My experience with theories is that they are like Rorschach tests, often telling us more about ourselves than about anything in external reality.

That being said; my theory is that people have a certain fascination with the decay or deterioration of human-made objects, kind of like in the poem Ozymandias, where the long-gone ruler's great works have been obliterated into the desert sands. So it's not surprising that we might be inclined to help the process along. It's like when I was a kid doing target practice. I was much more interested in shooting up tin cans or old cars than in firing at a rock or something like that.

This impulse does not hold for God-made things, like the natural world or human beings. Witnessing the decay of such things is painful, and, if anything, calls for us to ameliorate the ravages.

That's just a theory though.

I live some twenty miles south of Bridgeport Ct. It has the highest population of all the cities in Connecticut, and it is a paradise for urban decay. A short journey up I95 whenever I feel an urge to photograph this sort of thing. While driving around, I spotted the shot tower of the old Remington Arms, and found my way over to it. It has an interesting history, and I am including a couple of links if you want to find out a little about that. When I pulled over to the curb, I had to decide if I even wanted to get out of my vehicle with an expensive camera. I was that impressed by my surroundings. I got over it, and have been back quite a few times thereafter. There are vast neighborhoods where I yearn to venture out and do some street photography, but I am way to wary. So,

#1. Is the shot tower. This one had a better sky than most I have taken.

https://www.hauntedrooms.com/connecticut/haunted-places/remington-arms-bridgeport

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/remington-shot-tower

#2. This cemetery is adjacent to the 73 acres that comprise of The Remington Arms property. The date of the deceased on the right hand side is 1881.

#3. Over on the good side of town.

#4. In the adjacent town of Stratford, is a small parking lot from which you can follow a path into the estuary of the sound. This is unfortunately also a somewhat scary area, based on a conversation I had with a local. I just liked the switchover amongst the weeds along the path.

#5. Also in Stratford is a large area of no longer used buildings. These really appeal to me for the simple colors and geometry. And of course that they have been abandoned.

#6. From another town to the north, Shelton, I have found many interesting sights including some very extensive graffiti art in the railroad tunnels. These buildings seemed worth stopping for.

#7. All I know as to location on this was somewhere in the Catskills. A friend was driving and he was more than happy to pull over when I saw something of interest. Walked around the back side of this structure along a country road. If anything I processed to enhance the surface textures.

#8. When in Vermont I am on the lookout for barns and such. This from a tiny town of Danby, which has all manner of good such subjects.

#9. The Salton Sea. I love this image. It seems to say it all for me. That is, regarding its demise. I include a link for those of you who are not familiar with it. https://www.california.com/what-happened-salton-sea/

#10. Lastly, Bethlehem Steel Company. Acres upon acres of interesting structures long abandoned. Shortly after this picture was taken I met a very nice man from Homeland Security. He said I wasn't supposed to be there.

I made this image back in April. While the subjects are clearly less than pristine, my attraction here was and is to the way the stems and flowers move about in the frame, rather like an abstract painting; your view, of course, may vary. I thought of them as dancers, with flowers in their hair, reminiscent of the hippies from the 60s (the Scott McKensie song - "San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair)" - was 1967). I shot over fifty images for this one, and combined them in a focus stack with HeliconFocus, so it should reward pretty close examination.

I think it was the first one I used my soldering jig for - a plate of steel about 8.5 x 11 inches, with five flexible arms with magnetic feet and clips on the other end, so I can pose things like these flowers. Pretty cheap and relatively easy to work with.



With Flowers In Their Hair - Tulip # 10, 2021(Explored)-04-25-A1-C1-x21-18-32-03-(C,Smoothing2)-copy-1 by Sam Yaffe, on Flickr

If you click on this link, you can view the image in greater detail.

I eventually got round to going out for some new stuff to post in this thread. I got this today. Part of the story is that it's quite close to Aberdeen city centre (but there's no way to convey that in the shot). Derelict buildings on the edge of town aren't as poignant as those close to town or city centres. There's something in us that wants the centre of our universes to be fully functional.

