Photo: "Back to the Morgue"

I had the opportunity to revisit the Marine Hospital on a recent trip and I knew I wanted to spend some time in the beautiful morgue again, in an attempt to get a more refined shot. 

For the image below, I used one 125w LED panel to light the entire space. First, I set the panel inside the hood, aimed it upward, over the table and left it for a minute and a half on a low setting. Then I removed the light, placed it on the ground off-camera to the left and bounced it off the ceiling for another minute and a half at full power. 

Photo: "Light Checkered Dayroom"

Central State Hospital was once the largest psychiatric facility located in Georgia, within the boundaries of the former state capital. The asylum accepted its first patient in 1842, but overcrowding quickly plagued the hospital.

In 1884, this building was constructed to cope with the expanding patient population and housed white, male convalescent patients. 

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Photo: "Railroad Avenue"

The Mare Island Naval Shipyard contains several hundred buildings and other structures, all erected at various times throughout the 120-year operation and constructed in a variety of architectural styles. Among these structures are the Naval Weapons Station, Marine Barracks, Nuclear Power School and Combat Systems Technical Schools Command, Hospital and Power Plant. 

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Photo: "Solitary Confinement Cells"

Weston State Hospital operated from 1864 to 1994 in Weston, West Virginia and is recognized as the largest hand-cut masonry building in North America. This Kirkbride was originally designed to house 250 patients, but by the 1950's patient count reached 2,400. Corridors and day rooms became home to patient beds and the conditions were very poor. The hospital closed its doors in 1994 due to changes in the treatment of the mentally ill. 

Photo: "A Little Variety"

Over the past month or two, I've been trying to add variety to my postings here, showing not only the forgotten world, but also scenes from San Francisco and my travels.

In a few weeks my stream will be flooded with photos of abandoned buildings again because next Thursday, I embark on a week long road trip on the other side of the country, shooting hospitals and industrial sites.

As many of you know, documenting modern ruins has been my first love since I started seriously pursuing photography almost 5 years ago, so it's exciting to think about sharing dozens of new images from these locations with you upon my return.

For now, here's a photo, taken last month during the full moonrise, of another subject I have really enjoyed shooting recently.

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Photo: "Large Trees In A Tiny World"

​This ranch was founded by an Italian settler and dates back to the late 1800's. The original buildings included a small six room house and a single horse barn. In the early 1900's, the house was expanded to fourteen rooms, the barn was also expanded and a blacksmith shop was constructed. It eventually became the one of the largest ranch in the areal in terms of livestock and produce. 

The owner and founder died in 1933 and by the 1940's most of the ancestors had left. The ranch now belongs to the Forest Service.