The creepiest place I have ever photographed. Moundsville penitentiary has imposing Gothic stone architecture adorned with turrets, and like a castle, has an extremely violent history, with almost a thousand deaths within these stone walls. Shown here is Cell Block J & K. ' Photos were created with only a handheld flashlight in total or near total darkness. The former West Virginia State Penitentiary, a National Historic Places Registered facility, operated by the Moundsville Economic Development Council in Moundsville, West Virginia, was built in 1866, just three years after West Virginia seceded from Virginia, and closed in 1995.
Abandoned airplanes in the Southwest desert. Brandishing a flashlight capable of producing different colors, I illuminated the foreground while the tripod-mounted camera shutter was open for this long exposure photo. The streaks in the night sky are star trails created by the movement of the stars during the long exposure photo, accompanied by some beautiful high clouds this cold moonlit winter evening.
Exploring the interior of an old barn at night, I saw how the shadows played on the bureau, and knew instantly how I wanted my photo to come out. I carefully went about illuminating selected areas of the interior of the barn, including the TV and some old discarded lamps with a handheld ProtoMachines LED2 light painting device. The glow from outside is from an ancient neon sign, while the shadows from the bureau are from a nearly full desert moon on a beautiful cool Mojave evening. This calm was momentarily shattered when I was trying to walk in the dark while carrying my camera equipment. I stumbled over one of the enormous large-beam barn floorboards that had bent up slightly, almost causing me to face plant. I somehow caught myself without ramming into anything or falling, but it was a frightening moment. This is always one of the hazards of exploring ghost towns in the dark.
