Topic: Ironworks

[imagesfrugales]

The Völklingen Ironworks were established in 1873 and shut down in 1986. 17000 workers were employed 1965. In 1994 the ironworks were the first industrial monument which became a Unesco world cultural heritage. The average number of visitors is almost 1000 per day. This was my first visit, I will come back surely.

I shot 2 rolls of Ektar100 120, 1 roll Kodak Gold 135/36, and 1 roll of HP5+ 120. I brought 3 cameras: Diana+, Dacopin pinhole 6x6, Olympus XA, and a small leightweight tripod. The color films went to the lab, the HP5+ I developed and scanned today. So here are the first pictures, more to come hopefully.


ironworks Völklingen by Imagesfrugales, on Flickr



ironworks Völklingen by Imagesfrugales, on Flickr



ironworks Völklingen by Imagesfrugales, on Flickr


Klaus while feeding a Rolleicord with fresh silver, he had to carry a lot more in his big bag:


ironworks Völklingen by Imagesfrugales, on Flickr

[6cmsquare]

Great stuff! I like the 2nd shot quite a bit!

[Indofunk]

I love urban decay! And I'm glad it's a protected UNESCO site (side note: the ruins of the hospital on Roosevelt Island, which featured prominently in one of the recent Spider Man movies, are now being torn down and reconstructed. It was one of my favorite ruins, and I never got a chance to photograph it on film, as the area was blocked off for development quite a few years ago )

[Late Developer]

I really like these.  The first one is my favourite as the tones are just beautiful.  The second and third shots are certainly excellent photos but they are a bit more "soot and whitewash" by comparison to the first and (only my opinion, of course) might benefit from a bit of a contrast reduction.

Can't wait to see more....

[imagesfrugales]

Thank you for the first comments. I'm suprised by the good perception of the first picture here and elsewhere. It's more or less straight out of the scanner. The 2nd got a medium contrast increase in pp and the 3rd a heavy one. I'm still experimenting with the Diana and its special rendering. I like rather contrasty images but can see that a lower contrast sometimes may suit better - still learning, hopefully. So here`s an unedited scan of the 3rd pic:

[02Pilot]

Interesting how altering the contrast makes a huge difference in the way that third shot. With the contrast high it looks utterly imposing, while the lower contrast version feels softer and emphasizes the sense of slow decay. Both good, but very different. Nice shots.

I really like old industrial subjects, but they aren't easy to find around here any more.

[Late Developer]

Purely personal taste, of course, but I'm 110% with O2Pilot on this - the lower contrast provides more of the feel I'd expect from urban decay.  the higher contrast seems more "aggressive" somehow.

[jharr]

I'll put in a vote for the high contrast treatment. It is more ominous. I like that look for urban decay and architecture in general. Good job on all of these though. Very well seen.

[rpmdrd]

are people free to roam to take photos?

this is an interesting lot and the images I can see do justice on the ambiance of the place.

[imagesfrugales]

are people free to roam to take photos?

Yes, for non-commercial use.

[imagesfrugales]

Here is the second runfrom the ironworks, now it's Kodak Gold 200 exposed in an Olympus XA and lab processed, then scanned at home.


l-völklingen-xa-11 by Imagesfrugales, on Flickr


l-völklingen-xa-25_2 by Imagesfrugales, on Flickr


l-völklingen-xa-28 by Imagesfrugales, on Flickr


l-völklingen-xa-29 by Imagesfrugales, on Flickr


l-völklingen-xa-30 by Imagesfrugales, on Flickr


l-völklingen-xa-35 by Imagesfrugales, on Flickr


l-völklingen-xa-36 by Imagesfrugales, on Flickr


Still waiting for the return or the 2 Ektar 120 films. Could be the biggest fun or a desaster, I'm nervous.

[imagesfrugales]

Here is the last series. The first 3 were made with the Diana on Ektar 100 and the last with the pinhole converted 6x6 Dacora also on Ektar 100.



Ironworks Völklingen by Imagesfrugales, on Flickr


Ironworks Völklingen by Imagesfrugales, on Flickr


Ironworks Völklingen by Imagesfrugales, on Flickr


Ironworks Völklingen by Imagesfrugales, on Flickr

[Indofunk]

These are so good I love urban decay

[jharr]

The shot of the fern growing out of the wall is really moving. I did a series a while back of plants taking over or reclaiming spaces that were once claimed by humans. Give this another decade and see how much of this environment has returned to the earth. Thanks for sharing these Reinhold.