My original plans were to go to the arts festival again in Pittsburgh today. I thought it was a nice day and I always like to shoot in the city. But those plans got thwarted because some business I was trying to take care of ended taking too much time. So, later in the day I remembered a park that’s in a rural area not too far from my house. I never really go in that direction because there’s not much there except a lot of farmland. But I thought since the park has a dam and is a popular fishing area there may be photo opps of some sort. But when I arrived the late afternoon sun was still pretty strong and there wasn’t much else to focus on. The park only has one parking area and a boat ramp that’s accessable by vehicle. to get anywhere else you have to walk through the woods. It was hot and the bugs were bugging like crazy so I thought “forget it, move on”. From there I thought I may see whats in the nearby small town. That’s where I saw the old bank building. It looked like someone was beginning to refurbish it but the interior still looked kind of cool through the windows. I could only shoot through the windows but I liked the look of this staircase. I used a touch of Topaz Adjust during processing to bring out a little detail in the warm wood and old plaster. The flag I saw when I drove away from the bank and the farmhouse I saw on my way back home. That’s about it! Pentax K20D, DA 17-70 (bank and flag), DA 55-300 (house)
Bank Stairs
© David Guidas
What I Pic 
These are great. I live in the rural Midwest and one of the strong themes out here that draws me in is decay. When I lived in Chicago and people always talked about ‘urban decay.’ I have found that in the country there is an equally interesting ‘rural decay’ that exist because of people leaving farming for the city, etc. After I finish reading these post-processing books this summer I am toying with photographing a ‘rural decay’ project to start a portfolio. I am thinking this may even be a life-long project, though I’m not sure of that. Your images show just how compelling this side of America can be.
There certainly is plenty of decay in this area, urban and rural. Not all of it is photogenic though. Sounds like a good project Nathan. The one thing I don’t do much of that I should do is TAKE MY TIME at a location. I tend to get in and out too quick. When you really spend some time and look around that’s when you find some interesting shots. Also, it helps to actually talk to folks in rural areas (if you can find any), since they sometimes tell you about things of interest you might not otherwise find. Plus, once people know why you’re taking photos they’re a little less suspicious and you’re more relaxed.