Abandoned

There were so many wonderful old cottages and houses to look at in this contest. I chose this one for the top ten because I love the muted colors and the utter dilapidation of the structure. I like seeing part of the central roof beam still in place with the rest of the roof gone. The place feels empty, alone and abandoned. The wide angle lens is nice because it forces the perspective of the cottage forward. The focal length is good and creates sharpness throughout the image. The horizon line is well placed. The cottage gets away with being in the center of the image because of the old stone wall on the right.

I love the muted colors of this photo. It reminds me of an Andrew Wyeth painting. What takes away from this image is the dirt on the scanned negative. I just can't get past those spots on the upper right hand side of the frame. Besides that, the boat and horizon are well placed in the frame. The boat doesn't feel quite as abandoned as I would like for this category. There seems to be a bow line that lines up with a rock on the shore line. One could think that maybe this vessel still has a use and has not been left in this otherwise abandoned waterway.

I feel like I've seen this image before. It works well for this category as it is completely abandoned and looks to never be habitable again...left in a beautiful and lonely spot. The horizon line is well placed in the top third of the frame. The colors pop well. You have to ask yourself how did this hut get here? It feels so misplaced and yet beautiful.

I love this image. The stillness and simplicity are wonderful. No sign of life except for a few very small blips on the horizon. I feel like the image would be just as strong in color as it is in black and white. The framing is great, with the partially submerged boat sitting perfectly within the tide pool. The tide pool also creates the reflections of the boats railing which gives it a delicate quality. The use of a wide angle lens at a medium focus length gives the image a crispness. The horizon line is perfectly placed in the upper third of the image and the boat placement works well with the surrounding water.

This is a beautiful shot of a broken down Cow Low. One can feel the quiet, cold isolation. The place feels abandoned and never to return to it's former use. The snow creates the perfect surroundings for the old structure to just peak out. Even the barren tree feels otherwise abandoned in this shot.

The use of color in this image is wonderful. The isolation and abandonment is palpable. A home that is no more. I love seeing the roof gone but the chimney still standing. The house is well placed on the right side of the frame and the dark dirt road in the foreground helps to give the house a comfortable place to sit. The billowy soft clouds contrast wonderfully with the hard angles of the house. Yet another image in this category to use a wide angle lens, which forces the perspective and serves to push the house forward, toward the viewer.

This photograph uses the rule of thirds perfectly to illustrate the theme of abandonment. The horizon line is well placed, as is the plane itself. The use of black and white further distills the image into a stark, barren landscape. What's left of the airplane looks totally alone and abandoned. The use of a wide angle lens with a medium focal length works perfectly here. The sharpness of the image serves to intensify the stark feeling created by the fuselage.

This image perfectly captures the feeling of abandonment. Everything has been left to decay. I like the view of the ferris wheel through the interior space. The vertical concrete pillars of the building frame the ferris wheel beautifully and divide up the image in such a way that they eye never tires. You can find something to look at and study in each section of the photograph.. The sharpness and clarity created with the use of a wide angle lens also make this a striking image. There is a sense that nature has been left to take over and it is the only resident left of this concrete structure.

I love this shot! I do wish that the colors didn't feel washed out though. Definitely feels like the old VW Bug has been abandoned and that nature is leaning over to both protect and hide it. The car is well placed in the frame. This shot just has a great feel to it. Maybe just a bit more punch color and density wise. I also would have removed what looks like a white plastic bottle in the bottom center of the frame. That bottle is a distracting the viewer from the main event.

Deserted and abandoned, this drive in movie theatre in the desert is a wonderful shot. The snow makes it that much better with the patches of white creating interesting shapes in what would have otherwise been plain dirt. I also like that it was shot from the backside of the screen. You see all the elements of what used to be but what is now falling apart, piece by piece in a lonely isolated place. The central framing one the screen works here because the other elements of the old drive in are there to support it. The viewers eye can travel around and through this photograph with ease and interest. The use of a wide angle lens with a medium focal length helps this image stand out well.

This is a beautiful shot of a derelict and abandoned house. It's sharp and crisp. The house is well placed in the frame, as is the horizon line and mountainous background. The use of black and white further enhances the stark beauty of the image. Well done!

The way that the large boat is both crumbling into the ocean and yet serving as life for algae is an interesting dichotomy. It feels like the ocean is very slowly eating this ferry bit by bit, reclaiming it to the sea. The use of the long exposure works for me here because both clouds and water have become blurred so that the boat and it's crisp sharpness stand out. The horizon line is well placed. The boat gets away with being more centered in the frame because of the sweeping shape that comes forward toward the bow. The tight aperture is great. You can see every detail of the crumbling boat clearly.

I love this image of the abandoned tall ship. I love the mist that surrounds everything, giving it a haunted feeling. I wish that the placement of the boat wasn't as central - or that there was something else in the frame that created a visual play. The horizon line is perfectly placed and the tight aperture lets you see the wreckage in great detail despite the mist. The use of black and white is great here and gives the shot an old world feel.

I love this image. Definitely looks and feels abandoned. The colors cape is gorgeous with the rusty tanks juxtaposed against the blue hue of the sky and mountains. I wish the image had a little more breathing room and wasn't cut off so close to the tank on the left side. The somewhat central placement of the tanks in the frame works ok for me due to the thin white line of lighter dirt that comes in from the right hand side of the frame.

I love this shot of the old automobile. There is no doubt that this abandoned auto, which is being swallowed up by the blowing sand dunes, will ever see another life. It is perfectly isolated. The placement of both the horizon line and the Rover are great and use the rule of thirds to create a dynamic photograph. The wide angle lens and tighter focal length work great here and strengthen the image. One feels isolated and abandoned in this space.