More of my big pipes series. Shot in Buffalo, NY at the Buffalo Waterworks. This location has yielded some great images for me. I did this series in BW as it is a monochromatic location and the light plays so nicely with these big pumps and pipes.
I love industrial; landscapes. It’s just one more way to stretch my creativity and way of seeing. So many photographers limit themselves to one specialty, and while that is fine, in my mind, it promotes the lack of seeing. It doesn’t allow someone to get out of the woods and see the trees. I enjoy mixing it up. Every time I do I come back to thinks I like better not only refreshed but with a new vision. These industrial landscapes are an example. You need to see different to find good composition and lighting. This was made at the Buffalo, NY waterworks.
On one of my trips to Silo City which is a Grain Silo complex in Buffalo, NY I had the chance to ride a Buffalo fireboat. For me, this was really cool as I was a firefighter for 26 years. We took this fireboat out to the inlet that drew in the water for the water processing plant in Buffalo, NY. You have seen and will see more images of this facility in my blog here. So, while on the fireboat I took the opportunity to photograph everything there was. This is one of those images. I like the stream of water, the rainbow and then the curve of the bow of the ship.
I have gone to a workshop by Mark Maio at Silo City in Buffalo, NY. Great place to photograph and as a bonus, he arranges a trip to the Buffalo Waterworks where you can photograph amazingly big pumps with big pipes. I love this stuff.
I’ll make this simple, simple like the photo. This is a giant lone wrench I saw at the waterworks plant in Buffalo, NY while I was there photographing at the Silo City workshop. This is another classic case of finding a photo in the photo. I used a long lens to explore the structure and I found this shot.
As you may know, if you are a regular reader, I am big on rust and big metal things. This is an image from the waterworks pumping station in Buffalo, NY. This place is very interesting. Kind of a steampunk kind of place. Big pipes and pumps. The pump house takes water from Lake Erie and was built around 1920. It’s a great place to shoot images. This image was made with an iPhone.
In Buffalo, NY there is a cool old turn of the 20th-century water plant. It’s ana amazing structure and a privilege to shoot inside it. I have been there many time and find all sorts of things to shoot as well as interesting compositions. This image was made with my iPhone using an app that does double exposures. Lots of fun to shoot this way. Sometimes it works and sometimes not. That is also the fun. This one I like a lot. I made a sepia tone image and a regular one. Which one do you like best?
Having been a firefight for many years I get excited when anything firefighting wise comes up. When we were in Buffalo shooting Grain Silos we are given the option to take a ride on a Fireboat to the water intake facility in the lake. What a cool trip that was. This is an image made while we were docked at the intake facility and the firefighters decided to clean off the dock.
The Buffalo Water Works just keeps on giving. I am really looking forward to shooting at this location again. It was quite a remarkable place and today I present another image from my series. This one I like because it looks so industrial. The giant valve and gear driven wheel at the top and add the rust and it just works. The separation from the background works because of this beautiful gentle light that was coming from the skylights.
This is another shot from the Buffalo Water Works. This amazing place has really drawn my creative side to the surface. I have worked these images to give a certain look. Harsh, contrasty, gritty with a heavy feeling. Everything in this building was meant to last 1000 years. You can feel the weight in this shot.