Hollywood Cemetery Expedition
I had this vague idea that I'd heard somewhere that Hollywood Cemetery was haunted. I still haven't gone back and researched it to see if this is in fact the case, but I processed most of the pictures in black and white, often with a filter that darkened the image or increased contrast to get a creepy look anyway. There were a huge number of masonic stones and monuments, but the real treasure of the expedition was a tombstone bearing the family name of Link. See the video or look at the gallery below to see what CatsPaw Digital Photography did with it in photoshop.
There would have been more pictures, but I had forgotten to remove the ODSS show pictures from the camera's memory card and so had only a very few exposures left. I discovered this after I was on site, and at that point it was much too late to do anything about it.
I may not have seen a ghost, but I did see something horrible that day. You'll notice, in the video and gallery, a picture of what seems to be a dead snake on the road. I did see a dead snake later that day, but I didn't get a picture of it. This snake was still alive. I wished, very much, that I had been carrying some sort of weapon so I could have ended its suffering; but I wasn't. I walked on by, and I still haven't forgiven myself for doing so.
In any case, the video was originally going to be done mostly in black and white but the editing filters I had to work with did not impress me and I decided it was easier and would look better to simply leave it in color. The result (as seen below) is somewhat lacking in the quality department, so much so that I intend to go back and re-process is a larger file or possibly process as a flash video instead of an mpeg4 and then convert it later. Hopefully one of these will have a positive result.
There would have been more pictures, but I had forgotten to remove the ODSS show pictures from the camera's memory card and so had only a very few exposures left. I discovered this after I was on site, and at that point it was much too late to do anything about it.
I may not have seen a ghost, but I did see something horrible that day. You'll notice, in the video and gallery, a picture of what seems to be a dead snake on the road. I did see a dead snake later that day, but I didn't get a picture of it. This snake was still alive. I wished, very much, that I had been carrying some sort of weapon so I could have ended its suffering; but I wasn't. I walked on by, and I still haven't forgiven myself for doing so.
In any case, the video was originally going to be done mostly in black and white but the editing filters I had to work with did not impress me and I decided it was easier and would look better to simply leave it in color. The result (as seen below) is somewhat lacking in the quality department, so much so that I intend to go back and re-process is a larger file or possibly process as a flash video instead of an mpeg4 and then convert it later. Hopefully one of these will have a positive result.
Art Show
As you may know, the major purpose of the Belle Isle expedition was to obtain photography for the student art exhibit in order to, ultimately, promote CatsPaw Digital Photography. Although none of my photography won, a fourth of it sold. Here's the video from the awards ceremony.
Belle Isle Expedition
This project started as a search for material for the J. Sargeant Reynolds student art exhibit. I was particularly interested in the old hydroelectric plant, which I had previously only seen from a distance. Upon closer examination, I found a huge, empty, warehouse-like room that once housed the three generators and a hole in the wall provided access to one of the rooms that I don't officially know what to call, but will refer to as a 'turbine chamber' since as far as I can tell it must have been where the flow of water from the river actually turned one of the station's three turbines. In this room I was particularly interested, because at the previous year's art exhibit one of the placing photographs was of the large, circular hole in the center of this room along with some trash and jetsam that had accumulated. It was titled, most appropriately, Where It Lives. I was quite impressed, and wished to enter a similar picture this year. The left wall of this room was also covered with graffiti, part of which when viewed from the proper distance through the hole in the wall appeared to read "ART".
Unfortunately, due to the level of the water and the fact that the actual floor of the chamber was hidden beneath an unknown depth of it (the hole being in the center of a concrete pad) I judged it unsafe at that time to venture into the turbine chamber itself. The ground floor of a second building was also accessible, as was the far side of the main building itself via a long walk along a narrow concrete dam with a steep drop on one side. I wanted to access the sealed off areas of the plant, but unfortunately I judged it unwise to try to climb around the barriers with my tripod and camera equipment.
Besides the power station, there were rocks, rapids and old ironwork to photograph, and the two bridges.
Also on this expedition, I visited the Pipeline walkway and found much of interest in the way of architecture and waterfowl. Also, a rafter who had fallen out of his raft in the rapids washed by, holding desperately onto his glasses.
I did not get all of the pictures I wanted, but on the whole the expedition was a success.
Unfortunately, due to the level of the water and the fact that the actual floor of the chamber was hidden beneath an unknown depth of it (the hole being in the center of a concrete pad) I judged it unsafe at that time to venture into the turbine chamber itself. The ground floor of a second building was also accessible, as was the far side of the main building itself via a long walk along a narrow concrete dam with a steep drop on one side. I wanted to access the sealed off areas of the plant, but unfortunately I judged it unwise to try to climb around the barriers with my tripod and camera equipment.
Besides the power station, there were rocks, rapids and old ironwork to photograph, and the two bridges.
Also on this expedition, I visited the Pipeline walkway and found much of interest in the way of architecture and waterfowl. Also, a rafter who had fallen out of his raft in the rapids washed by, holding desperately onto his glasses.
I did not get all of the pictures I wanted, but on the whole the expedition was a success.
Who is Box???
Most of my photographs were edited into monochrome, sometimes with a greater or lesser degree of sepia tone. Partially this was because I found black and white to be more dramatic, but also because to me it made the photographs feel old and antique. Certainly the island and surrounding environment has a great deal of history about it; for instance, the island was a prison camp during the war between the states.
Many images did actually make it into the art show, although sadly my picture of the turbine chamber (which I titled It Doesn't Live Here Anymore) did not.
At the end of the day, when all was said and done and the memory card was full, there remained a peculiar mystery: Who is Box, and why is calling him (or her) important enough to warrant a sign?
Many images did actually make it into the art show, although sadly my picture of the turbine chamber (which I titled It Doesn't Live Here Anymore) did not.
At the end of the day, when all was said and done and the memory card was full, there remained a peculiar mystery: Who is Box, and why is calling him (or her) important enough to warrant a sign?