Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Tales From Shangri La

Good Morning, er.. afternoon, lovelies. Day one of trying to get a morning routine together was less than spectacular, but to be fair, it's rainy and chilly and my bed was oh so comfy! I did get up at a human hour, eat breakfast, feed the kitties, clean the kitchen and update my shop, so it wasn't a total bust.

Now, I'd like to point you all to an interesting and new blog by a good friend of mine, Tales From Shangri La. I've known Rusty (in person no less!) for 7 or so years. We met in a college art class and he re-introduced me to the fun and beauty of photography, which I had abandoned after high school. In fact, he gave me my first SLR and took me on my very first photography expeditions to abandoned places. We've both always been fascinated by history and the beauty found in decay, but he has easily 3 times the amount of locations under his belt and the boy can do his research.


Some examples of Rusty's work...



He recently began a blog to document the places he visits, to share their beauty and history with others and create a sort of cyber memorial to them. His abandoned photos and histories have been published in quite a few issues of Weird NJ Magazine. The photos he shares are large, to highlight the minute details of the shot and he highlights each place by only showing one entry per page. Navigation can be found at the bottom. I highly recommend looking at his entry regarding the Overbrook Asylum in Essex, NJ. This location is fairly well known and has been visited by the show Ghost Hunters. There's a sort of eerie solitude present in the photos.

If you enjoy quirk, strange history, interesting places or great looking photos, stop by and say hello.

8 comments:

  1. The door photograph is gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  2. That's what I'm screaming- the door pic is amazing!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. It's cold and rainy here, too. Hope your routine picks up and brings you comfort. Beautiful photos. It's so great when a friend can reintroduce us to something we put on the back burner.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow... that door picture is awesome!!!

    I'm not a morning person at all. Even after having 3 kids and being forced intoa morning routine, I am not a morning person. I doubt I'll ever be.

    ReplyDelete
  5. The door is from a ramshackle house that you couldn't pay me money to go into. It's about 15-20 minutes from where I grew up and I've seen it in person...the vibes I get just looking at that place makes the hairs on my neck stand on end and gives me goosebumps.

    Rusty assured me there was no one in a leather face getup in the house, but I don't believe him. I linked the photo to the post about the house if any of you happen to be interested in seeing more of the place. :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I hope you do take your morning routine more easily along the days, Danni! I thnk it's a matter of time indeed, so your internal clock adjusts and accepts it. You go girl!!

    These photos are awesome! The door looks fantastic, but I go with you and wouldn't cross it in this life...

    I'll visit your friends' page! Thanks for spreading the word!

    Kisses from us.

    ReplyDelete