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Apr, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
The photo was taken at the St. Nicholas coal breaker in Mahony City in Pennsylvania. This breaker was once the world's largest coal breaker. It was the size of a city block and capable of processing 12,500 tons of coal per day.The St. Nicholas Breaker first became operational on March 11, 1931. It stopped operating in 1965. A proposal was made during the early 2000s to turn it into a historical site, but that came to an end due to the expense that would be involved. It started to be demolished in 2013. Slowly but surely over the years it was getting demolished. It was completely demolished on March 15, 2018.Time
It was in April of 2016. If I recall correctly, it was sometime in the afternoon. Sometimes these sorts of expeditions happened spontaneously. My brother and I made a few of these trips without having any sort of plan or agenda. We loved to go for the discovery of it not because we wanted to catch the sunlight at a particular angle of the day. But typically we ventured out in the afternoon sometime.Lighting
The lighting was that of the natural light shining from the window that was to the side. I liked the shadows it caused and felt it really just helped tell the story.Equipment
This was shot on my Nikon D7000. Aperture f/5. ISO 1600. Shutter Speed 1/30. Focal Length 360/10Inspiration
I walked into the room and there was something so hauntingly beautiful about the boots displayed out on a bench like this. It was as if they were just waiting to be filled again for another day of hard work for an honest day's pay. I loved how each pair was different. Not just different in style, but different in the wear and tear as well. I felt like it gave a hint to the personality of the man that once wore those boots. A moment frozen in time of a life we will never know..in a building that no longer stands.Editing
One of the obvious post processes I did was converting it from color to black and white. I did amp up the contrast a bit as well to just really help those details pop out. I felt the black and white just helped convey more emotion than it had in color.In my camera bag
I always have the "better safe than sorry" attitude. Which leaves me overpacking in any sort of situation. I get it from my mother. Slung on my shoulder was a leather bag by Epiphanie, the Nikon D7000. 18-55mm lens, 50mm prime lens, 55-200mm lens, 10-24mm wide angle lens. As well as my 70-210mm lens which was originally for a Nikon film camera. It works for my DSLR but looses the autofocus capability. Even though I have a 55-200mm lens I like to carry the film lens with me to practice shooting with it. I find it fun and challenging. And talk about a weight difference!Feedback
If you ever have the opportunity to explore some place. DO IT! Take plenty of pictures. Because some day it may all be gone and all that will remain is your photograph. There is almost something ghostly like about having a photograph of a place that no longer stands. Especially something that was once so historical.
