Matthew Christopher offers access to abandoned sites through his Abandoned America outings. He occasionally will offer a Leap of Faith where you sign up not knowing the location, what kind of structure, or what the condition is. I signed up for this outing that was about 5 hours away in an area north west of Philadelphia. The outing turned out to be Lynnwood Hall in Elkins Park, an amazing building, and it is in amazing condition. A group has purchased this property and is in the process of restoring it. About $20k of the income from the outings was donated to their non-profit. For this outing, I acquired an inexpensive fish-eye lens (Rokinon 8m f/3.5) that I used on the Z7 for this shot. Other than the warm afternoon light and green carpet on the stairs, the room is pretty much black and white tones. I used NIK Silver Efex Pro 3 for the B&W conversion, as well as photoshop dodge / burn, mid tone contrast boost etc.
This round’s discussion is now closed! 7 comments posted
Kirsti Näntö-Salonen
Hi Terry, this outing concept sounds fascinating, I wish we had something like that, too. - I think that you have certainly made the most of the fish eye: in addition to a full view of the magnificent hall, there is a lovely surrealistic quality from the perspective distortion. It looks like the checkerboard floor is only waiting for Alice and the Queen of Hearts. I think that black-and-white is a perfect choice. Posted: 07/11/2024 14:01:30
Jose Cartas
I fully agree with your choices of the fisheye lens and the conversion to B&W. Because of the strange shapes, the stairs, and the multiple squares, I immediately thought of an M.C. Escher drawing when I saw your picture, although in this case it's a "possible" world. Everything works well and I wouldn't change anything. Posted: 07/12/2024 02:34:31
Anges van der Logt
Great image! Good choice of lens and conversion to BW. Nothing to add. Well done. Posted: 07/15/2024 08:21:20
Bob Benson
Normally I prefer to see curving buildings fixed in Photoshop, but this fisheye version with all the distortion really makes this image, especially your choice to use B&W for the contrast and impact. Posted: 07/15/2024 14:21:23
Mervyn Hurwitz
I like the b&w conversion because the green staircase is no longer dominant. The tones are good and the fish eye perspective is interesting. How did you manage to photograph this without any people in the way? Posted: 07/15/2024 20:40:40
Tony Au Yeong
I agree that using the fisheye lens is a good choice for this ararchitecture image. The triangle formed by the pillars looks lovely and the checkerboard floor adds another element of interest. Although I like the black and white image, the green carpet in the original image stands out from the rest and making it quite unique. Posted: 07/21/2024 07:55:56
Carol Heffernan
(Group 55)
Terry, How great to get a 'cheap' fisheye lens, they are so fun and you did an amazing job with it. Love the B/W conversion as well. Sounds like a fun workshop too. Did he recommend the fisheye or you just added it for the architecture shots?
Posted: 07/25/2024 19:37:41
