While out and about during our big Ice Rime event, I stopped at this small abandoned house and found this odd metal seat. It’s had many coats of paint and I think it may have been part of an amusement park ride…but I have no idea. The bar, which looks to just be a fence post, probably got me thinking in that direction, but if you look closely you might agree. Either way it was an interesting find and I’ve never come across anything like it before or since.
What technical feedback would you like if any?
How does the processing look? The big choice with abandoned subjects is usually realism v. antique effects. I do both, but probably lean toward realism.
What artistic feedback would you like if any?
Another struggle is how to present these lost places and things. This is pretty straight-forward and I think sets people to wondering over the object more than telling its story. Thoughts?
Any pertinent technical details:
Handheld
Processed in Lightroom for a pano crop, black & white points, texture, clarity, sharpness and some saturation boost.
Hi Kris, thanks for posting in the Non Nature category. I really like this. The nostalgic flavor complemented with the snow and the grasses really works well. you could possibly do some antiquing of some sort, but I think that would take away from the scene. I also love the grittiness of the wall behind.
Thanks @David_Bostock - I do a fair amount of non-nature actually. When I lived in New Hampshire it was cemeteries because the stones pre about 1800 are so interesting. But here there aren’t any like that so I switched to countryside (barns and silos) and abandonement. I should post more and will now that we have some more attention here. Mostly I hit the road during frozen mud season - November/December and March/April. I love the sense of discovery and the emotional effect of seeing so many farms and homes just left to turn to dust.
Hi Kristen,
This is a very cool bench, and I wonder where it came from. At first I thought it was a ski lift chair, but it looks too big for that. I like your guess.
For me this does set my mind wandering about the story. Who sat here, when, and what did they see?
Thanks @Mark_Muller - abandoned stuff always makes me wonder…I think it’s part of what photographers love about it. The unknown and the unknowable. Since moving to Wisconsin it’s been a staple of my work. More on the way.
This one does provoke good thought and imagination. Are you sure the bar is attached? If it was there to secure people in, it would crush them and you sure can’t lean back against it. Nicely forlorn look at the old bench. And I like Ola’s crop, too.
Kris, I absolutely love this and and photographing it with snow and frost made for a wonderful image. My mom and dad had a couple of metal chairs that this reminds me of. They were just single seat chairs however but were made for outdoor use. It’s very cool!!
