Old & Spooky

Well yes...that could be me, but the old and spooky I'm referring to is the kind of stuff we feel compelled to photograph when we see it. If you actively take photographs and don't feel that pull to the dark and mysterious, I'd feel pretty confident in making the non-clinical assessment that there's something seriously wrong with you and professional help is called for.



I'm not saying I understand the compulsion to snap off twenty or thirty shots of a rusty piece of metal lying in a muddy puddle, or a stack of tires that long ago gave up the ability to hold air, just that it's nearly impossible for me and many others to pass by a scene like that without becoming nearly faint with excitement and the need to take...many...photos. This would also suggest the need for professional help, but the very fact that you may have thousands of dollars in lenses and camera bodies hanging from your body to do this could be strong evidence that you're beyond help already.



Rusted and abandoned cars and trucks are also a great attraction for the old and spooky scrapbook, and the older, the better. Broken headlights, rusted bumpers, torn upholstery, dented fenders and suspicious stains...what's not to love in a scenario like that? But the ultimate...the creme de la creme of old, spooky, and must be photographed, is the abandoned structure.



Be it a home, an old factory or warehouse, or possibly an old abandoned former resort, these are the locations that are Xanadu to anyone with a camera. (Except those of you mentioned previously, who, if their pulse hasn't quickened by the mere mention of abandoned buildings may be further gone that hinted at and would best be served by keeping your cell phone handy and having 911 on your speed dial, 'cause you are really close to total meltdown territory.)



Fact also is, in today's society, there appears to be more and more of these kinds of "photo ops" popping up on the landscape. It's apparently easier and more economical to walk away and wash one's hands of something that has become a deficit, rather than think of the impact it may have on the community as a whole. That's about as close to getting on a soapbox for this topic as I'll allow, other than to say if you know of an abandoned property, odds are it's a dangerous place to explore on your own, and possibly even illegal. Here are a couple of sites I've noticed that are seriously into the old, spooky vibe. Undercity is a site chock full of photos of old missile silos, abandoned freight tunnels, subway tunnels, insane asylums and hospitals. Lots of links to other sites, too. Another great site is from photographer Matthew Murray, who I met recently at a showing of some of his work in Lancaster, PA. His photos are stunning and his philosophy about these sites and what he's doing is well worth the read. Abandoned America is his site, and he recently began keeping updates and info at his MySpace account. Also worth a look is Lost America, a site dedicated to night photography of the abandoned west.



Follow the links available in all these sites and you'll spend hours in dirt, grime, and rust bliss. You may also end up having nightmares because the photos are spooky, but cowboy up...you're a photographer, right?