The City Lies in Broken Pieces (Abandoned in IR)

schmoo

"... where the wind howls and the vultures sing."

No words can describe how grateful I am to have not only had the opportunity to return to Europe, but to have such a wonderful time exploring some of the less-famous landmarks that the Old World has to offer.

Hidden deep in the forest, nestled between rolling fields and ever-changing sunspots lies this castle, a hollow shell. It is slowly returning to the earth and as we timidly crept between the walls and struts of its former glory, the wind shattered doors and pitched through the empty floors above.













There is very little left of this beautiful chateau, and I am sad to see it go. But I am grateful that we had the opportunity to see her in her dying days, before the elements reclaim.

(Most of these are exterior shots with an IR-modded 30D and the rest are from my trusty 5DmII)

hawkeye978

Very interesting set Schmoo. The IR gives a surreal perspective to the scene. I particularly like #5. It looks like the castle is poking up through clouds.

ivar

Schmoo, these shots of the sad castle came out great! I like that you converted the interior shots to black and white. I don't even remember where the fourth one was taken, hehe.

Did you crop the last one? or is that the full image?

clemensphoto's

Very cool!!

schmoo

Thanks for looking, guys! The weather totally cooperated that day for IR. And also for video as the clouds moving and creating patterns on the treetops was just stunning.

ivar wrote:

Schmoo, these shots of the sad castle came out great! I like that you converted the interior shots to black and white. I don't even remember where the fourth one was taken, hehe.

Did you crop the last one? or is that the full image?

the fourth one was the hallway behind the main staircase I think, back a ways. So basically, #3 and then make a... uhhh... a right. I don't remember (I bet you would!) if we bothered to go there or if the floor/ceiling was totally caved in. All the debris starts to blur together after a certain point.

The last one is the full image, but I did trim a little off the sides because I had to straighten it. I must have taco head or something, as most of my handheld shots have a slight lean to them.

Now let's see yours! :ivar

kdog

Wow, that is so cool Schmoo. The IR treatment makes it look so surreal. Love the comp in the first one the best.

Cheers,
-joel

coscorrosa

What an awesome find! Great shots too.

dseidman

It's amazing to me there haven't been any preservation attempts for a castle as beautiful as this. I'm glad you were able to find and capture it for all of us to see. Great work on all of these.

dlplumer

These are great Schmoo, and your poetic descriptions just add to the mystique and magic.

schmoo

dseidman wrote:

It's amazing to me there haven't been any preservation attempts for a castle as beautiful as this. I'm glad you were able to find and capture it for all of us to see. Great work on all of these.

I know, right? From what I've found so far the owners are some rich folk who live in Luxembourg, so it's not really high on their list, I suppose. But really the conditions of this castle have gone past the point of no return. It would probably cost so much more to renovate than it would be to demolish the whole thing, which is a shame.

I guess in Europe they think about things a little differently... particularly in relatively rural areas like this!

Marc Muench

Looks like you were bitten by the IR bug

Very interesting series of images and great use of IR.

This is exactly what my house looks like:D
I have no idea how they get trees to grow out of the vertical side of a building when I can barely get tomatoes to grow in my garden

squirl033

love that shot with the two saplings growing out of the tower roof...

who owns the place, anyway? seems to me such a colossal waste to let such a beautiful, historic structure just crumble and decay. lucky you, for getting to visit and photograph it before it's reduced to rubble...

schmoo

Marc you're very modest and tomatoes will always grow in late summer at your local farmer's market. And anyway if you didn't have trees growing helter-skelter, where would all your owls sit?

Many thanks to that rascal Gluwater for loaning me his IR-modded 30D. I knew he'd be a good buddy to keep around.

Rocky, I think the owners are some people who live way out in another country. Can you imagine owning a castle and not really doing anything with it? What a life

Tee Why

Interesting stuff. That shot from the roof looks like snow falls.

thapamd

Unbelievably beautiful series, Schmoo! I've never really dabbled in IR photography, but this series really makes me want to try my hand at it. Just WOW!

Tharhawk

Cool stuff. I had to look up IR just to know what it meant. Very Cool. It works so well with these trees.

Andy

schmoolicioius!

schmoo

Tharhawk wrote:

Cool stuff. I had to look up IR just to know what it meant. Very Cool. It works so well with these trees.

In short, IR = being able to shoot landscapes during midday hours

Thanks guys!

Tango

Images like these always spur thoughts of "what was". And Schmoo as usual you make a huge impact with your fine eye and talent.

it amazes me that no matter what we do we will die, and as important as these people thought they were, they are now gone, just a whisper....
kinda mind numbing to think about....

schmoo

AaronNelson wrote:

Images like these always spur thoughts of "what was". And Schmoo as usual you make a huge impact with your fine eye and talent.

it amazes me that no matter what we do we will die, and as important as these people thought they were, they are now gone, just a whisper....
kinda mind numbing to think about....

Very much so! It's sad in a way, but I think it's a basic human instinct to also be fascinated. What never fails to leave an impact is how cold and quiet these buildings are, but they also have a very powerful "voice" in the wind, the creaking of fallen timbers, doors slamming and water dripping, etc.

Awais Yaqub

Super photographs ! glad to see you taking photos

Doug Solis

Wow what a great find, it is sad to see something that beautiful slowly die. Love your perspectives. Wonderful IR series, I've got to get one of those cameras.

schmoo

Thanks Awais, it was good to get out and try shooting after so long!

And Doug it's worth playing with, definitely. Even if you don't get one of your own bodies converted, renting an IR camera for a weekend is a great way to find out if it's something you'll actually use.