Interesting shapes, abstract images, especially in unexpected things or places, inspire the photographer in me. I like bold, simple shapes. Geometric forms, lines and angles do it for me. Imagine my glee while photographing a defunct blast furnace in Birmingham, Alabama, recently. Several acres of tanks and pipes, beams and gears, thousands of rivets marching along meandering dotted lines, and rust. Willy Wonka gone nuts.
Everything has its limit – iron ore cannot be educated into gold.
___Mark Twain
The weather was ideal: cool, cloudy and rainy. Perfect lighting. Soft and shadow-less. And, because of the weather, we had the place to ourselves. Almost all of the images were made with a wide angle lens and tripod. Hence, low light was not a problem. Some were shot with multiple exposures and processed as HDRs because of the contrasty milky white sky.
Someone once said, “Art is in the eye of the beholder.” I say, “Art is where you find it.”
And I found it at Sloss Furnaces, now a National Historic Landmark. The mill’s location was ideal because of readily available labor and raw materials (coal, lime and, of course, iron ore). The first furnace was built in 1881, with more added over time. Pig iron was produced for 90 years, until 1971.
In those days the mill was a dangerous place to work. Accidents were common and, over the years, many workers lost their lives. It is believed by some that their spirits still haunt these old furnaces, especially around Halloween.
Be sure to see Travelerlynne’s post on Sloss Furnaces and look for part 2 of the Sloss Furnaces photo essay coming soon.
To purchase high-quality prints of images from Sloss Furnace click here. Thank you.
suej
18 May 2014Art is most certainly in the eye of the beholder…love these images!
fotograffer
19 May 2014Thank you Sue.
snaps22
18 May 2014I love these! The more rust and decay the better as far as I’m concerned and what a great place to explore! I love your HDR images which are not too ‘overcooked’ and the black and white conversion works perfectly.
fotograffer
19 May 2014Jean, thank you for your insightful comment. I am pleased you liked the B&W conversions. It seemed to me to suit the subject best.
Salvatore Anastasio
18 May 2014Ron – great, great, “gutsy” photos – truly great photographic art. I am forwarding it to several friends. Sal
fotograffer
19 May 2014Thanks so much Sal. I appreciate you comment.
Variety Of Life
19 May 2014amazing details!
fotograffer
20 May 2014Thank you and thanks for your visit.
Why?Matters!
20 May 2014Ron, that is stunning!
fotograffer
29 May 2014Thank you Sebastian and thanks for visiting.
Jayanta Kumar Mitra.
24 May 2014I,being a Mechanical Engineer (at present 68 years old) recall the old golden days and thank RON for presenting the Photographs of the Plant and Machines which were in operation to modernize the World.They are still relevant.
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fotograffer
29 May 2014Thank you so much for your comment. It is good to hear from you. How are things in Calcutta?
catbirdinamerica
25 May 2014Ron, I love going to abandoned industrial factories like this and taking photos. I’ve only done it once so far, but I hope to do it again soon. These photos are fabulous, and in black and white, they really capture the haunted mood. I love this post. I’ll have to hop over and see Lynn’s post too. 🙂
fotograffer
29 May 2014Thanks Cathy. I am glad you enjoyed them. I had a ball shooting there.