Going to a Ghost Town this weekend

[JonZenor]

I am headig to a ghost town this weekend to shoot some photos. Do you have any tips for me? Something to shoot for or something to keep in mind as I look for a composition?

I would greatly appreciate it. I just do not want to go there and waste my time or come back wishing I had taken a picture of something else instead.


Thank you in advance!

[dcclark]

Sweet! These sorts of places are my favorite subjects (check out the flickr stream, especially the "mining ruins sets).

Some general recommendations:

- Bring an ultrawide if you can. Abandoned locations often have very cool lines... abandoned streets, old weathered siding, collapsed beams... go crazy with the widest angle you can get. (I usually take my 10-24 with me, and peg it at 10mm the whole time.)

- Don't miss the details. Old keyholes, pieces of paper on the floor, broken glass, someone's glasses left on a table, hood ornaments on rusty cars... these can really create a mood.

- Textures, textures, textures! Rust, weathered wood, peeling paint, brittle paper, dust. Look for it, use it, enjoy it.

- Light and shadows. If you can go into buildings and if it's sunny, look for shadows on the wall. This can create a very definite mood of lonesomeness and abandonment. See what it hilights, and maybe look around for situations where the light is falling on something especially interesting.

Unfortunately, my single biggest recommendation is: know your subjects. That means doing what you don't want to, which is spending lots of time, going back a few times, etc. If possible, do that, even if it's a year later. Take the time to reflect on your work, and think about what you'd like to do in the future.

All of that said -- have fun!

[edbayani]

don't forget to shoot some ghosts. . seriously, go with DC's advice.

[lerabu]

Sounds like an exciting trip!

Please do post some pictures! I am very interested!

[BCampbell]

There are a lot of different approaches, I shoot with a bunch of other people who do this too and everyone has their own style.

Personally, tripod, tripod, tripod. Tripod and cable release are your friends. You will probably find some very dark areas, and being able to use a low ISO and long shutter is nice. You can also do this and try to paint light with a flashlight onto parts of the scene. You can even bring a flash unit and fire it with the test button.

I know some people who do all handheld work though, at ISO 1000+ with f/2.8 zooms... up to you.

As above, it's nice to be able to shoot wide. I like to use primes but if you aren't on full frame that could be tough. Using fast primes also means I can quick release the camera and do some handheld work. Don't forget details either, get a variety; wide shots to take in the entire scene and close shots of smaller details.

There are a few tropes. Peeling paint, stairways, hallways, broken glass, abandoned toys, graffiti. For sure shoot this stuff but think beyond them too. Part of the fun is that everyone comes back with different things that others didn't notice. Look for patterns, go abstract, shoot from different angles, look up, look down. Experiment.

Be very very careful of your dynamic range. You will probably find some places that are very dark with few sources of light. The classic example is a dark room with an uncovered window. The window and wherever the light falls could be 20+ stops brighter than the shadows in the room. Even if you bracket you'll have a hard time recovering that. I shoot in RAW and occasionally develop two files and blend them -- I don't bother bracketing often.

Overall, have fun, it will probably not be your last trip so don't worry too much aboutthe shooting and learn. I'd concentrate on safety much more than on the photos.

Here are some of my examples... have a good time.