Going Back

A few weeks ago I took a second trip back to the Lonaconing Silk Mill in Western Maryland. When ‘time was up’ there last summer they practically had to drag me out. I knew there were many more subjects left to photograph and I wasn’t done! Having shot a lot of the machinery and wider scenes on my first visit, I decided to focus on more of the details this time. The shoes that workers had left behind when the plant closed in 1957 intrigued me. As the story goes, the silk mill workers went home from work one day unaware that the company would cease operations overnight. The next morning they were not permitted back in the building and personal items and tools of the trade were simply left in their places. For many of the subjects I composed both horizontal and vertical versions. I processed and worked on a variety of images in both color and black & white in order to explore their potential before settling on the collection to post here. I hope you will enjoy this trip back in time, when so many Americans worked in home town factories to make their living.

‘Shoe Assortment’ © Denise Bush
Prints For Sale at Fine Art America (link top right)

‘In Waiting’ © Denise Bush
Prints For Sale at Fine Art America (link top right)

‘Missing Person’ © Denise Bush

‘Left Behind’ © Denise Bush

‘Going Down’ © Denise Bush

‘Basement Artifacts’ © Denise Bush

‘Basement Remnants’ © Denise Bush

‘Retired’ © Denise Bush

‘Factory Fountain’ © Denise Bush

‘Ladies Toilet’ © Denise Bush

‘Prince Albert (In A Can)’ © Denise Bush

‘Crepe Tags’ © Denise Bush

‘More Spools’ © Denise Bush

‘Tool Caddy’ © Denise Bush

Crying Out For B&W

Some images just cry out for black & white conversion as did the images below. There was actually very little difference between the color versions and the final images. Hearing that the forecast called for morning fog one weekend not too long ago, I ventured into the pines on both Saturday and Sunday. Having captured some foggy images on a recent trip to Chincoteague that I was happy with, I was anxious to create more. Beginners often expect to capture a winner every time they go out but as we learn from experience, this is very often not the case. The weather, light and location must all be aligned, and this is one of the challenges of landscape photography. Here I show both horizontal and vertical versions. When I choose a scene to photograph I like to ‘work it’ … coming up with as many compositions and variations as I can. When is the best time to shoot a vertical? … right after you shoot a horizontal!

‘Fog & Dead Trees’ © Denise Bush
Prints For Sale at Fine Art America (link top right)

‘Fog & Three Trees’ © Denise Bush
Prints For Sale at Fine Art America (link top right)