Despite the graffiti.
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The connections survive despite the graffiti and stickers.
Leica M10, 50mm f/1.4 Canon LTM at f/8 – as sharp as it gets, and bargain priced.
Free flowing.
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While the 50mm Canon LTM f/1.4 was used at f/5.6 on the M10 here, that outstanding and bargain priced lens is every bit as good at f/1.4.
Wonderful for picking out details.
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I must say that the 1.4x eyepiece magnifier makes nailing focus much easier. On the M10 it’s like using that great finder in the Leica M3 without the agonies of film.
Dead.
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Whereas lamenting dead malls – see the previous blogpost – is hard, as who really cares about their mostly abominable architecture, Rob Dobi’s record of dead theaters, manufacturing plants and, most troubling of all, psychiatric institutions, is poignant and moving. Many of these buildings pose immense issues owing to the presence of dangerous chemicals or asbestos, so tearing them down to build something new is a non-trivial task. So many just sit there, rotting.
The changes in psychiatric care, with greater sensitivity to the needs of patients, saw many 20th century psychiatric hospitals closed, their inhumane treatment of the mentally ill a thing of the past. Thank goodness for that. These are beautifully photographed in this small book which maximizes impact by full page bleed of the excellent photography. The author occasionally struggles with the extreme dynamic range in some of hs settings but that’s a minor quibble.
The author’s talent is not limited to photography. He is also a professional illustrator and you can see more of his work at RobDobi.com.
Dying.
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We live in a post-mall age. Amazon has taken over retailing and, likely as not, the mall in your home town is now an Amazon fulfillment center.
Seph Lawless’s fine photography in this large book makes for depressing viewing and I confess I could only take his images a chapter at a time. But as a chronicle of what was once the quintessential American experience, the book belongs in any photo library.