Over the past year, the state of New Jersey has accepted multiple bids, upwards of $150 million for the restoration of Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital, but today they made the incredibly tragic decision to demolish the building at a cost of $34 million.
Not only is this facility historic in a medical sense, but architecturally it's significant as well. Prior to the Pentagon being constructed, it was the largest contiguous stone building in the United States. It's a beautiful Kirkbride building, with open spaces full of light, beautiful architecture and a lot of life. I wish nothing more than to see buildings like these being constructed today, but tragically, we're about to tear one down. This is a terrible decision New Jersey. You'll realize this someday, but sadly it will be too late...
News story: http://www.dailyrecord.com/story/news/local/2014/08/14/greystone-demolition-bid-awarded-m/14071177/
Photo: "119"
Night, full moon. Canon 5D Mark III + 17 TS-E. 5 minutes. ISO 160. f/11.
Tail section of a B-52 bomber used by General Electric in the 1960's to test their TF-39 engine.
Photo: "Tunnel Junction 7"
(Pitch dark room. Lit with a combination of LED panels and strobe. 1.5 minutes. ISO 200. f/13.)
Tunnel Junction for launch silo No. 3 at the Beale 851-C Titan I Missile Base.
Photo: "Preserve Greystone!"
In July 2008 Greystone Park Psychiatric closed and the remaining patients and Administration Offices relocated to the new facility less than a mile away.
Since then, the state of New Jersey has been deliberating over the best course of action for the decaying hospital. In the last few years, a group known as Preserve Greystone formed and has been advocating for the preservation of the massive Kirkbride building, along with hundreds of historians, preservationists and nearby residents.
Sadly, the state has not even entertained contracts of up to $100 million to restore the facility, but instead have chosen to demolish the building using $50 million of taxpayer money. Sometime later this year, the building will be demolished and over one hundred years of history, stories and medicine will be nothing more than a memory.
Photo: "Following Rules In National Parks"
The colors of the Excelsior Spring were unreal and watching the steam dance in the sunlight was mesmerizing.
Yellowstone is an absolutely incredible place, but I encourage everyone to follow the rules when you visit.
Yesterday, a photographer flew a drone over the Grand Prismatic Spring, ignoring National Park rules banning drone use inside parks, and it crashed into the Grand Prismatic Spring sinking to the bottom of the 120 foot deep pool - http://time.com/3088792/drone-yellowstone-park/
All it takes it one person to potentially destroy a beautiful natural wonder and ruin it for everyone else...
Photo: "Olmstead Point"
Yosemite Naional Park
Back in June I took a last minute trip to Yosemite National Park and the Mammoth Lakes for some full moon goodness with another night photographer.
When we arrived in the park around 11pm, we drove up to Tioga Pass, with the intentions of driving until we saw something awesome we wanted to shoot. The advantage of the Super full moon was that it was bright enough to see our surroundings.
This was my first time up at Olmstead Point and it was so beautiful and peaceful.
Travel: Wyoming 2014
Last month, I spent 5 days in Wyoming with my brother and Dad.
Similar to last year, my brother and I flew to meet up with Dad on his 6,000 mile, 6 week road trip across the Western half of the United States in his 1950 Ford Woody pulling a 1947 teardrop trailer.
We started off in the Grand Tetons for 2 days and then went North into Yellowstone for the last half of the trip.
Having never been to Wyoming, I didn't know what to expect, but I was hoping to see buffalo or a moose for the first time in addition to the amazing mountains, beautiful geysers and thermal activity in the area.
Of course Wyoming did not disappoint. I saw wild buffalo, got within 30 feet of a bull moose and saw many beautiful unreal pools of bubbly hot water. I paddle boarded on the most beautiful lake I have ever seen surrounded by the Grand Tetons, lilypads and fish, camped in a tent through 2 nights of torrential downpour as the lightning and thunder crashed all around and loved every minute of it.
Thank you family for the amazing adventure!
With my Dad and brother at Firehole Falls
Grand Tetons National Park
1950 Ford Woody entering the Park
American Bison, Grand Tetons National Park
American Bison, Grand Tetons National Park
American Bison Nursing, Grand Tetons National Park
Shooting Ansel Adams style
Mormon Row, Grand Teton National Park
Bull moose spotted in Moose, Wyoming
Sun setting while driving through the Grand Tetons
Paddle boarding on String Lake
Snake River
Oxbow Bend
Female Deer
Female Deer
Yellowstone National Park
Continental Divide in the 1950 Ford Woody
Emerald Pool
Blue Sapphire Pool
Excelsior Glacier
Grand Prismatic Spring
Grand Prismatic Spring, iPhone pano
Black Sand Basin, iPhone pano
Old Faithful
Yellowstone Lake Hot Springs
Churning Cauldron
Mud Volcano Area
Tower Falls
Mammoth Hot Springs
Mammoth Hot Springs
Biscuit Basin
Bisquit Basin, iPhone Pano
Elk along the roadside
Photo: "Male Violent Wards II"
Tech: Canon 5D Mark III + 17 TS-E. Edited using Lightroom and DxO FilmPack 3
The Greystone Psychiatric Hospital in New Jersey opened its doors to the first patients in 1877 and 342 patients were immediately submitted.
The main building at Greystone was built following the Kirkbride plan and contained two wings, one for each sex. The violent wards, shown here, are at the end of the second floor of the male wing.
Photo: "Desert Ruins"
A movie set in the Mojave Desert
Photo: "Thermal Lives"
Yellowstone Lake, Wyoming
During our second day in Yellowstone, we drove from Lewis Lake up to Mammoth Hot Springs, making one large 250 mile loop through the park. We stopped at the Mud Volcano, Upper/Lower Falls, Hayden Valley, Mammoth Hot Springs and Old Faithful among a few others and even made it back to our campsite at Lewis Lake in time for dinner.
We drove past this spot and I hollered for my Dad to turn the car around and go back so I could capture the steam glowing in the early morning light. Shooting directly into the sun gave this image a natural monochromatic feel.
Photo: "Blast Lock, No.3"
Blast doors for Launch Silo No.3 - Beale 851-C Titan I Missile Base
To me, these types of images are really fun to create. This space was pitch dark, so to get this shot, I set up an LED panel at the camera, shining towards the blast doors to get a composition. Once the framing was set, I took a LED panel and placed it beneath the walkway on the right. I also placed a panel behind the ajar door. Lastly, during the exposure, I light painted the circular section of the tunnel, near the camera, with a flashlight.
Photo: "Which Way You Do Not Choose"
Doorway to a patient room inside the female wards at Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital in New Jersey.
Photo: "Grand Prismatic Spring"
I took two steps and felt like I had been submerged into a living painting.
My dry skin danced while being steamed by the heat of the spring beneath the dry summer sun.
My eyes began to flutter one hundred miles an hour, faster than my heart could keep up.
I had waited years to see this and it was more grand than I ever imagined...
Photo: "B-58A"
Night, full moon. Canon Mark III + 24-70 f/2.8L. 4 minutes. ISO 200. f/11. Processed with VSCO presets for Lightroom.
This B-58A was a test aircraft for a missile fire control system.
Photo: "B-52E"
Night, full moon. 7minutes @ ISO 160, f/11. Canon 5D Mark III + 17mm TS-E
This B-52E aircraft was used by General Electric in the 1960's to test their TF-39 engine and was disposed of in the desert after the tests.
Fast forward nearly 30 years later to 1991 when the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) was signed and 350 nuclear bombers were being destroyed as part of the agreement. The Russians saw this bomber on aerial footage and soon after, the US destroyed the aircraft by placing explosives in the fuselage.