My photo blog… visual thoughts around me.

“One Person’s Treasure, Is Another’s……”

"Next Stop...Yesterday"

Old, useless, discarded… these words could be used to describe people or things. As I would never like to describe people in that sense, I will be describing things as in trains, trolleys and buses. They had seen better times and have been discarded to make way for newer models. To me this graveyard of useless vehicles became my treasure.

I was invited to shoot at “Shore Line Trolley Museum” in East Haven,CT, by two very creative professional photographers, Roman Kurywczak and Susan Candelario. We were there to shoot trains, some of them restored and others left to be worked on another day. While shooting,  I quickly became entranced by all the discarded heaps of metal. They seemed to ooze with history. The rust and decay became enticing abstracts. You could envision the memories of days gone by. Other shots transformed their past into an “Old is the new NEW”

There is comfort in the past, some would say we should have a greater appreciation of it. Old is not useless, for these trolleys and buses their time is now. I believe the past can give us a sense of stability. You can feel this as you walk between each of these relics. When I began, I didn’t know where I would end up. This is so true with my photography…. I began with one preconceived idea, and after arriving, this sense of place and of times gone, but not forgotten, transformed my vision into timeless treasures.

44 responses

  1. So eerie but beautiful at the same time. This reminds me a bit of my images from ” American Flats” this place is just amazing, you would be in heaven!!! So is this HDR process? Never tried it, I’m kind of interested in it..

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    March 2, 2012 at 3:18 am

  2. timetales

    Beautiful work Mike ,for years i traveled around with a Kodak 127 afriend told me once you can’t catch it on film , Well she was wrong. Your attitude towards shotting these photos is the same as i had when i started my blog . thanks for stopping by

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    February 17, 2012 at 5:57 pm

    • Thanks for the comment….love the story.

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      February 17, 2012 at 10:08 pm

      • timetales

        Great work, thanks

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        February 18, 2012 at 1:53 am

  3. You have some beautiful pictures here. I found you by way of the recommendation from Maiya. It is a pleasure to have a look at your blog.

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    January 29, 2012 at 1:13 pm

    • Thanks Shimon…your comments are very much appreciated here.

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      January 30, 2012 at 1:49 am

  4. Been going through your photos and i mus say they are amazingly done!

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    January 23, 2012 at 4:17 pm

    • Thanks …love your Tabblo also, many neat ideas.

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      January 24, 2012 at 1:15 am

  5. utterly beautiful!! you took something that people would not normally appreciate and showed us the incredible riveting side of it.. as always dear sir, you amaze me with your skills.. 😀

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    January 9, 2012 at 8:16 am

    • You are so right… beauty can be found everywhere. Thanks for the comment.

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      January 16, 2012 at 3:21 pm

  6. Abandoned structures and places are a passion of mine. Your photos are wonderful. So visual striking!

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    January 5, 2012 at 1:33 am

    • Thanks so much… like your blog!!!!

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      January 16, 2012 at 3:20 pm

  7. “There is comfort in the past, some would say we should have a greater appreciation of it.” If only the buses could speak, they would be saying, “thank you for remembering, for bringing into light that we were once a part of something useful, that we were needed, that we matter. And that even if we are no longer functional, we can still inspire.” Beautiful photos that captured the past’s rich colors, textures and stories. Happy Holidays filled with blessings.

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    December 22, 2011 at 4:34 am

    • ‘IT’… you hit it right on the head. I am so glad you had that experience with the pics. Can’t wait for your next post.

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      December 23, 2011 at 10:50 pm

  8. Tobilyn Gidzinski

    As always…Thanks for the Journey 🙂

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    December 21, 2011 at 1:12 am

    • It’s what I am here for sis… to get you outa Jersey, even if virtually!!!!

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      December 23, 2011 at 10:48 pm

  9. Pat Worley

    Hi Mike.

    Great stuff! I especially like the St. Mary image. The blanket on the driver’s seat adds the human touch that there is more to the story than just old metal.

