Beauty In Death – not for the faint

If you’ve been following my progress throughout the years, then you’ve noticed that I’m a bit weird. Very, very odd. Let’s face it, I photograph a lot of dead shit. You might think, “Fucking gross.” but I think “Fucking awesome.” There is beauty in death, whether that’s just my opinion or not, it’s a huge part of why I do what I do.

Yep, that’s me – when I was just a wee nugget.

In 2004, I took my first set of Polaroid 600 photos in Ashland City, Tennessee. (My mother had bought me an iZone & Joycam in my junior high school days, but the photos remain lost.. so I consider the ones from 2004 to be my first true Polaroid experience.) Four polaroids remained in the camera before I went for a walk.. out in bumfuck wherever.

These are the last three in the set, click through for full-size.

I was cleaning a trailer out for a friend’s mother with my roommate. This friend was a woman who worked at a popular hospital in Nashville, TN. She was an RN. We were teenagers. She paid us to clean this place out in return for Ritalin & things of the sort. (a few years ago, I read her obituary in the newspaper. She had committed suicide while on her lunchbreak at work.) These first Polaroids of mine were from her camera, that she’d lent to me before I went for my walk. I owe a lot to her, and I wish I could tell her ‘thank you for really getting me into photography.’ … but I can’t.

Ribcage found at the end of a driveway to an abandoned house off of Britton Springs, Clarksville. Digital shot.

Bird skull found at Trice Landing, Clarksville. Rattle can spatter on canvas. Shot with Polaroid Spectra System/Image film with law enforcement close-up attachment.

Outside of Cumberland City. Shot with Polaroid Spectra System/Image film

Near Paris, Tennessee. Shot with Polaroid Spectra System/Image film

This guy was found ripped to shreds near our apartment in downtown Clarksville. Deer hooves. Shot with Polaroid Spectra System/Image film

This photo was shot with several different cameras. This one was shot with a Canon EOS Rebel 35mm. Kodak Tri-X 400 film, & developed at home with Kodak D-76 chemicals.

Same shot, again, with the Holga 120N. Fuji Neopan 400 film.

You can view the entire “Dead Things/Houses” set on flickr HERE.

Tylertown?

Last Wednesday I went out with a friend to explore some abandoned houses. I was really taken by them. They were beautiful! The first one was a two story white brick home with a hot, stuffy, dark attic & a graveyard in the backyard.

Not only did I want to photograph the house, but I wanted to take a few pictures of Kelsey as well. And they turned out pretty good, I think!

The green shutters of the first house made me very happy.

Here are a few of my favourite shots of the girl that I went with (click through to see full size):

Upstairs, we found some love letters from Erica to Brad & read them aloud. They were from 2001, and no doubt, just two high school kids.

The second house we went to was a little more nerve wracking to explore. There was a roadblock @ the end of the driveway, so we couldn’t take the car down & around the back where no one could see us like the last house. I braved the outcomes, and just parked the car at the end, and we walked. Whenever I’m in a situation like that, I always end up going for it. My last thought is always, “I mean come on, what could happen? …Uhh. Uh, I’m sorry officer, I’m sorry that I was taking photographs of this house.” .. I mean really. I could understand being prosicuted @ the meat packing plant, but a house? Hm. This house was even better than the first, though..

It was sort of half log cabin, half brick. .. the side was covered in flora, & when we walked around back we heard TURKEY!

There was a turkey trapped in here. Long story short; we made the turkey an escape route, heard loud noises upstairs, & fucking ran. You can view the entire set HERE (which has photos of the insides as well.)

All photos were shot with a Nikon Coolpix L12 with Nikkor 5.7-17.1mm 1:2.8-4.7