105 Year Old Abandoned Memphis Building
Jul, 2015Views
3278
Likes
Awards
Featured
Epson PictureMate
Contest Finalist in Urban Decay Photo Contest
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Superior Skill
Magnificent Capture
Emotions
Impressed
Top Ranks
Top 10 rank
Top 30 rank
Top 30 rank
Top 20 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Categories
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
This was photograph was taken while I was on an assignment as a forensic structural engineer in the City of Memphis.Time
The photograph was taken around 10 am during my structural investigation.Lighting
This photo is all about lighting and we as photographers should realize that lighting for photography is what words are to a poet. If we are going to capture an amazing moment, then we have to start realizing when we walk into moments with incredible light. This is a lighting situation that will likely never occur again in my lifetime. I was on assignment as a structural engineer to this 105 year old building in downtown Memphis because a recent failure to the structure which placed the building square into the spotlight of the whole city. The structural failure of the roof framing actually allowed natural sunlight into the building. It is the natural light that brings this whole image to life in my opinion and made it a success.Equipment
I was on an assignment as an engineer and only had my point and shoot camera but right as I approached this location my battery died!!! I was bummed to have a point and shoot only but even more bummed that I wasn't going to be able to capture this moment in time. I thought shoot I'll give it a shot with none other than my iPhone 6 plus. I took about 6 shots trying to nail the exposure hoping it would be as good as what I experienced in person. It was shot without flash.Inspiration
As I first approached the location of the collapse I was overtaken by the beauty of the tragic moment. Yes, it was tragic for the building owner who now has to have this paid for and repaired but I could take my eyes off what I was seeing knowing that this lighting would never be the same again in my lifetime. A new roof and framing members would be put on this in a few short hours and no one would have the ability to see this beautiful building literally decaying before us. The history of this building is incredible and you could just feel it being under the same roof. I could imagine the hustle and bustle of the times past when businesses were thriving and then the moments when all that changed. Now, because of a camera the size of an eraser, I am able to share this brief moment in urban decay with many others to enjoy. I'm thankful for the little things and the little moments in life!Editing
Very minimumal post processing was performed. Mainly just converted the image to black and white and opened up the shadows and dropped the highlights.In my camera bag
I shoot with a Canon 5d Mark III with Canon 16-35mm f/2.8 L, Canon 135 mm f/2.0, Sigma 50mm f/1.4, Canon 24-105mm f/4.0, Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8, Sigma 1.4 TC and Sigma 2.0 TCFeedback
The advice is simple. Slow down and ALWAYS be looking for the special moments given to you in life to capture something amazing. Be aware of your surroundings. If you are driving down the road and see something worth capturing in a frame. Turn around and do it. If you are at work and have one minute to disrupt your work flow because of a one time opportunity placed before you...stop and capture the moment. If it's a person you don't see often, take a minute and capture the moment. My grandfather recently past away and I was at my dads house and saw him unlock his cell phone and the last known picture taken of his dad outside the hospital is on his lock screen of his phone. It's a moment in time we will never get back but a moment in time, we will never let go of because we took the time to capture it on our camera. It's not the best picture or the best quality photo I have ever taken but the moments and opportunities only last for a short time...but the stories...they can go on forever and are worth the time!