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    December 20, 2011 at 2:09 pm

    • Thanks Pat… can’t wait to see picts from your trip to Argentina. A couple of people have said the same thing… glad I left it there 🙂

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      December 23, 2011 at 10:46 pm

  10. Great stuff Mike! I’m looking forward to the spring return with no decorations inside the trolleys! I need to explore the inside of the bus some more!

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    December 20, 2011 at 11:08 am

    • Me too… it was great shooting with you as usual. I had a great time, and the people were fantastic.

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      December 23, 2011 at 10:44 pm

  11. Great photos! The colors are amazing! 😀

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    December 19, 2011 at 11:02 pm

    • Thanks Marie… the post-processing really brings them out.

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      December 23, 2011 at 10:43 pm

  12. Perfect subjects for HDR studies, Mike, and you handled them very well. My favorites are the full interior shot and the one of the driver’s seat from behind, with the red boards and tall grasses a close third.

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    December 19, 2011 at 7:12 pm

    • Thanks Gary…. that full interior just sets the mood for the post ..glad you liked it. Really appreciate the comments.

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      December 23, 2011 at 10:42 pm

  13. sharon

    The photos are very intricate . There seems to be an urban feel to these compositions…awesome job!

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    December 19, 2011 at 4:06 pm

    • It’s “urban old abstract” to be precise. 🙂 Thanks Sharon.

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      December 23, 2011 at 10:40 pm

  14. Very nice work. I’m partial to the b/w conversions, personally, I like the way the monochromatic presentation brings out the tones, shapes and forms.

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    December 19, 2011 at 3:16 pm

    • Me too.. although I really like the way the abstracts came out. Thanks Kerry for the comments.

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      December 23, 2011 at 10:39 pm

  15. Wow. The HDR is really something here. My favorite shot is the broken glass. It really stands out

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    December 19, 2011 at 12:24 pm

    • That shot has gotten the most hits…. kinda cool. Thanks for stopping. Looking forward to more of your posts.

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      December 23, 2011 at 10:38 pm

  16. Bonnie Rovere

    I don’t suppose you want to go back to B group?! These really give you the feeling of the past and a bit of what we missed. Nice work.

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    December 19, 2011 at 11:36 am

    • Thats funny… I felt the same way my first year. Sorry to say there is no going back… you are stuck with me and I YOU.. 🙂

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      December 23, 2011 at 10:37 pm

  17. Nic, and interesting work, Mike. I particularly reacted to #6 and #13

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    December 19, 2011 at 11:04 am

    • Thats interesting Ralph… #6 gives it that personal connection. #13 the abstract was …..errr is one of my favs. My mother said it reminded her of a painting.

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      December 23, 2011 at 10:35 pm

  18. Barbara Fallon

    Beautiful technique, however It makes one ponder about what they would do with an opportunity to spend a few minutes in the past.

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    December 19, 2011 at 11:01 am

    • Wouldn’t that be something…thanks Barb.

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      December 23, 2011 at 10:32 pm

  19. Great pictures, I visited the trolley museum with my family in the 70’s. We took a nice ride on a old San Francisco open air trolley through the salt marshes on the loop that they had constructed. It was wonderful feeling, fresh air blowing in are faces making us feel thankful to be alive, but the best part was we got to take home a piece of an old NYC subway car, which I still have on my wall. Thanks for sharing and taking me back in time.

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    December 19, 2011 at 10:07 am

    • That is so cool Lou…. times have changed… they frisked me upon leaving… 🙂
      Many thanks for your comments.

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      December 23, 2011 at 10:31 pm

  20. Good use of HDR, Mike…not overdone, just right.

    Ed R

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    December 19, 2011 at 8:13 am

    • It was tough Ed to not over do the HDR… thanks for stopping.

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      December 23, 2011 at 10:30 pm

  21. There’s something poignant about abandoned structures, and you’ve captured it well.

    I guess it’s a reminder that we all go back to the earth one day.

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    December 19, 2011 at 6:57 am

    • So very true Mike…thanks.

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      December 23, 2011 at 10:29 pm

  22. Fantastic photos! The colours and textures are amazing

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    December 19, 2011 at 2:59 am

    • Thanks Deano… the textures we so very interesting to me.

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      December 23, 2011 at 10:28 pm

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