Chris
My good friend and frequent night-shooting companion Chris Burt, standing in the tower atop the abandoned Baker Hotel in Mineral Wells, Texas on a rainy, foggy night.
This picture really needs to be viewed on a black background to discern all the shadow detail, so here's the link...
It seems my photography of the Baker Hotel has stirred some controversy over on the Facebook Baker Hotel Fan Page....while many appreciate my pictures and the ability to get a glimpse inside this spectacular old hotel, a handful of others take fairly livid exception to my methods of access. An interesting debate on a common problem routinely faced by those of us who shoot places like this. (The relevant threads are a few postings down...)
Night, full moon through clouds, ambient street light. 20 seconds.
Comments and faves
tastygiant (31 months ago | reply)
ill check out the fb page when i get home
great shot as always. i only wish i could make it down there
bLuE pUnK added this photo to her favorites. (31 months ago)
Dignan66 (31 months ago | reply)
Wow, I think Allison's batteries ran out on her vibrator, she's pissed!
Keep up the amazing work!!! And Chris needs to be careful, they know what he looks like now :)
simon.anderson added this photo to his favorites. (31 months ago)
simon.anderson (31 months ago | reply)
Breathtaking view, and the man in the window has just enough light to give it a mysterious feel.
Instant fav :)
wkmpellucid added this photo to his favorites. (31 months ago)
tantonr (31 months ago | reply)
Great shot! And great project that you have going! Excellent work!
_.Chris._ (31 months ago | reply)
These are awesome as usual...I just read the comments...Apparently some people have way too much time on their hands or can't admit that they do not have the guts or imagination to obtain works of art like these,,,,Cheers Noel...Keep 'em coming.
_.Chris._ and samwibatt added this photo to their favorites.
8zil (31 months ago | reply)
I love it, the different light temeperatures here really are appealing, how did you make him stand so still?
Michael Frye (31 months ago | reply)
I like this very much Noel. It's nice to see a photo of, as well as by, a night photographer.
$ajjan (31 months ago | reply)
Awesome!
خالد الصبياني (31 months ago | reply)
Beauty and creativity of an artist
marshmom2001 added this photo to her favorites. (31 months ago)
High Above Texas (31 months ago | reply)
#1. I looked at it LARGE on BLACK and hell, is it stunning!
#2. I don't have a Facebook account, since I am a hermit and want to keep it that way, but what I would say to the Facebook crowd is "You naysayers should give Noel the key to your city, roll out the red carpet, go to sleep soundly each night and know that he is creating incredible art, typically in a town that is on it's last breath... and the publicity generated by his images create economic opportunity!
I can't even imagine the $$$ I've spent in visiting some of the locations Noel has been to, in order to view the spots he has captured with his camera. I bought gas, stayed in hotels, spent money on food and gadgets... and these communities should embrace this type of "economic stimulus."
(If someone wants to cut and paste the above text and enter it in a Facebook forum... go for it. Just don't tell them where I live :)
S. Orville Brooks
(Just another S.O.B. in the skies)
Mystic Ink Photography added this photo to their favorites. (31 months ago)
FLY BY NIGHT PHOTO (31 months ago | reply)
Great shot Noel, if only day dwellers could know that that the moon is just the sun at night, or at least a huge celestial mirror, Cheers!
Noel Kerns (31 months ago | reply)
Thanks everyone...
This is a really special place to stand and look out, especially at night, and especially on a night like this one was. I remember the first night I made it up here...I sat down on the edge, and just looked out for a few minutes...then realized that if I could see everyone down there, they could see me up here! So I stood back up and stopped being so careless, and went about my business.
8zil - I killed him and had him stuffed! :-)
Michael Frye - Thanks Michael! (Everyone...you should all go check out Michael's stream...some AMAZING light paining work over there!)
High Above Texas - Thanks for your continued support, Sterling!
borzoibob added this photo to his favorites. (30 months ago)
geckorem (30 months ago | reply)
Beautiful shots of the Baker, Noel. I shot it from the outside when I was there and peered into the windows, but I didn't have the chutzpa to go in. Your work is gorgeous. What's the worst thing that's ever happened to you when shooting stuff like this?
charcinske and Matt Granz Photography added this photo to their favorites.
Dignan66 (30 months ago | reply)
You might enjoy this video posted on youtube.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cj8cS4ZeYg
Noel Kerns (30 months ago | reply)
Thanks again folks...
geckorem - Thanks! Worst thing...hmm...maybe when I lost my footing at the Swift Meat packing plant and dropped my old Nikon D80 and cracked the back LCD.
Or maybe when I stepped on a piece of thin plywood covering what turned out to be a large hole in the floor of a balcony in an abandoned theater, with a good 20-30 foot drop below it. The plywood cracked and started to give way, and I hastened to get across it. I then moved it see the dark hole below, where I might have met my maker had things gone only slightly differently. All in all, not too bad considering some of the places I've been!
Dignan66 - Thanks! Actually, the guy who made that sent me a link to it; he runs the Facebook Baker Hotel Fan Page.
Alison Chains and osellasprings21 added this photo to their favorites.
country_boy_shane (28 months ago | reply)
Man this really shows what cool stuff you can find while exploring. The photography is one thing, but the adventure can be a whole different level of excitement.
Noel Kerns (28 months ago | reply)
country_boy_shane - Thanks Shane...for sure, the adventure of exploring the Baker Hotel is pretty epic. When I started doing this style of photography, the UrbEx element associated with it was really just incidental to the places I wanted to shoot, but I've kinda gotten more and more into it for it's own sake since then.
L1ghtWave, nicoleXI1, High Above Texas, LeavenworthObey, and Gabby Tea added this photo to their favorites.