post #1 :: 14th November 2005 at 09:03 AM

since moving to norcal, i've been really fortunate to hook up with a bunch of people that like shooting the same kind of stuff i do, so i've been getting out a fair amount to shoot abandoned sites late at night. it's great because it's much safer and we can take on some really sketchy sites that i would never consider alone.

anyhow, these are all long exposure digital, shot usually during the full moon. occasionally an area is light painted with colored light to make it more interesting, but for the most part, most of the color shifts are in camera.

interior shot of an abandoned train station in west oakland.





Preston Castle, which is a former young offenders prison in Ione Ca.



we had special permission to shoot the interior, entire floors were rotted and missing, owl shit everywhere. this was taken just after sunset:



this is an old hotel called the byron hot springs hotel, in byron ca. it's supposed to be haunted. the first time i visited here i had a great time, the second night i had such bad vibes i had to get out of the building.



an interior shot. looks like daylight outside doesn't it? it was about midnight.



this one really gives you a sense of how fast we are really spinning on this big ole rock. exposure is probably a few minutes long.





a view of the pacific from sutro baths ruins in san francisco. that's not fog or mist, it's the ocean.





this is a place called cliffhouse, with the ruins of the old sutro baths in the foreground.




here's a former TNT explosives plant in Hercules CA.




i highlighted the graffiti with a blue flash.

post #2 :: 14th November 2005 at 11:04 AM

Wow. Just. Wow.

Compared to the shots you sent me about a year ago when you were getting into the whole photography malarky, some of these pics are fantastic. I especially like the one with the golden bath, and the ones of the sea looking like mist are amazing.

The 'midnight that looks like daylight' one is also pretty crazy - how on earth is it that light at midnight? Unless it was the summer solstice? And even then...

It's great that you have all this scenery around that you can snap. We have some similar stuff around here when it comes to abandoned buildings and the like, but those shots of the sea are a world beyond what we get in rainy Nottingham. Even in 'sunny' Brighton you're not going to get a picture of the sea that's anything like as special.

Really impressive stuff Lanage, seriously. Keep us updated with this stuff, I love it!

post #3 :: 14th November 2005 at 12:29 PM

I told you so.

Lane, explain how the blue flash works when you're doing long exposure, would you please?

post #4 :: 14th November 2005 at 12:43 PM

Cruise Director said: I told you so. Lane, explain how the blue flash works when you're doing long exposure, would you please?

well, basically while the shutter is open, you have some time to get in the shot and "paint" a scene with light. Because the exposure is so long, the flash is just a tiny percentage of the shot, as opposed to regular flash photography where you shoot and the flash pops while the shutter is open for a fraction of a second. so in that shot you see of the graffiti, i'm actually running around in there, popping off a flash and lighting up areas. i also had some time to add some yellow light on the left inside the building. you can't see me because i am moving the whole time.

post #5 :: 14th November 2005 at 01:50 PM

dave said: The 'midnight that looks like daylight' one is also pretty crazy - how on earth is it that light at midnight? Unless it was the summer solstice? And even then...

thanks dave.

next time you have a full moon (like right now!) step outside if it's clear and just spend a few minutes letting your eyes get acclimated to the light. moonlight is powerful stuff, and you will find that on a full moon, once you get used to it, you can see pretty much everything with a fair amount of detail. it's amazing, actually.

i'm hoping to find someone to go out with me tonight to shoot for an hour, the moon is fat and bright and i hate to waste perfect weather.

post #6 :: 14th November 2005 at 02:15 PM

Good news is that now that I moved, my Regional Offices are in Livermore. I hope I come out during a full moon. If I do, we're going shooting. I'd like to see you in action.

post #7 :: 14th November 2005 at 08:22 PM

I really dig the old abandoned buildings you've snapped Lane, they look like they could be on the cover of every nostalgic americana album.

Great work, now all you need to do is find a geek to write you a dinky little programme that uses the Google Maps API so that I can see were all these places actually are

post #8 :: 14th November 2005 at 08:31 PM

I love the fact that you're running around doing blue flashes and things in that last photo. I can just imagine it.

post #9 :: 15th November 2005 at 08:09 AM

cynic said: Great work, now all you need to do is find a geek to write you a dinky little programme that uses the Google Maps API so that I can see were all these places actually are

here's one site, hercules TNT plant

http://mapper.acme.com/?lat=38.0205...eight=2&dot=Yes

post #10 :: 16th November 2005 at 07:00 PM

I love the one of the broken down train station it looks like the set for a play or something. Really interesting shots. There really isn't a lot of stuff near my place like this though I guess I have never really looked. I also don't understand how the sea looks like that, totally amazing mate!

post #11 :: 16th November 2005 at 07:31 PM

Inky said: well, basically while the shutter is open, you have some time to get in the shot and "paint" a scene with light. Because the exposure is so long, the flash is just a tiny percentage of the shot, as opposed to regular flash photography where you shoot and the flash pops while the shutter is open for a fraction of a second. so in that shot you see of the graffiti, i'm actually running around in there, popping off a flash and lighting up areas. i also had some time to add some yellow light on the left inside the building. you can't see me because i am moving the whole time.

^^ that's pretty gnarly.

amazing photos Inky

post #12 :: 16th November 2005 at 09:30 PM

Does the sea look like that because it's a long exposure shot, Lane? Or is it because of something else?

