Industrial Photography with a Soul

"QUANTUM SHOT" #704 Link - article by Avi Abrams When Bridges Sing of Steel and Romance There is a certain magic in the tightly-wound steel strings and crenelated trusses of old iron railroad bridges. Chicago-based industrial photographer James Kay knows how to express this interplay of steel and emotion in his images; many of which invoke the very soul of once-glorious industrial Chicago area: (Twenty Second Street Bridge; all images credit: James Kay) James says, "Some of those photos were taken with a very special camera - a 144 Mega Pixel 4x5 scanning camera; it produces the highest resolution digital photos in the world." (18th Street Bridge, with a counterweight tower) (Bridge in Cologne, Germany) Found in Cologne, Germany - Gothic Bell Tower Interior: Even scrap metal piles can look fetching and intriguing, sporting multiple tints and textures: (all images credit: James Kay) Make sure to check out James Kay's other venture - Transmission Atelier, a fine art print maker based in Chicago, specializing in Decoratus Absurdum - (more info) - limited edition prints that utilize skulls, religious kitsch, antique anatomy, allegory etc, and other subject matter that is simply weird... They also feature some of the rarest and most interesting posters ever created. Classic steam trains image, originating in China - namely, Zhalai Nuer Coal Mine: (image credit: Niklaus Berger) Industrial Photography by Edward Burtynsky has a different purpose: instead of showing the hidden beauty in ruin and decay, it shows the ugliness of our industrial exploitation, the sadness clinging to such sites: (images credit: Edward Burtynsky) More black-and-white masterpieces of sublime composition, shadow and form: (images credit: Mr.Bones) Some nameless underground machines: (image credit: Stalker, Russia) Industry Can Be More Enchanting at Night David Sommars brings out the not-so-subtle illumination in oil refineries and huge factories, and contrasts them with a gently glowing evening sky - see more here (images credit: David Sommars) There is light in them refineries: (top: David Sommars, bottom: original unknown) Charlie Chaplin in a classic "dieselpunk" environment: (from "City Lights" movie, 1931 - info) BONUS Strange, mysterious machine... What is it? - (image credit: Eugen Stoll) Well, this is a carding machine - more info. An utilitarian marvel of moving gears and magic - a perfect scale model gift for a dieselpunk enthusiast (if you can find such models... of maybe, even make one yourself?) CONTINUE TO "URBAN DECAY" PHOTOGRAPHY! -> READ THE REST OF OUR "ABANDONED / URBAN EXPLORING" CATEGORY -> Share Tweet