One evening way back in 1989 I was in Denver with my brother. We had just enjoyed the fine dining experience of Casa Bonita and were headed back to Colorado Springs where he was attending the Air Force Academy. As we were headed south on I-25 I saw an old sign on top of a building. Even then I was always with a camera at the ready so I snapped off a quick photo as we drove past.
I just thought it was a neat looking sign. Over twenty years later I was visiting my sister, who now lives in Denver, and found that the Gates Rubber Company has abandoned the building and taken the sign down. The area is slated for redevelopment, but a slow economy and high demolition costs have kept the project on hold.
Today this old building stands empty and abandoned. I headed out one evening to get some photos as the sun set. I started on the southwest corner and worked my way around the building, stopping and taking photos as I found interesting angles or features.
Everything lined up nicely for some HDR- High Dynamic Resolution photography. HDR takes patience though, because to get one photo out of the process you have to set the tri-pod up, compose the shot, and then take several shots at different exposures. To capture the details I am using a rather small aperture, so the exposures get long, especially as the light fades. I figure about five to ten minutes of time goes into each shot, and add to that download and post processing time to create the final image. But if done right, HDR results can be spectacular!
I only took exterior shots of the building because there was a fence around it which was an indication that visitors were not welcome. As if that were not enough, a guy showed up and left a viscious dog inside the fence. It was a giant Rottweiler, or perhaps a small black bear, I did not want to get close enough to find out.
I figure these days that any photo can instantly be turned into black and white, so I try to use it only when it enhances the photo and helps tell the story. This photo of the east side seemed to have much more to say when pushed into black and white.
Who knows how much longer this building will be here? I don't know, but I am glad that I had the chance to see it up close before it is gone. The rest of the photos from this gallery can be seen here.
January
February
March
April
(1)
May (1)
(5)
June (5)
(2)
July (2)
(1)
August (1)
(1)
September (1)
(1)
October (1)
(1)
November (1)
(1)
December (1)
|
(2)
January (2)
(1)
February (1)
(2)
March (2)
(2)
April (2)
May
June
July
August
(3)
September (3)
(1)
October (1)
November
(1)
December (1)
|
January
(2)
February (2)
(2)
March (2)
April
(2)
May (2)
June
July
August
(1)
September (1)
October
November
December
|
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
|
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
|
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
|
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
|
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
|
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
|
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
|
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
|
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
|