over to an area that we’ve both shot to death and we’ll pretend like it’s the first time that our eyes have seen the place. It’s goofy but I love it. Rich is a perfect embodiment of shooting something repeatedly and being able to repeatedly create totally unique shots. I love the guy and I can’t wait to share his greatness with all of you.

So, next time you find yourself in Copley Square, Times Square, the National Mall, or wherever the played out area of your town is, just shoot it again. I think it’s almost statistically impossible for you to shoot the -exact- same shot twice. If that is true, then what is stopping you?