I could have gone for a more desaturated look to add to the look of deterioration but I'd used the WB and Tint sliders plus some split toning to give an overall green/blue colour cast and those colours don't go against the desired look the way that warmer colours would. I also left the lighting on the low side deliberately, and gave it generous amounts of sharpening.
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The Master in You is an evolution of the monthly Master's Critique. Here we will give you a "topic" each month with some themes to consider. Shoot some images with the topic in mind and then post them in this thread and tell us about them. Where did you shoot the image? What are your concerns and challenges with the image? How much, if any, consideration did you give to gear to get the image you wanted? You might also wish to address the themes that are mentioned along with the topic.

General guidelines: This is an open thread where you are encouraged to post your original works and discuss them. Please post only your own work. Do not post edits of another member's work unless you have asked that member for permission to edit. Remember that some people do not want their work edited by anyone. Please respect that. The topics will be active for one month at a time. You will have the entire month to ponder and work on the subject. Feel free to post at any time during the month. You can post more than one image. If you shoot more than one image on any given topic, you may make several submissions. That way we might be able to stimulate some conversations that act as inspiration or, at least, incentive for others to go out and try the topic themselves.

The original purpose of FYC was to be a "cafe" atmosphere where people gather to discuss topics pertaining to photography. It is hoped that this thread will encourage members to get out and shoot images that pertain to the topic and then enter into a discussion about your posts and the posts of others. This monthly topic is not about : "That is really nice" or "two thumbs up". While these are certainly legitimate responses, the aim of this topical thread is to throw a wider net. It is hoped that we will discuss what works and what does not work so well. If someone's work does not appeal to you, feel free to say so in a way that acknowledges that we all have different ideas about what appeals to us.

The Moderators


Topic Of The Month , August 2021: "Less Than Pristine "

Theme 1 How do you approach this topic Mechanical decay, industrial, urban decay, or rural buildings falling apart? What do you look for?

Theme 2 Processing: When do you say "too much"? Do you visualize post processing, or let it come to you?


For some time now, I've wanted to shoot the SS United States. This is the fastest Ocean Liner to cross the Atlantic. Her last voyage was in 1969, and she is presently docked in Philadelphia while a conservancy group is trying to invent a future for this once proud ship. The dock area is closed to the public. So, I had to photograph her from the street on the far side of a chain link fence. I wanted the photo to remind the viewer of a bygone era in travel, so I tried to make it look like an old photograph. I should have shot in film; but I did not on this occasion. (Maybe in the future). I did use "film" presets in NIK. I also cloned out the lines that keep the ship from floating away from the dock.

I thought this might be a good example of: "Less Than Pristine". Of course we are interested in discussing this photo; but we also want to see your examples of "Less Than Pristine". From your archives or shot recently, the choice is yours. This topic will remain active for the month of August.

Moderators,

I eventually got round to going out for some new stuff to post in this thread. I got this today. Part of the story is that it's quite close to Aberdeen city centre (but there's no way to convey that in the shot). Derelict buildings on the edge of town aren't as poignant as those close to town or city centres. There's something in us that wants the centre of our universes to be fully functional.

I could have gone for a more desaturated look to add to the look of deterioration but I'd used the WB and Tint sliders plus some split toning to give an overall green/blue colour cast and those colours don't go against the desired look the way that warmer colours would. I also left the lighting on the low side deliberately, and gave it generous amounts of sharpening.
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I wasn't expecting a luxury boat to put in an appearance in this thread. Perhaps it needs expensive engine repairs or an extensive overhaul. Luxury boats don't stay young forever.....

Predictably, the theme of this thread has produced subjects that evoke curiosity about the subjects' past. Perhaps you could have called it "Histories and Mysteries". Whenever we see the ravages of time there's usually some sort of story to go with it. Usually photos can only hint at those stories. But what photos can be good at is leaving us wondering.....

Around here vines grow on brick and stone buildings. Relentlessly. Its a great look. Sometimes I go around photographing just that. Last year I cleared away vines from an old stone garage structure which, near the ground, were the size of my arms. They had gotten up into the wood roof structure and done a great deal of damage, not to mention destroying the upper layers of stone work, by growing through the mortar and just blowing things apart. They do grow from the ground, so I couldn't help but wonder what kind of plant has taken so well to the stone building on the right. They look like bushes sprouting all over. So tenacious. One of my favorite photos from Joshua Tree was this (Juniper ?) growing from this rock.