In the coming weeks you will see a number of blogs written by me, that in various ways feature my mate the ORP (The Overrated Photographer). To learn more about The ORP, then please check out his site here! This is not a form of fan-service or adoration of any kind.  He just happened to be in the way of most of my photos.  But in all seriousness, The ORP and I met up at an abandoned mill / factory, West of the city and not very far from either of our homes. Apparently this place has been closed down for some time and it is a popular spot for kids just wanting to hang out with their friends, graffiti walls, light fires and inhale toxic gasses into their lungs for a buzz. It is also a good place for some extreme background photography. And to be just a little creeped out.

I wanted to make the most of the environment and capture an abandoned and seriously vandalised old building. And this one certainly delivered all of that. For anyone that has read Stephen King’s horror novel IT, you may recall the Kitchener Ironworks where the monster Pennywise The Clown dwelt. The young heroes in the story have a number of encounters with him there. Well, that is what this place was like. Honestly had me thinking about that book the whole time I was in there. Seriously large industrial machines suspended several floors up – rusted, dark and with gaping maws. Broken walkways and staircases. And musty stale air. Such fun. Perhaps I was wanting to face my fears that the book inspired in the 12 year old version of me. It didn’t work out that way. But a big part is that I love abandoned things and places.

There were some dodgy stair-cases and big gaping pits in the floor.  So The ORP and I kept an eye out for each other. We were never out of each other’s site either. Constantly talking to one another about where to set up a shot, etc. We were, from what we could tell, the only ones in the building.  Although as we were leaving another pair of guys, not as good looking as us, were walking into the building carrying camera gear. But there were plenty of signs of recent occupation. I  would never go into a location like this on my own.  Too much risk of having an accident. So I was safe with The ORP by my side. Pretty sure I was. A word to the wise – if you are a photographer or even just an adventurer, please make sure that you notify someone of where you will be when doing this sort of thing. Or at the least, don’t go alone. Parenting obligations done. 

So today’s blog is just to share with you some of the images I took from both inside and outside of the facility.  I will be publishing other blogs about this location in the near future but they have more to do with other forms of photography we played around with whilst at this location. I think that we both got lots of great content so all-in-all it was a great and productive day for a couple of guys mucking about with their cameras. For me, I took along the Fujifilm X-70 as it has a nice wide angle.  I also used the Fujifilm X-T2 with the XF23mmF2 and the XF50mmF2 lenses. I had also packed a small flash but never got it out.  I think the shadows and natural light were enough.  So stay tuned for a couple more blogs in this series from the creepy place where monsters live (at least in the 12 year old part of my mind)! Happy shooting!