ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER

Amy Heiden is a San Francisco based photographer specializing in landscape, abandonment and night photography.

"I am completely consumed behind a camera, captivated by the beauty I see through the lens. I feel completely weightless as everything around me floats away. I become meticulous, strategic, creative and inspired with each shutter click. I feel nostalgic while reading old newspaper articles, letters, or looking at remnants of the building's or inhabitant's past lives. I am intrigued by the decay, enthralled by the peeling paint and curious about what I will stumble upon while exploring these abandoned buildings. I feel priviledged and honored to document these historic places and I feel blessed that I notice the incredible beauty in the broken and damaged places most people walk right past.

It might be a church on a busy street with boarded up windows and a fence surrounding it, but years ago families came here on Sunday mornings for mass. Maybe it's the factory, now near a residential neighborhood, where hundreds of workers clocked in every morning at 0800 when it was surrounded by nothing but other factories. It might even be a military ship that was full of hundreds of America's men and women protecting our country during a time of war, now sitting quietly in a row with 10 other ships, decaying and awaiting their fate.

These places make me feel alive."

USE OF PHOTOS
All photos are © 2005-2010 Amy Heiden, unless otherwise noted.
Please contact me for licensing information.