This set is so amazing that it's actually stressing me out!!

I can't say anything that hasn't already been said here, except yes, these photos are stunning!

The next time someone dismisses HDR as a worthless gimmick and says it's application in modern photography is a useless disgrace should be directed to this masterful collection of cameragasms.

WOWOWOWOWOWOWOW

The photograph as a document.

Photographing well documented abandonments is no more than a masturbatory exercise in narcissism.

At best these 'images' are each an harmonious collection of pixels.
Thank you for your adulatory comments.


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Thank you.
(I have not once shot a model in an abandonment.)




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Thank you. They do belong to me.



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ORCON refers to the distribution control 'Dissemination and Extraction of Information Controlled by Originator'. As I suppose I would be the 'originator' of this image, no I do not mind telling you what it is. It is the New York State Assembly building and is obviously not abandoned. Although perhaps it should be, as it is bereft of any of the requisite attributes necessary for a functioning assembly.




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Thank you, I appreciate you efforts in arranging them. I similarly applied some effort in removing them:


Finesse


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Posted by Radical_Ed The next time someone dismisses HDR as a worthless gimmick and says it's application in modern photography is a useless disgrace should be directed to this masterful collection of cameragasms.

HDR is a useless overused bleach my eyeballs gimmick that has no place in photography.

what Yami so masterfully does IS NOT HDR. and to call it that is a slap.

Well, whatever you did to add the people in 3 of your shots, they add to the photos nicely.

Number 16 is a nice spot! Cheers.

I'm no photographer myself, but it doesn't take a photographer to notice the talent here. Amazing and very inspirational. Great work!

Posted by eltidy HDR is a useless overused bleach my eyeballs gimmick that has no place in photography. what Yami so masterfully does IS NOT HDR. and to call it that is a slap.

Yami's extensive rework with his post-processing program is quite reminiscent of well-executed HDR overlapping and color tweaking. I've seen some of these scenes with the naked eye and I call 'shenanigans' if this is claimed to be the direct result of sequential button-pushing on the back of the camera.
It's purely masterful, no matter the methods used to achieve such wanton awesomeness.

Posted by Radical_Ed I call 'shenanigans' if this is claimed to be the direct result of sequential button-pushing on the back of the camera.

It is not.
There is most certainly a fair amount of post processing in Yamis wonderful images.

Maybe he'd be kind enough to share with us how he achieved these gorgeous results?

These pictures are undoubtedly beautiful - truly an impressive technical achievement. However, *personally,* I can't back shot staging. (Not that all of these photos are set-up, but many obviously are, and that's also been confirmed by several comments in this thread.) To me, rearranging objects to produce a desired scene not only gives photos a disingenuous feel, it's counter to my goal of experiencing, appreciating, and documenting a space as it is in that moment. Plus, I think that staging is cheating; the fun - and the art - is in finding a profound shot/angle in a place as it is. But again, kudos on the keen location eye and camera/post skills.

Oh my god, he moved something, well that ruins everything.

It's equally important to make sure you move things OUT of spots where they look staged, so they don't look staged.

Generally, it's always good to knock a few things over so they don't look staged, but don't knock them over so it looks like you knocked them over. Somebody will definitely call you out for knocking them over. Actually, remove any items that look like they might belong from the room to be safe. You don't want to be accused of bringing them from home.

Especially when the whole world already knows exactly how it looked when you got there.

*claps hands*


Well done good sir, well done.

Posted by abandonr. These pictures are undoubtedly beautiful - truly an impressive technical achievement. However, *personally,* I can't back shot staging. (Not that all of these photos are set-up, but many obviously are, and that's also been confirmed by several comments in this thread.) To me, rearranging objects to produce a desired scene not only gives photos a disingenuous feel, it's counter to my goal of experiencing, appreciating, and documenting a space as it is in that moment. Plus, I think that staging is cheating; the fun - and the art - is in finding a profound shot/angle in a place as it is. But again, kudos on the keen location eye and camera/post skills.

Apart from moving an errant object or two, I rarely stage (at least not in the manner which I believe you are implying. Perhaps you could be more specific?).

Posted by Yami Doki Photographing well documented abandonments is no more than a masturbatory exercise in narcissism.

Your masturbatory shots were spot on.

Posted by Darkman Oh my god, he moved something, well that ruins everything. It's equally important to make sure you move things OUT of spots where they look staged, so they don't look staged. Generally, it's always good to knock a few things over so they don't look staged, but don't knock them over so it looks like you knocked them over. Somebody will definitely call you out for knocking them over. Actually, remove any items that look like they might belong from the room to be safe. You don't want to be accused of bringing them from home. Especially when the whole world already knows exactly how it looked when you got there.

Finally, somebody who gets me!

But seriously...

Obviously, there's a spectrum. But it's important to draw the line somewhere. And reasonable people can disagree on where to draw that line.

As for me, I draw the line at any intentional manipulation of the objects in the space - because I view my role primarily as a documentarian. Someone who views their role as primarily an artist might have a different perspective.

Of course, you're right to point out that other people almost always don't know how the space looked or how the objects were arranged when you got there. So I think that's where integrity comes in. And if I happen to get an amazing shot with objects arranged in some profound way and you know that I have a standing policy of photographing objects in situ, you can choose to believe me or not based on what you think about my integrity.

These places are indeed living spaces. They're changing all the time. Neighborhood kids going in and smashing things, vandals tagging the walls, scrappers ripping things up, people partying and leaving trash, homeless people living in them, people arranging things for photo shoots, water and ice eating away at them, and even passive explorers putting wear and tear on them just by ratting around - all of these and more are constantly transforming these places. My position doesn't in any way deny this reality. All I'm saying is I do my best not to add to the transformation. I'm there to observe the transformation and, if I can, to capture a snapshot of a moment in that transformation. A fly on the wall.

At any rate, I apologize if I've offended you, Darkman. But I do think this is an ongoing and important conversation among explorers - and one that this photo set brings up, to some extent.

And to Yami Doki: Again, I'm in awe of your skill with the camera and post production. These photos are well done and beautiful.

I wanted to comment with something witty but, damn. Im speechless. Bravo.

Once in a while I'll remove an offending Funyuns bag or an empty can of grape soda (gotta love the denizens of the ghetto!) but for the most part, I leave everything as-is.

I like to bring wheelchairs and pianos from home sometimes.
Working on an "abandoned wheelchairs and Pianos" Book.
I'm on a tight deadline.