Elegance in Decay ( 4 of 7 )

Elegance in decay other images taken

I took this brief on wanting to capture decay in many areas such as buildings inside and outside (abandoned and derelict ), objects ( discarded ), vehicles and boats and every day things like walls, wood,locks and metal objects. I wanted to cover all aspects from what was elegant in the eye of the beholder and has decayed to things that have become elegant with the help of decay. I found part of this a little hard as peoples' tastes in elegance can differ and what I like others may not. I just think that in most things there is beauty somewhere and it's just a matter of looking deep and finding it.

Elegance of Decay 6 chosen images

The boat


I chose the image of the boat because it was a place that I had gone to that is at a distance – I wouldn’t be going there that often!  The boat had seen better days! There are so many colours in the picture such as the blues and reds that have faded to a softer colour and the softness ties in with the softer greens and browns. Altogether I think it makes a complementing image that shows the decay of the boat in a subtle way and the background became a non distracting bonus.

The rope

I came across this purely by chance as I was in a ghosted farm yard - it was still owned but activity has ceased. I like this image and the detail in the rotting rope as its easier to see what's going on with the strands and the spreading mould of the different coloured greens. It reminds me of broccoli. I didn't feel that it would have given the same effect if it had been cropped or more focused on one part of the rope as how it is shows progress within its decay.

The wooden stairs

I was on my way home from taking photos from another location of decay,when I came across a derelict house for sale. The house had a lovely old tin roof and stone walls but instantly in the corner this staircase captured my attention. I think it was due to the "back to basics" feel  - the house had to me illustrated a time before all of the modern technology that we relied on so heavily today became so important.

It was the raw wood seeping  through what seemed like one coat of white paint and then appears to be complemented by the same effect in the stone wall, that I found interesting. It was a similar effect with the brick colour through what looked like one coat on the walls . To me the image somehow feels as if it is leading you on into wanting to know where they go to.

The washing mangle

I was fortunate to have had first hand experience with one of these as my Nain ( Gran ) had one of these in her shed and still used it to wring out the water. So this image is nostalgic to me.This image was spotted on a canal walk on the opposite side of the bank.The vibrant red leads you to the detail of rust and the green mould which then takes you down the image to the wooden rollers and its dark cracks. I like the composition with the added silver-coloured tin containers at the side of it. The only down fall is what looks like the modern pot directly underneath.

Roof tiles

I find it surprising really that on closer inspection of the images chosen in this brief, unbeknown to me at the time, it has a running theme of mould in them ! When I first saw this roof I instantly knew that I wanted to capture it as an image but I also had to wait while the sun played peek a boo with me - as in my mind I had already composed the image! I was drawn to  the light reflecting on the tiles and enhancing the patches of mould as I think this helped to darken the gaps where the missing tiles would have been on the bare beams below. The light also cast deeper and lighter patches of grey on the roof slate.

The red door

Although I was very passionate when I was taking this image, I later dismissed it for a different image! On reflection and a nagging gut feeling I reintroduced the image of the vibrant red, flaking painted door. I felt that it offered so much in the different red toned surfaces with the colour of a faded red underneath and another depth of pure wood underneath that layer. The rust gently making its way to the top with its dated latch. To top this off the cobweb seemed to be the icing on the cake for me! I don't feel that I could have made any changes to the outcome as to me it seems complete.