Runtime
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Recent endeavor found a humble narrator again staring into the cataract of Saw Mill Run, here in Pittsburgh. I’ve mentioned this spot before, and the waterway several times. Occasion had carried me back here – there’s a nearby thrift store which Our Lady of the Pentacle enjoys browsing through – and since ‘shopping’ is an activity which I detest…
When I do find myself in need of a manufactured item that can only be acquired in the ‘brick and mortar’ retail sphere, I approach the purchase in the manner of a military mission. Success is judged on how quickly it was accomplished, and how few people I needed to talk to. A humble narrator does not browse.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Those two abandoned houses are still there, seemingly untouched by the interval of roughly a year, since I had described their situation in April of last year – a post (link above) which I was allowed to include a wonderful bit of detective work as offered by one of my Flickr followers, named Lucien Van Elsen.
Our Lady was inside the busy thrift store for a while, purchasing items to be offered as gifts for family and friends she’d be seeing on an upcoming trip to her ancestral nest in England. It seems a gently used Steelers jersey is a prized item amongst the British fans of ‘American Football’ who dwell in Albion, like my brother in law.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
We’ve experienced nearly record levels of rainfall here in the Pittsburgh area this year, and the run itself was swollen and moving swiftly. Based on smell, Saw Mill Run receives residential sewer runoff. After all those years on Newtown Creek, I can distinguish between residential and business sewage based on its scent alone.
Back tomorrow with something different – at your Newtown Pentacle.
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Carrie over
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One last post from a recent visit to Pittsburgh’s Carrie Furnace, and this was one of the spots that I hadn’t gotten to visit on prior visits. This chamber of secrets is found at the top of a couple of flights of stairs, and attached to the mechanism which transported materials delivered by rail to the steel mill’s campus.
Given the presence of the word ‘Otis’ embossed onto the central smattering of machinery in the room, I reached out to my old friend ‘Hank the elevator guy’ to see if he could provide insight as to the purpose of the mechanisms.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After sending him these photos with my query, the response was ‘It’s an elevator. Drum elevator with a huge DC motor. Must be old. Maybe a grain type elevator. To move material.’ Thusly – my elevator rabbi has spoken. As a note, he’s also installed a serious distrust of escalators into me over the years.
A humble narrator had entered this particular space shortly before the photo safari event was scheduled to end, but about thirty minutes remained before I’d need to head back to the Mobile Oppression Platform and drive back to HQ. I got busy, thereby.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
These were all tripod shots, ISO 100, with exposure times in the 6-10 second range. I was using the 28-105 zoom lens mostly, although a couple of the shots in today’s post were accomplished with a 16mm wide angle prime. I scanned around the room, trying to make my best use of the remaining time on site.
It was a feature rich environment.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This electrical panel, for instance, caught my eye. Must have really been something to see when it was operational. I suspect that one would have experienced a buzzing sound, and an environment of static electricity.
This must have been a very dangerous place to work, Carrie Furnace. One wrong move and ‘splat’ or ‘bzzz’ or ‘sizzle.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There was a step ladder that reached up to the ceiling, with a lot of other gear installed up top. The ladder was locked off.
As mentioned in prior posts, I’m going to be coming back here at the end of May, and am thinking through a shot list. Can’t wait, actually.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
That’s it for this visit, however. It was time to return the loaner hard hat to the front desk/kiosk, climb into the car, and drive back to HQ.
Back tomorrow with something different at this – your Newtown Pentacle.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
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Carried away
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A ‘photo safari’ event at Pittsburgh’s Carrie Furnace had drawn me in, and several posts this week have shown you – lords and ladies – what I witnessed at this nationally recognized historic site.
As described, I had worked opposite to the main body of my fellow photography enthusiasts, which allowed for not having to deal with a crowd. A full circuit of the ruins of this steel mill soon found me at the edge of the property and gazing at a locomotive engine (pictured above and below) which once belonged to U.S. Steel.
