Location Shoots and Abandoned Buildings

I really enjoy being out at a location and capturing my point of view. I like to try to keep my camera with me at all times, batteries charged and spare memory cards handy because I'll see something outside the car window and I have to stop and photograph it.

Some of my favorite photo shoots have been out in the middle of no where at abandoned building sites. I'll drive out into the dessert either here in California or out in Arizona and just wander until I come across something that's been left behind. The weather out there is hard on man-made objects and buildings; the paint is chipping, the glass is broken and more than likely everything is covered with spray paint and tagging. There is something beautiful about these places, and as the desert begins to reclaim them I am sometimes privileged to run across them and try to capture their transformation with my camera.

Apple Valley, California

Above: The neon sign above a long closed convenience store in Apple Valley, CA.

Above: An abandoned conference hall in Apple Valley, CA. This is the main room in which the floor is almost completely unsupported.

Above: Steps leading to the main room of an abandoned conference hall in Apple Valley, CA.



We found a child's shirt as we approached the conference hall, it was laying in the middle of the path. Something about the colors of spray paint used on the walls of this building appealed to me, it seemed to be mostly pink and blue with splashes of orange. Maybe it was the way it complemented the surrounding landscape.

Rock-A-Hoola Water Park

 Above: The entrance to an abandoned water park along the 15 freeway. This place closed in the late '90's and when you walk around it seems like the owners just closed one day and walked away. The offices still have filing cabinets filled with paperwork and the desks still have chairs and telephones. It's a bizarre place to visit, and an incredible location to shoot.

                                                       

                                            

                                                                                              

Above, Starting from upper left: 1) An abandoned lodge along Lake Dolores near Rock-A-Hoola Water Park. I love this shot, when I look at it I see two photographs. I see the whole photograph and then I see a secondary photograph being framed by the open window. 2) A water tower painted with a fading Coca-Cola bottle. This is right next to the Rock-A-Hoola property. 3) The canopy inside Rock-A-Hoola meant for shade on open days. It is now torn and faded. In the background you can see what was once the park's food service window.

My favorite section inside Rock-A-Hoola was the 'kiddy pool'. Everything was still there,

unlike the rest of the park in which slides were falling apart and falling over - the slides in that location were still fully intact and undamaged. The platform to wait in line for the kiddy slides wasn't cracked and looked new compared to the other structures around it. It seemed untouched by the harsh conditions in the desert, like all it needed was to be filled with water again and it would be ready for use. This photo shows the contrast between the Children's pool and it's surroundings.