Death Awaits You

[Stephen Lutz]

Went to an abandoned cemetery this summer, and shot some photos in the Crematorium. It has been broken into over and over for years, and is a pretty sad sight. People's death certificates are just laying all over the floor, and old chairs and equipment is trashed every where. Here is one shot I did, cropped in three different ways. Some say I crop too hard, but for me, the tight crop is the best. Taken with a Powershot Pro1 at ISO 100, no flash. B&W conversion done in Photoshop CS using Channel Mixer.

[GB1]

Stephen - It's hard for me to say which crop is the best, if any. I do like the top shot, but maybe it eliminates too many of the interesting details. On the third shot, the blank door on the left side is a negative though, too plain wrt the other parts of the photo. I guess I like #2 the best (uncropped) but actually wish it was pushed out even more to get more of the natural black frame. Oh well.

I guess death awaits everyone, but I can see how after 50, 100 years after someone passes away that the records and all might not mean that much to everyone else. I guess this is slightly less shocking considering what it is (not everyone would agree). Sort of like a lead-in in a Steven King novel.

Funny how the light seems the same as a hospital's.

GB

[noahyay]

I like the one with the widest angle of view. I like the effect of looking through the door.

[Asylum Steve]

...the wide shot is the strongest, but simply because of the doorway. That really adds a dark, almost surreal element to the image...

[thecynicroute]

The second one is the most effective for me. Though it has potential, it's still too "clean" for me. This picture is just screaming for grittiness. Perhaps if you play with higher contrasts, and adjust the lighting you would have a more moving photograph.

[livin4lax09]

the second. the exreme contrast of light and dark works well with the whole subject and idea.

[Fenilyn]

I agree with thecynicroute, the second one works well. I love the idea!




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[dbutler]

Put me down for the second one as well. I think the darkness of the framing makes the stairwell that the arrow is pointing at seem even more powerful and brings in a much more ominous note. The boarded doors and the trash make it seem much more like a place of no return, where she doesn't seem to have any recourse but to follow the arrow. If you think about it for too long, it's quite heartbreaking.