It sits nearby a mechanism which the industrial giant utilized to transport coal from the rail cars to the mill’s power plant and furnaces.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There’s a nearby bridge, abandoned, which I suspect once connected this rail track to the south side of the Monongahela River. The burning thermonuclear eye of god itself had risen to its noon day heights, emanating waves of heat and strong light which inspired the 3rd and 4th century A.D. Romans to begin worshipping a deity called ‘Sol Invictus’ or the ‘Unconquered Sun.’ Monotheistic, Sol Invictus allowed for an easy transition to Christianity for the Roman government by the time Constantine wore the purple. The feast of the unconquered sun, for instance, was celebrated on December 25th.
For some reason, Carrie Furnace makes me think a lot about Rome.
There was no reason to use a tripod in such circumstance, so I switched the camera’s operational settings back to handheld mode.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There’s that ‘establishing shot’ mentioned yesterday, wherein nearly the entire surviving complex at Carrie Furnace can be observed.
I was walking on a berm found at the edge of the property which once carried the rail tracks which led away from the position of that locomotive engine in the first two shots of today’s post.
The grounds of the place are a sort of poisoned meadow. I’m sure that digging down just a few feet into the loam would bring up soils laced with heavy metals and coal/arsenic pollutants.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Yet another freight train, this time Norfolk Southern’s #4491, raced past in the direction of a bridge which connects to the community of Homestead, found on the southern bank of the Monongahela River. Like the CSX units observed earlier in the day, I’m fairly sure this one was returning from a delivery to the still active Edgar Thompson Steel Mill, about a mile or so up the river.
This shot is extremely cropped in, as I wasn’t armed with a super zoom on the camera – in terms of lenses.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I began a second circle of the place, seeking out spots which I hadn’t captured shots of yet, and zooming in on details. A humble narrator was growing fatigued by this point, which is a disturbing sensation for me that has been increasing in frequency as age’s degradations set in, diminishing the physical plant. Like a leaf, you… as the Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner opines.
I take some satisfaction out of the fact that I’m in quite a bit better condition than my Dad was at my age. Saying that, the old man worked with his hands his entire life and had a list of injuries that would cover both sides of a piece of paper were they to be listed out. I’ve spent most of my working life behind a desk, in contrast.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Just last week, one had to endure a dental procedure wherein the Periodontist commented that I had a horizontal crack on one of my front teeth. I confessed knowledge of the flaw, and told her the story of a bar fight on Manhattan’s west side wherein I caught a kick to the mouth and described the style of boot which had caused the injury.
That’s really what the difference between me and the old man is, though. He got hurt a lot while trying to feed a family, whereas I have gotten hurt a lot in pursuance of fun.
One more post from Carrie is coming your way on Monday, from inside a space that I got to visit for the first time on this outing.
Back next week.
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Voices Carrie
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Carrie Furnace in Pittsburgh’s Swissvale section, part of which is pictured above, is where I spent a pleasant Sunday morning not too long ago. A defunct and ruined steel mill, this is a ‘national historic place.’
Pictured is the main chamber you encounter upon entering the site, which I did as part of a ‘photo safari’ offered by the Rivers of Steel non profit operation that looks after this, and other, steel industry related historic sites in the region.
When operational, this section would have looked like a literal ‘hell on earth,’ with molten metal and flames shooting about. Temperatures within this structure would have required protective garb and limited occupational exposure to its Tartarean levels of heat.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The group of photographers whom I was a member of all hit this section first, vying for position and impatiently waiting for others to ‘get out of frame.’ My plan involved going to the other sections of this ruination first, and then swinging back around this way. It worked out pretty well for me. Scroll down to the prior posts from this week for more.
As a note: I don’t like having to talk to people when I’m shooting. Usually, the headphones squash that before it gets started, but I wasn’t listening to any of my beloved audiobooks or podcasts on this outing.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There’s a bit of a labyrinth present at Carrie, and I was following both instinct and experience on this particular morning. To see prior visits – click here. The former visits informed my steps, and helped decided where I would set up the camera/tripod combo for captures.
