First things first; happy 2016, my friends. May the new year bring you good things! I intended to do a year-end summary post, but haven’t had time between my other job and the holiday chaos. Not to mention, I’m still not done editing shoots from the past few months.
I wasn’t going to bother posting these, but that felt like a shame after I went through the effort.
On my way home from a different place, I passed right by another spot I wanted to see. Mainly, this one is known for a really pretty spiral staircase and vintage wallpaper. Pictures I’ve seen, old and even recent, show a charming little time capsule, colorful and unique on the inside. I figured, sure. I wanna shoot it.
The bones of that charming little time capsule are still there — but time has taken its toll. I found myself standing in a ransacked dive that has been used as a toilet by every drifter and feral cat in the city. The smell of pee was literally eye burning. I thought I might throw up. Not a good start.
Apart from the trash and weird items scattered around (swim goggles?), someone’s very recent bed, clothes, and food wrappers were piled on the floor. I didn’t know if I was in there alone anymore, or when/if this current resident would return. I fired off a handful of lousy shots, beelined for the staircase I was so hell-bent on seeing, and noped out of there quicker than a cat on a hot tin roof.
It really did used to be so quaint, and under the right circumstances, could still be photographed well. But I had an off gut feeling, and was just not for it that day. People live here, and part of shooting spaces like this is having respect for that. But while I empathize with the need to find shelter, I don’t feel the need to cross paths while I’m by myself. Never explore alone; I broke a cardinal rule.
By the way, the beautiful wallpaper is actually marked up by hideous green graffiti. Of course it is. Thanks, Photoshop.
Most glad you lived to tell the tale…I’m always losing my “bear spray” as it needs to be handy and on the outside of my gear…These are still fun images to tell the tale and remind you of your visit. Thanks for sharing!
Me too. Learned a lesson about when to bring a partner, if nothing else. I lost my bear spray exploring an old house in the Adirondacks on the lookout for actual bears! Luckily that came after this one. 🙂
I hope your getting in with the abandoned FB group will yield you some shooting partners.