Losing color

Normally when I process photos I aim to capture the moment as seen but sometimes, it is better to capture the moment as experienced and process it in a way that tells the story of the moment. I think that these images from an abandoned factory tell the story better desaturated and with a little more contrast between the shadows and the light flooding through the windows.

I spent a little bit of time talking with the graffiti artist and asked if I could take a picture or two which he agreed to as long as I didn't take his face or at least, didn't post the images. He is around my age and had been painting at this location for about 20 years on and off.

For him, it is a space to relax and forget the troubles of the day, a place to meditate through his art. If more people took the same attitude and meditated doing what they really enjoyed, the world would be a much more peaceful place. He lamented the fact that the building complex was finally going to be torn down or renovated an said he would miss having the peace and quiet.

This one is of my wife as she looked out the window toward the lake and a construction area across the road This factory is in a great location and where she is standing is going to be part of an early childhood education center. As we were walking through I was saying that if I ever had the money, I would buy an old, rundown brick building and turn it into a home.

I would love to renovate a place of steel and stone into a minimalist home of clean, sharp lines with exposed elements of what lay beneath to break the large, white surfaces. Of course, the money involved for such a venture is a little out of reach at the moment. Talking about impossible dreams is a thing, young couples do. Not that we are so young.

This is one of my favorite areas as it is a large opening that runs almost the entire length of the building and has these massive gaping windows that look out at the lake. I can imagine that this could be turned into one of the grandest of spaces imaginable and could home any number of activities. It was once filled with machinery to make matchsticks.

Due to this, if I was to renovate such a place, I would take advantage of the fantastic hardwoods that Finland has available and put in massive blocks of highlighting beams that would work to separate the space and add interest to the eyeline.

This last one has a little more of an ominous feel to it and gives me the impression of a horror movie scene as the camera tracks through a ruined hospital and into a room filled with medical equipment and bodies hanging, wrapped in plastic. I have been in this place several times at night and I have to say, it isn't the most inviting in the dark with nothing but a small torch. I loved it.

This places in ruin and disrepair are inviting for me and in some way homely. They are canvases where the dimensions are set but, are still blank. When I walk in I already start rebuilding, remodeling and mentally removing walls and replacing them with various materials tho test them out. Being able to visualize how something could be is a game I have been playing since I was quite young and now I don't really have to think too much before my mind tears apart and puts back together a room.

Well, this wasn't so much about photography but, there are stories in each image that if we are not careful, we will scroll through without ever considering them or, what they could be given a little color or, having a little taken away.

There are narratives everywhere if you take the time to pick up a thread and gently pull.

Taraz
[ an original ]