I knew right from the beginning this location had fantastic opportunities but would be really challenging.
On the day it was freezing cold and overcast, there is little light available even on a good day. With a bit of preparation we were able to keep shooting time down to a minimum.
This set we got in under two minuets.
Special thanks to Anita De Bauch for posing in the freezing cold.
More about the location here
Anita de Bauch came to to shoot with me. We were shooting something completely different, when I saw this in the corner, it was to good an opportunity for us to pass by. The bulbs are all 375w inferred which was both challenging and rewarding as well as warming.
Will post the other sets once they are eddied.
The Boulton and Paul Joinery factory and timber yard is a 36 acre site with 58,000 m2 of buildings, that has been abandoned since it closed in June 2010 with the loss of more than 190 jobs. Opened in 1962, by the mid-1980s, it employed about 400 people and had become the largest and most modern complex of its kind in Europe.
I scoped out the perimeter of this place out a while ago, and had a chat to the secretary guard who alto a nice bloke, was not going to show me round…
I returned a few week later to try my luck, I had previously found a potential entry point trough a maze of barbed wire fences there is a week spot. With a prominent “Warning CCTV in operation” sign right by my entry point. I couldn’t spot any cameras, so I went for it.
Normally I would check the whole place out then start shooting but as this is was such a large site and I didn’t know how long I would be in there for, I decided so seize the opportunity’s as they came.
Potentially some really good aerial views but didn’t want to go climbing on a solo explore. But I am planing a return visit. 
6FT fan 
Shot 30 second EV lit with a P7 
Like many abandoned locations this place has loads of pigeons, I tried t gt a shot of the cat eating this but unfortunately had the wrong lens on. 
Eventually I got to the bit I had come for and had found some other cool bits on the way.
Back in November Diana Braun came up to shoot with me in the abandon asylum.
I had shot here a few times before, in fact I was forming an emotional attachment to this building. Then I had had a tip off it was going to be renovated shortly, I needed to get back in there one last time as the building had so much more to offer. Luckley Diana Braun was available at short notice. I was so worried we might be too late that I spent the weekend before checking out some alternative locations. I’m so glad I did because this caused my main photography interest to shift to urban decay.
We short for four hours, and got loads of really good stuff despite nearly all the windows being boarded up. The lack of light was a real problem but having just upgraded to a 5Dmk2 was a big help!
As soon as we got in I showed Diana around the bits I intended to use (a full tour would have taken hours). I could tell straight away she understood why I wanted to shoot here and knew how to make the location work for us.
I posted the first few photos a while ago but kept the rest back as I was intending to get a copy of Adobe Lightroom shortly and needed something to try it out on, hope everyone likes them.
“Opened in 1893 and closed 105 years later in 1998. In its time it served as a hospital and, during the war, a tuberculosis hospital for the military. Since closure the buildings have been subject to numerous planning applications, none of which have been successful. Its fate seems to be conversion into flats however it seems however that the local council cannot agree on S306 affordable housing agreements.
This building also features on the in the Victorian Society’s “Top Ten Endangered Buildings” list of 2008.
How could I resist this? Once we found the place access to the site was a sheer drop, Luckily we found a way round. The building was heavily boarded but we managed to find our way in. Inside the floors were rough in places so we had to watch our step. Average exposure times were 20-30 seconds light mainly with a P7.
Oh and the phone still has a dial tone!
Starting to get to grips with studio lights, this is my second attempt.
The Norfolk Lunatic Asylum is vast abandoned Victorian asylum on the edge of Norwich, it was re-named Norfolk Mental Hospital in 1920 and was eventually closed in April 1998. Although it would seem many parts had be closed long before that.
I had all ready scoped the place out in advance and knew this place had loads of potential.
We actually did this shoot back in October, the light in there is minimal so it’s very difficult yet rewarding place to shoot. I had no choice but to use a speed light with the ones shot in the generator room. They came out really flat only now I have started using Adobe lightroom am I happy with the results.
It was a long drive so we had a good amount of time to share ideas as I had already sent some location photos in advance. We had similar taste in music so we listened to Bong ra , Epileptik South Of London and Rage Against the Machine on the way there. Music everyone should listen to. By the time we arrived we were defiantly wide awake.
I will have a blog post dedicated to the building some time soon.
Disaster girl has her own album coming out go check it out here.
Then we took a detour past the beach as I was giving her a lift home.
Built in the 1950’s as a to counter the treat of a soviet nuclear attack. A NATO R3 Nuclear bunker double level underground operations block, was built. The entrance in an inconspicuous out building. The scale of this place is epic, built to withstand a nuclear, chemical or biological attack. If there was a nuclear strike this bunker’s radar would be able to detect a launch from Siberia. And would provide command and control for the UK’s Vulcan bombers who’s fleet would launch for a counter strike before the missiles reached the UK. The bunker could then support its staff for 90 days.
1970s, NATO policy had moved to one of ‘flexible response’, whereby the reaction to any Soviet aggression would not immediately be met with massive nuclear retaliation, but might begin with a conventional phase to allow time for negotiation!!!!!!!!!!
Normally this area is strictly off limits but we were lucky enough to have a guide who was based hear.
Original main aircraft tracking room still using valve technology.
A long corridor zig zags underground before arriving at a massive blast door.
This what all the doors are like in this section.
The more sensitive areas were 2 stores down inside a giant 1 inch thick steal box berried in concrete.
All the doors had copper sealing strips to insure the place was sealed from any E.M.P blast.
The whole site no longer used is due to be auctioned off.
Had been wanting to shoot here for ages, finely happened. Luckily the people who own the land were happy to leave us to it. The place has so much potential I could have shot there all day I will defiantly be back there soon. Extra special thanks to Roswell Ivory for agreeing to wander round naked in the thistles. I carry all sorts of “useful” bits in my kit bag and had my secateurs so spent 20 min before shooting carefully removing all the stinging nettles.
Magpie Photography 