abandoned – Denise Bush's Photo Blog

I Made The Switch

I’ve been dreading the day I would have to change my comfortable, old theme … ever since the first little kinks appeared. WordPress Support has been very helpful, while encouraging me to update. I watched a video but that was intimidating as I was immediately confused by the terms and customization options! (Classic, Legacy, Customizable, Block, CSS and others?) I had been shopping themes and decided to go for it. This theme is simple and not too different from my beloved! I didn’t want to go too large since early images were sized quite small. With dragging and right click copying possible here on WordPress, my reasoning was that I didn’t want to give away large images. This blog is an addition to my main website and online store where images can be viewed larger and copying isn’t so easy. Blogging remains a valuable, chronological archive for me. I think I still prefer the look of my old theme … maybe it will take some getting used to. Just so there is a piece of the past here, the following are the beginnings of posts from earlier years (2009-2019)!

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The Forgotten

Last September I went out exploring, unsure where I would end up. I came across a place with several abandoned buildings and had a wonderful time framing up some subjects. I came home, pleased with what I found, processed them, and then … forgot about them! I can only guess that since it was at the beginning of September, I got side-tracked with fall color. While looking for a particular image today I found them all ready to go, once keyworded, sized and watermarked. I’m glad I didn’t forget about them forever! Now … what was it I was looking for in the first place?

A beat-up Ford truck is parked on the corner of a building to match. — ‘Parked On The Corner’ © Denise Bush
*click here to view larger or order a print*

There is something charming about the colors and simplicity of this little old shack complete with a rusty tin roof. — ‘Tar Paper House’ © Denise Bush

An old log cabin offers a look back in time. — ‘House Made Of Logs’ © Denise Bush

A bull elk skull and antlers hang above a door in Southwest tradition. — ‘Elk Greeting’ © Denise Bush

Tall grass surrounds a house complete with a picket fence ... probably very quaint and cared for years ago. — ‘Picket Fence’ © Denise Bush

Old, weathered shutters offer an abundance of texture, lit with warm afternoon sun. — ‘Shuttered Window’ © Denise Bush

An abandoned log building is locked up tight with shutters and padlocks on all three windows. — ‘Three Shuttered Windows’ © Denise Bush

An old Chevrolet truck parked next to an outhouse reminds us of how it used to be! — ‘Truck Stop’ © Denise Bush

See my ‘Remnants & Remains’ and ‘Windows & Doors’ galleries HERE!

Oldies But Goodies

In this post I am combining images from three of my working, blog folders. It dawned on me that the themes can easily work together … structures, vehicles and outhouses. My original goal was to collect more for each of these subjects and create separate posts. But, since I’m my own boss here, and lean on new work because of the smoky air, I figured … why wait? Here they are, in a trio of threes, some ‘oldies but goodies’!

–– Three Structures ––

A quaint little log cabin nestled among the aspen trees tells the story of a time gone by. — ‘Little Rustic Relic’ © Denise Bush
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An old mininer's boarding house, no longer needed is ready to collapse altogether. — ‘Mountaintop Boarding House’ © Denise Bush
*notecards, unframed, framed, canvas, acrylic & metal prints available*

An abandoned, old-style grocery store takes us back to a time when towns had corner stores to buy groceries and more. — ‘Groceries’ © Denise Bush

–– Three Vehicles ––

An old chevy truck rusts away in an abandoned farm field. — ‘Chevy Resting Place’ © Denise Bush

Close-up of an old door on a truck at one time belonging to Ouray County. — ‘Ouray County Relic’ © Denise Bush

Now resting at the bottom of a gulch, an old truck looks like it tumbled down the mountain. — ‘Wrecked Relic’ © Denise Bush

–– Three Outhouses ––

Weathered wood and a rusty tin roof make this outhouse, built for two a nostalgic find. — ‘Outhouse For Two’ © Denise Bush

A weathered outhouse is a reminder of less luxurious times. — ‘Outhouse & Barrels’ © Denise Bush

An old, weathered outhouse door comes complete with the standard moon cutout. — ‘Weathered Outhouse Door’ © Denise Bush

More Winter Relics

There’s no hope and no changing me now … I can’t stop … finding new stories in old relics that is! Always loving the country and tales of a simpler time in American History I recall being attracted to like treasures at an early age. When traveling I’m always looking, and scanning the views left and right. Discovering new relics, or having a successful photo shoot with one is my kind of fun! Usually more selective, I was surprised by how many I had for this set. Since my blog also serves as a way to document current work I decided to include all the candidates this time. Some of the images were shot in cloudy conditions and others when it was sunny or during the golden hour. In this larger set we can again see how much the temperature of the light affects the scene. In cloudy weather the mood is cold, serious and sometimes sullen. And it’s quite the opposite when sunny. That isn’t to say I think one is better than another … they just convey different moods. With snow scenes even more of a difference can be noticed in the hue of the snow reflecting the color of the sky, time of day and quality of the light. I hope you’ll have fun looking and using your imagination. I wonder, if these relics could talk about what they have seen, what would they say?