And it just occurred to me the first photo could easily have passed for a set in the first Matrix film. You can just imagine Keanu Reeves and Lawrence Fishbourne sitting in those chairs, talking bollocks.

post #13 :: 23rd November 2005 at 09:47 AM

those look amazing Inky. It almost inspires me to go buy a tripod for my camera and start playing with exposures.

What kind of camera do you have by chance?

post #14 :: 23rd November 2005 at 09:57 AM

*insert witty pun on word 'tripod' here*

*everybody laugh uproariously*

post #15 :: 23rd November 2005 at 10:10 AM

and the witty words are... John Christopher, obviously

post #16 :: 23rd November 2005 at 10:28 AM

YOU'RE NOT LAUGHING UPROARIOUSLY ENOUGH.

post #17 :: 23rd November 2005 at 11:20 AM

WHOO!

I'm worn out.

post #18 :: 23rd November 2005 at 07:43 PM

dave said: Does the sea look like that because it's a long exposure shot, Lane? Or is it because of something else?

really, just because it was a long exposure. but the surf was amazing that night...huge waves.

post #19 :: 23rd November 2005 at 07:44 PM

Nihilist said: those look amazing Inky. It almost inspires me to go buy a tripod for my camera and start playing with exposures. What kind of camera do you have by chance?

you should!




what kind of camera do you have?

i currently have a Canon 350D XT digital SLR, but am going to be getting the 20D to replace it. both are great cameras.

post #20 :: 30th November 2005 at 07:09 AM

SHOW US YOUR errrr wrong forum. Awesome photos.

post #21 :: 30th November 2005 at 09:04 AM

Do you have any of these images desktop size, Lanage? I'd quite like to add some of them to my rotation.

And take some more!

post #22 :: 1st December 2005 at 11:37 AM

Those are goregous!
I especially love the mist!!

post #23 :: 2nd January 2006 at 08:31 AM

I DEMAND MORE

post #24 :: 2nd January 2006 at 01:33 PM

Lane, I've been looking at the Nikon D50 as a starter camera. Thoughts?

You may have found me a good hobby.

post #25 :: 19th January 2006 at 08:48 AM

Cruise Director said: Lane, I've been looking at the Nikon D50 as a starter camera. Thoughts? You may have found me a good hobby.

any reason for a nikon over a canon?


to be honest, i don't know a whole lot about cameras. i've always used canon so when it came time to buy my DSLR, it seemed logical to buy a canon. also they made the most inexpensive entry level DSLR at the time, the digital rebel.

i do my night shooting with about 10 people, and all but one shoot with canon. most have the 20D. only one has a nikon, the d70. his photos are beautiful, but so are the ones taken with canon. i think canon is a bit more on the cutting edge of digital SLR technology, too.

What is it you want to take pics of? do you want to try some long exposures?

post #26 :: 19th January 2006 at 08:49 AM

geez, sorry it took me so long to respond to that cruise. i've been absent from forums lately.

post #27 :: 19th January 2006 at 09:05 AM

here's a few new ones

taken last week during the full moon at Skaggs Island, an abandoned military base near Sonoma. I've been out there twice and the first time i was really creeped out and couldn't get comfortable. this last time i was able to relax and have fun in spite of the copper thieves salvaging materials from the buildings...they made a hell of a racket, but we always knew where they were.

alot of the base was under water after the recent heavy rains and big floods in NorCal.

post #28 :: 19th January 2006 at 10:35 AM

Inky said:

This one looks like the building is coming straight at you at 100 miles an hour. SCARY!

So nice to see you again, Inky.

post #29 :: 19th January 2006 at 01:19 PM

Inky said: geez, sorry it took me so long to respond to that cruise. i've been absent from forums lately.

Not a problem, Lane. I've been talking to a lady that works for me that does photography on the side. She explained that your not so much buying a camera body as a lens system. She's got me convinced the Cannon collection is the way to go. I think my first camera is going to be the Rebel XT. Good starter camera and with the right lenses, will be a great camera for me.

I bought a "Idiot's guide" book and am reading up on the DSLR's and lens and all that stuff. I'm looking 3 to 4 months away and by that time hopefully the XT will be down under 1k.

BTW, Every full moon I come back here waiting for your pictures. They are quite beautiful.

post #30 :: 19th January 2006 at 04:17 PM

Cruise Director said: Not a problem, Lane. I've been talking to a lady that works for me that does photography on the side. She explained that your not so much buying a camera body as a lens system. She's got me convinced the Cannon collection is the way to go. I think my first camera is going to be the Rebel XT. Good starter camera and with the right lenses, will be a great camera for me. I bought a "Idiot's guide" book and am reading up on the DSLR's and lens and all that stuff. I'm looking 3 to 4 months away and by that time hopefully the XT will be down under 1k. BTW, Every full moon I come back here waiting for your pictures. They are quite beautiful.

I have the XT and the photos above are all shot with the XT. It's a sweet camera.

I suggest buying one from Costco if you can, because they have a no questions asked return policy. I bought mine from costco online. If you don't want costco, i suggest bhphoto.com or adorama.com. I've used both and had good service.

I also have a few lenses and books to suggest if you are interested, as well as some websites to check out for info. just let me know if you'd like them.

and thanks for the compliments...it makes standing out in the cold in scary places in the middle of the night worth it!