Work Diary - Shoot 3: Abandoned Houses

Evaluation 

For this shoot, I planned to show the contrast between my previous shoots of busy London, with this shoot of derelict and deserted houses that have been abandoned due to the owners moving away. I visited these homes and went inside to check out the condition, and most of them were completely cleaned out with shattered glass everywhere, others still had mirrors on the walls in the hallway and bathroom. It was interesting to see houses that weren't homes anymore, the wallpaper had been ripped down and furniture was missing. These houses felt eerie and creepy, because they were empty. In this shoot, I literally just took photographs of what I saw, so empty living rooms, dark hallways and broken glass. These photos were all taken with natural light, as I was on Location and my camera settings were F11, 1/125 and ISO 200.

This is one of the photos in the first houses I visited, which was completely empty apart from planks of wood leaning against the walls in the living room and kitchen. There is something about these images that makes them creepy and uncomfortable, and I think this is due to the emptiness and darkness within the places. In this photo in particular the windows have been smashed in, and so there is glass all over the wooden floors. 

This photo is especially interesting as we can see the underneath of what used to be carpeted or laminated, therefore it is all dirty and dusty. In the corner of the room, there is old crumpled newspapers that have been left there, along with other rubbish. This photo shows how dirty homes get without maintenance or owners, and also shows how neglected these houses are. In this photo we can slightly see that the window is bordered up with wood because it has been smashed in by somebody. 

Progression 

As my aim for this topic was to venture into different issues and explore my own views through my photographs, I have decided to move away from observing places like London and the abandoned houses, and now what to focus on issues such as homelessness, addiction, mental illness and domestic violence. I think these shoots will be a lot more in depth as they will be far more interesting, and I will be able to explore through camera techniques and editing as well.