An old log farm building is a reminder of the past as it survives another snowstorm. — ‘Where The Willows Grow’ © Denise Bush

Some aspen trees grow right up alongside and old cabin ... perhaps helping to hold it up! — ‘Close Companions’ © Denise Bush

An old rusty car from the past isn't going anywhere soon, content to sit in the sun and snow. — ‘Rusting In The Snow’ © Denise Bush

Chicken wire and a piece of metal are past attempts on discouraging rodents like marmots, opossums and squirels from entering this abandoned building. — ‘Critters Keep Out!’ © Denise Bush

An old log barn displays a lot of character in warm, late day light! — ‘Log Leaner’ © Denise Bush

Winter conjurs up the images of Courier & Ives in the snowy countryside. — ‘Winter Ranch Nostalgia’ © Denise Bush
*click here to view larger or order a print*

A small house and barn remind of how it was on the ranch in the old days! — ‘Ranch House & Barn’ © Denise Bush

A barn that was featured in the original True Grit movie, starring John Wayne still stands, surrounded by a new fence and snow. — ‘Old Barn With New Fence’ © Denise Bush

An old shed leaning to the right has seen better days. We can only guess what is inside ... violaters will be prosecuted! — ‘Posted Private Property’ © Denise Bush

An old cabin located on a Colorado ranch soaks up some warm winter sun. — ‘Cowboy Cabin’ © Denise Bush

What this shed was used for in the past is unknown. Now it has become a place to pile used tires. — ‘The Tire Shed’ © Denise Bush

Photos look sharpest when viewed within my actual site which features a black top bar and sidebar menu. For the best experience, click on ‘visit’ or ‘visit site’ in the blue reader and emails, or ‘view full site’ below the comments. Thanks!

Fall’s Familiar Favorites

Most of the buildings in this post are familiar to me with only one being a new find. I’ve posted photos of some of them before and I’ve shot others, but perhaps not to my satisfaction. And, I have never shot some of them in the fall … all the more reason to go back and work with these subjects again. Whatever the case, these are new versions, shot with different angles or framed for fresh compositions. In most cases, my interest is in showing the scenery with the buildings to add a human story to the landscapes.

WordPress Reader Users: please click ‘visit site’ for best viewing experience. If you love fall foliage and landscapes, click Denise Bush’s Photo Blog at the top, then scroll down to see other recent collections!

A picture perfect barn and autumn colors make a wonderful rural scene. — ‘Picturesque Barn In Fall’ © Denise Bush
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A shack with a rusty roof blends in with the surrounding autumn colors. — ‘Shack With Rusty Roof’ © Denise Bush
*notecards, unframed, framed, canvas, acrylic & metal prints available*

A rustic barn sits on a mesa below Mount Wilson, near Telluride Colorado. — ‘Barn Below Wilson’ © Denise Bush

A tiny old cabin hides out in the autumn forest among the aspen and spruce trees. — ‘Hidden Among Aspens’. © Denise Bush

A tiny cabin creates a quaint scene nestled in a forest of aspen and spruce trees. — ‘Autumn Hideout’ © Denise Bush
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An old log building serves as storage with a workshop attached. — ‘Log Shed With Tin Roof’ © Denise Bush

A weathered shack sits along a country road with a brillian autumn backdrop. — ‘Shack At Crossroads’ © Denise Bush

The old blacksmith building of the Neosho Mine jokingly displays an Antiques sign and laundry left by hikers. A 2.2 mile hike is the only way to get there. — ‘Antiques On A Cliff’ © Denise Bush

An old barn, barely standing survives to lean another day! — ‘Old Barn In Morning Sun’ © Denise Bush

A rustic old barn has begun leaning to the left adding character to a subject from the past. — ‘Log Barn Leaner’ © Denise Bush
*click here to see more from my ‘Remnants & Remains’ collection*

From Mining Days Gone By

Following are some images from a semi-restored stamp mill, high in a mountain basin not far from my home. The hopes of striking it rich with gold and silver drew many west and as a result, Colorado’s mountains are ‘rich’ with mining history. Several nearby towns had larger populations back then, than today. Many others were abandoned altogether since it was not practical to live at such high elevations. Mining in this area started in 1898 and the mill was built between 1905-1906. It is an example of a ‘stamp mill’ named for the method of breaking the ore down using large machines that pound rather than crush. Attracted by the diagonal siding I worked my way around the building looking for compositions while imagining what it must have been like before it stopped operating in 1910.

