Summer camps out of season -Camp Roganunda

I've been kicking around the idea for a project about summer camps when there are no campers there.  These places are like ghost towns most of the year.  I have several boy scout camps in Washington that I have shot out of season, but this is the first one that is not a boy scout camp.  It is a Camp Fire USA camp (or was) 

Camp Roganunda has been in operation since 1923.  It is now for sale and empty.  2009 was the last year of this camp.  Here is a clip about Roganuda's closing. http://www.playdateyakima.com/2010/05/04/camp-fire-goes-out-after-nearly-100-years/

I do truly wish that I could have gotten into the buildings.  All of the cabin names have been removed and most have been boarded up.  Here is a few shot I have processes so far.  There are more to come, hopefully.

Teapots and Dinosaurs

So I was in the lower valley for some business on friday and took advantage of some local oddities.  First i stopped by zillah and photographed the old teapot dome gas station.  it is not in use but cool.

then i went on to granger, Wa where it is infested by dinosaurs.

there were some at a church

there were some at a playground

at a store

and even at advertising a yard sale.

it has been a while but im back

I looked at my blog the other day and realized that i have not posted since march.  It happens,  i still have been photographing and selling some of my cards on the side as well as shooting a wedding for some family friends.  anywho... the pictures above are just a sampleing of what i have shot over the last few months.  the first one was shot during a cooking competition that i won, i know there is no hint of the cooking competition in the photograph but im the one who has the camera and get to decide what i want to shoot.  the next two are apart of my camp fife project, the first one was shot in april/may and the second on was shot in july when i was at camp as an adult leader.  The last one was shot a few days agor during the cowiche fire.  this one was at 1 in the morning from my grandparents driveway atop of my grandfather truck.  The fire was close but did not get my grandparents house.  Ash was falling from the sky like snow and it was surreal.  I hope to start posting more often as life permits.

Signs are everywhere...if only you know how to read them

Todays Blog post is all about signs or atleast all about where signs used to be and the evidence left behind.  The store may close and be abandoned but i love how its reminence lives on.  Yakima hasn't had a JC Penney in almost 10 years but if you drive by its former location it still says JC Penney just by lack of sign.  Would that be concidered irony? 

Batteries   Yakima, Wa 2010\

ex JC penney  Yakima, Wa 2010

Payless Drug    Yakima, Wa 2010

ex Yakima Mall   Yakima, Wa 2010

A day at Camp Fife

Today I needed a day of serenity.  There are two things that can easily make that.  1. is photographing (I find it therapeutic, constructive, fun, and helps clear the mind)  2.  Is the Cascade mountains of Washington.  The air is crisp the sun is normally abundant and today it was quite enough to hear the snow melt. I traveled to one of my favorite spots in the world -Goose Prairie.  It did not disappoint.  With four cameras in hand (and on back/slung over shoulder) and my trusty tripod I struck out to photograph.  Camp Fife is the main reason for my picked destination and after arriving i soon discover that the ranger is not Home/In Camp/ whatever.  There in no one there except me and my photographic equipment.  I wasn't able to get access to any of the building (Sad) but the sun was out and the light was bright and... well serenity.  I shot 147 shots from 3 of my four cameras, I had 22 shots that are above par and will be entered into my Camp Fife project.  Overall A nice day.  (now if only i could get into some more buildings)

Well since you read all of that you get a reward...Here are some of the pictures that turned out.

Me at the Curtis Gilbert building

Old Dinning Hall- Camp Fife 2010

General Sherman Tree-Camp Fife, 2010

Front Door of old Ranger House-Camp Fife 2010

Totem Pole- Camp Fife 2010

Fun with Telephoto/Macro

This last weekend we traveled over to seattle to visit some friends and go to a patch trade o ree.  Both were good times.  One of Our friends neighbors had some cameras from her grandmother and wanted them to go to someone who would use them.  There was an old film minolta and a canon EOS 650(basically the grand daddy of Canon's current SLR.  With the canon was a 70-210 Telephoto/macro lens.  With a little research i found out that the lens should work with both of my rebels.  This got me excited and wanting to try it out.
The sun was shining and the sky was blue and i headed out.  Here are the results from an empty old resturant and a defunct Oil Company.  Enjoy

four ten resturant parking lot

The old four ten fisherman sign

Tiger oil compant gas booth

18th Street & nob hill Ave

Inside shot

Posted on the wall of Tiger Oil

Ex Air Pump.  Tiger Oil Yakima

This one is for my sister

Ande,
I know that you read my blog.  saw this sign on Teiton Ave and thought you might enjoy. If you do not enjoy it too bad.

polaroid fun!

My grandfather gave me his old polaroid camera the other day, it is one from the 80s but he knew i collect old cameras, so i thanked him and filed it away in my room.  Then while cleaning out some boxes of stuff i found a unexposed package of polaroid film that would work for the camera.  It was refreshing to have only one shot at a photograph.  you could not shoot 187 shots and hope one would turn out or even expose a whole roll and hope that a shot would turn out.  plus you cant hardly find this film anymore so it felt to me like an old 4x5 large format camera.  i took a couple of shots to see what this baby could do and have three shots remaining in the camera to play with.

street sign

Bird feeder

Yellow table

Robyn and Baden

Abandoned warehouse

This weeks adventure takes us to the depths of Cowiche Washington.  Here i saw a few abandoned apple warehouses.  One of them also held an A.A. meeting spot and one of the warehouses had a sign printed stating that there was no ammonia on site, you are on camera and please leave now.  So i went to the other site next door and poked around the old fruit washer and by some apple bins and through the orchard a little bit. enjoy.

Picture 1. Apple fruit warehouse office    Cowiche, WA

Picture 2. apple sign     Cowiche, WA

Picture 3.  Tumbleweed in Ice   Cowiche, WA

Picture 4.  Fruit Washer     Cowiche, WA

Picture 5.  Apple Orchard   Cowiche, WA

  

Photographing with my assisstant

This week I went out photographing and took Irish with me for a little daddy daughter time.  Irish has a little old digital camera of her own and so we ventured out to one of my favorite spots to start out at, the old Yakima Mall.  Then we snaked around the downtown area and checked out the Larson building wnet down to first street and eventually made it back to the car on Naches Ave.  Irish has quite the eye and enjoyed going with me. 

At one point she said "dad, some of the pictures you take I find boring.  So I'm going to take my own instead."

Her are some of mine and some of her shots.  Enjoy

My Assisstant

Naches Ave

Empty store front

Yakima

Larson Building

These are Irish's

this on is on the Car ride home.  Self portrait.

Hops

Its time for the weekly post.  These shots were taken in Toppenish Washington by Heritage University.  I Started school last week to go back and get my teaching certification for washington state.  This week (if i get time) i am thinking on trying some panorama 180 shots.  I think it might be interesting to do some mondane type of places like a basement, or something.  Thoughts?