The morning/transitioning to afternoon light was a challenge. I’m going back for another session here at the end of May, a visit which will occur in the late afternoon/early evening. The evening light should be a bit ‘kinder,’ but you never know. Last time I was here for the ‘sunset’ it rained for 2.5 of the 4 hours.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Moving through the complex, there were lots and lots of available compositions to be had. The problem was isolating myself down to individual subjects, as the byzantine complexity of the place created a ‘busy’ visual landscape.
This is always a problem that needs solving when photographing in industrial or post industrial spaces. How do you visually organize things?
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This isn’t the same cylindrical structure as the one in the prior shot, as a note, there’s several of these gizmos.
After moving through the central area of the place, I looped back around to where I got started, with the intention of getting some ‘overview’ master shots. In comic book artist or film director terms, you’d call this getting an ‘establishing shot,’ which lets the viewer know where everything is before the action starts.
You’ll see that establishing shot tomorrow.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
While repositioning myself, another CSX freight train roared by.
CSX #7225 specifically. My presumption is that the train was returning from delivering its cargo to the nearby Edgar Thompson works, which is an active and very operational steel mill that’s about a mile or so up river.
Back tomorrow.
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Carrie on, wayward son
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I do wish that my knowledge base was broad enough to describe the purpose of the various ruinations on display at Pittsburgh’s Carrie Furnace in detail, or even in some sort of broad summary. I am proud that I’m intelligent enough to admit ignorance and say ‘I dunno.’
That’s always been the mark of a ‘smartie’ to me, somebody who’s willing to confess ignorance on a new topic. Stupid people make stuff up, and don’t ask questions, in my estimation.
I also wish that there was some sort of guide book which I could refer to here, but then again – I haven’t taken any of the River of Steel people’s guided tours of the site so maybe there is one. At any rate, as a ‘dirty rotten know it all’ it’s a genuine pleasure to not know things.
This is something about living in Pittsburgh which has been wonderful – novelty, and discovery.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
What I can tell you is that this former steel mill is a genuine ruin. It feels a bit like visiting the Acropolis in Athens, or a Mayan pyramid in Mexico, or even wandering the Brooklyn/Queens waterfront in the late 20th century. There used to be giants here, as the saying goes.
I’ve visited the Carrie Furnace campus a few times now, and have just purchased a ticket to return on the evening of May 19th for the ‘sunset photo safari.’ Who wants to bet that it’ll be raining on that particular day?
– photo by Mitch Waxman
These are all ‘tripod shots,’ as mentioned yesterday. You can certainly get away with handheld camera technique here, but I was desirous of capturing every little detail, pebble, and fleck of rust. It’s also a ‘controlled’ circumstance where you’ve got time to get fancy without having to watch your back.
The doors opened at 10 a.m., on a Sunday. I woke up early, in order to inhale a few cups of coffee and eat breakfast, which is a prerequisite for me getting busy in the early part of the day. I’m normally a late afternoon, blue hour, and night time shooter so mornings ‘ain’t usually my bag.’
I’m famously an owl, not a lark.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Use was made of the fantastic little flashlight I’ve started carrying – the Nitecore T4K. It allows short bursts of 4,000 lumens of light, which allows me to leave the flash gun at home. This burst feature takes the place of a strobe and I’m able to put some bright light where I want it pretty easily, although it’s a bit of guess work to figure out how long to depress the actuator on the thing.
In normal flashlight mode, it’s got a clip which allows for attachment to the bill of my ball cap and it functions like a head lamp. The thing is also usb-c rechargeable which is a major plus. Recommended.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Several of the internal rooms at Carrie were open this time for casual inspection, and one took advantage of the opportunity. As mentioned above, I’d be speculating about ‘what’s what’ in this space, so I’ll avoid the temptation other than offering a vague suspicion about this equipment somehow involving gas.
Luckily, my early strategy of moving far away from the group of other photographers paid off and I had about good amount of time in this chamber all by myself.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Here’s one of the spots where that Nitecore flashlight was super useful, as everything was positively bathed in shadow. I also used the exposure stacking technique, mentioned yesterday, which allowed for some detail to pop and materialize out of the darkness.
More tomorrow.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
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The Newtown Pentacle 