Photo: "Halfmoon Lake"

Halfmoon Lake, Montana

During a trip to Montana with my family last month, we stayed in a campground about a mile from this small lake. My brother and I noticed the clouds were starting to look nice as sunset was approaching, so we jumped on the bikes and rode the mile to the lake. Sadly, by the time we arrived, most of the clouds had blown over, but it was too serene to pass up a shot. 

(Print - http://smu.gs/16mS25y) 

Photo: "Cool Down"

This building connects to the 1870 Administration Building at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, but was constructed many years later. However, the front offices, shown here, were adorned with wood doors, similar to those in the Admin building. 

 (Sidenote: I'm heading out of town today to work on a project for the next 2 weeks. I will have limited computer time, but hopefully I'll be able to post a photo every once and a while. Have a good few weeks!)

 

Photo: "Ward, Babcock Building"

South Carolina Lunatic Asylum

Development on the Bull Street Village in South Carolina, which is the area containing the old South Carolina Lunatic Asylum, might begin as early as fall, but construction is expected to last for two decades. 

Plans include the addition of new homes, stores and offices as well as a baseball field. The Babcock Building, shown here, will be converted into a conference hotel. 

Much work will need to be done to make the structure of the Babcock safe again, as there are a number of areas on the ward floors that are in a similar condition as the flooring shown here. Portions are fully collapsed, giving a peek of the floors below. 

(Print - http://smu.gs/18RG1Hv )

Photo: "Autopsy Room"

(From the archives, 2010)

Laurelton State Village for the Feeble-Minded Women of a Child Bearing Age was constructed in 1914 and was the first facility of its' kind. It was designed to detain and provide mental health care for women between the ages of 16 and 45 and was a self-sufficient institution. 

In 1969, males were being admitted to the hospital which forced the hospital to take a new direction and it became the Laurelton State School and Hospital. 

The site closed in 1998 and relocated the 193 patients. 

Photo: "Corner Desk"

Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California

The Administration Building was construction in 1870, however many modifications have been done since. Here, you can see the drop ceiling and light fixtures.  

(Print - http://smu.gs/17eKKjm )

One another note, I'm really excited to see what +SmugMug has up their sleeve during the unveiling of the new design today!

Photo: "Break the Mold"

Glacier National Park, Montana

It seems that lately, friends of mine on G+ are sharing photos that are outside of their comfort zone, so I thought I'd share one of mine that falls into that category. 

I shot this image during a recent trip to Glacier National Park with family. Having lived in California my entire whole life, I never really had a chance to see mountains like this until this trip and I'll just say, they were glorious! 

When I began editing the images, I saw this shot and loved the snow patterns and clouds, but didn't feel like it had the impact I had hoped for. I mucked with it for about 15 minutes and then suddenly realized it had to be in B&W. 

Those of you who know my work, know I engage in minimal processing for 98% of my images and rarely convert to B&W, so this is definitely an image I feel is unique for my catalog, but I'm pleased with how it turned out. 

(Print - http://smu.gs/19sY35M )

The Impacts Our Environments Have On Us

Many studies have shown we are largely affected by our environments. Often we are subconsciously molded by the spaces we frequent. For the patients admitted to asylums, they are surrounded by calming colors to subconsciously assist with their moods. Those colors include pastels, such as blues, yellows, pinks and of course "institutional green." This asylum day room is much different. It contains white tile, very little color, no artwork or ambiance. 

This building is the forensic building at Weston State Hospital in West Virginia. For those of you not familiar, forensic buildings are designed to house the criminally insane, those deemed "not guilty by reason of insanity." For all intents and purposes, the forensic building was a prison, with the sole difference being that some mental health care was provided. 

Many of these patients were diagnosed as "incurable" and would spend their lives institutionalized in a building such as this, so I would like you to think about the sort of feelings one might experience in this stark, cold, and lonely environment. It is certainly not as conducive for healing as the colorful, decorated wards of the asylums that held the less dangerous patients. 

 

Photo: "Fallen Plaster"

Corridor inside the Walker Building at Central State Hospital, Georgia.

The Walker Building was constructed in 1884 for male convalescent patients. It remained in operation for 90 years before being abandoned in 1974. Three decades of heat, humidity and rain have taken a toll on the building and the hallways have become a collection of falling plaster, moldy walls and stale air.