A stamp mill has been partially restored to preserve mining history in Colorado. — ‘Silent Stamp Mill’ © Denise Bush

Colorado miners had great views like this one … looking out an old mill window. — ‘Window With Mountain View’ © Denise Bush

A stamp mill high in the mountains has been partially restored in order to preserve this piece of mining history. — ‘The Back Side’ © Denise Bush

An abandoned stamp mill from the mining days has an interesting diagonal slope and siding following in line with the background mountain. — ‘Three Windows & A Mountain’ © Denise Bush
*click here to view larger and see other images in my ‘Remnants & Remains’ collection*

The interior of an old mining stamp mill contains few remnants of days gone by. — ‘The Workroom’ © Denise Bush

An old mining building high in the mountains displays a unique diagonal siding pattern. — ‘Window With Diagonal’ © Denise Bush
*click here to view larger and see other images in my ‘Windows & Doors’ collection*

Weathered Characters

Friends and followers of this blog know I can’t go too long without posting images of old structures … shacks, cabins, barns and other mining and agriculture buildings. I just can’t resist these weathered characters! They seem to fit in with the land much more appropriately than new buildings while stirring the imagination of days gone by. Little details and often a sense of place adds to their stories. Just when I begin thinking I’ve found and photographed all the local characters, another finds and calls to me, and my camera!

An old barn looks on the brink of collapse under a spring sunset sky. — ‘Old Ranch Sunset’ © Denise Bush
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A little cabin looks as if it is in hiding, among the aspens and evergreens. — ‘Little Hideaway’ © Denise Bush
*notecards, unframed, framed, canvas, acrylic & metal prints available*

A small hunting cabin appears even smaller in a wide, open landscape. — ‘Hunting Cabin’ © Denise Bush

A tiny log cabin survives among some rusty ranch equipment in a canyon in Colorado. — ‘Rustic & Rusty’ © Denise Bush

A lttle red shack, leaning and far beyond repair, has lost all hope. — ‘Little Leaner’ © Denise Bush

An old miner’s cabin includes a front porch built on a rocky foundation. — ‘Rocky Foundation’ © Denise Bush

An old cabin, missing a roof is a weathered reminder of those who lived below the mountain years ago. — ‘Mountain Cabin Relic’ © Denise Bush
*click here to view larger or to order a print*

2019 Favorites

Here we go again … Happy New Year! 2019 was a great year and I have a lot to be grateful for. Best wishes to all for a wonderful 2020 and thank you for visiting!

You are invited to view my ‘2019 Favorites’ Gallery … in keeping with a 17 year tradition! I like to organize images by year on my website, as an alternative to my store where they are organized by subject. Each of my sites serves a purpose. My website serves as a hub for all I do with links to my store, blog, stock photography and more! Many of the images in ‘2019 Favorites’ have appeared in posts here, where I show my most current work and thoughts about photography. If you’d like to see some of the posts click on ‘Denise Bush’s Photo Blog’ at the top (to return home) and scroll down.

2019 Favorites
*Click here to view the gallery!*

Immobile Mobiles

Finding a piece of history along the way is always a thrill for me. A ghost town with tales of hard times and murder was no exception. Fascinated, I went into over-drive … exploring, composing and shooting. Vehicles left behind and posed among the June grass, grabbed a lot of my attention. Here are some, once mobile favorites from two sessions at this location.

Three Ford Falcons line up together … all belonging to the same club! — ‘Falcon Club’ © Denise Bush
*click here to view larger or order a print*

This abandoned car looks like the kind gangsters and bank robbers used back in the day. As a matter of fact, that’s an abandoned bank in the background! — ‘Getaway Car’ © Denise Bush

Looks like this truck has been stripped clean, leaving just a shell of its former self. — ‘Stripped’ © Denise Bush

An old truck is at home in its abandoned surroundings. — ‘Parked Out Front’ © Denise Bush

A small tractor style lawn mower sits among tall grass in this ghost town scene. — ‘Where The Grass Grows’ © Denise Bush

Two Visits

A town that once was called for two visits … one afternoon and one morning. I was drawn to a little weathered house sitting below some beautiful rolling hills, so I photographed it in changing light and from different angles. There were fences and ‘no trespassing’ signs that I did not want to violate so getting up close was not an option. What I find interesting and want to point out in this set are the skies and how they changed during my two, three hour (or so) visits. It was a fun location with other scenes to follow soon. Do you have a favorite here? … I’d love to know!