HDR, really cool or really overdone?

The first time I saw a photo done in HDR I thought it was amazing and I was impressed at how unique it made the photograph look. Then I saw it again, and again, and again. Now HDR reminds me a bit of the band Nickelback (sorry if you are a fan). The first time I heard them I thought they sounded great, but as time passed all the songs started to sound the same and they seemed to be on the radio everywhere.  Just like I can't seem to escape this band, HDR images seems to pop up everywhere I look as well. It has become even worse now that anyone with an Iphone can find an app for $.99 that will add the HDR effect with the push of one button and instantly upload to their Facebook or instagram. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate HDR images (or Nickelback for that matter) I have even used the effect myself from time to time, but I do feel a bit burnt out on it since it is everywhere I look. It's the same with all of these black and white photos that show just a little bit of color on a hat or something to that effect. These are great effects that if used at the right time can be quite amazing, but I don't think we need to add them to everything. Do you agree? I would love to hear you opinion on this so feel free to comment!

-Jason.

Packard Plant April 2012

Picture property of Jason Moultrie Photography. No debri was injured in the making of this picture.

Pulling into the Packard Plant in Detroit we saw an instant reminder of how dangerous this exploration was going to be. A newer blue car was parked in a lot we pulled into, its windows had been smashed and the driver side door was wide open. At first we assumed that this was a stolen car and that the thieves ditched it here once they were done with it. We were wrong. We later found out that the car belonged to other explorers who were inside the building when their car was broken into. This is one of the risks you take going to these locations and venturing out into neighborhoods that most people would lock their doors traveling thru. As horrible as it was for that to happen to those people things could have been much worse than a stolen radio and broken glass. If caught by the police you can be ticketed or arrested for trespassing, you could be robbed or even shot, and walking thru abandoned building always has a chance of being injured or being killed by the unsafe conditions. In this blog I am not suggesting that anyone go into this building, I am just sharing my experience, however if you do go please be careful and a cautious as possible and never go at night or alone.

Unlike other abandoned buildings in the area you can just walk right into the Packard Plant and as soon as I did I felt as if I had been transported to a place far away from the city of Detroit. The destruction and decay in this building is reminiscent of a scene from Saving Private Ryan, with broken walls and debris everywhere as if a huge battle had just taken place there. For as much broken glass, bricks and garbage that line the walkways there is just as much graffiti that covers the walls. Some of it is just simple tags of vulgarity left by random vandals  but some graffiti are nothing less that amazing works of art. You can tell just by looking at these murals how much effort and pride was put into painting them, and I can only imagine the time and dedication it took to do so. These paintings could easily be displayed in the DIA, but instead that are shown only in this urban gallery for just a select few of us who are lucky to see.

Our group spent close to three hours inside exploring and probably came close to covering only a quarter of the space. We traveled thru abandoned offices, up and down crumbling stairs, and a cross a roof where trees and other vegetation grow wild. I saw random furniture, burnt cars, tons of tires, and even a couple boats. I am very thankful to have had the chance to explore this building and see these things with my own eyes before it is torn down and lost forever. Mostly I am grateful that my friends and I left with some great pictures, a great story, and most importantly unharmed with our lives.

Take 2

I was blessed with a second chance to take pictures with the beautiful Ashley and we had a great time. I got to put her in funny hats, santa outfits, and I even got to wrap her in christmas lights. This picture are my favorite ones from that shoot. I definatly hope to work with her again in the future. Enjoy!

The next big thing.

Stephanie's shoot was done this past summer in Mt Clemens Michigan. The Clinton River and the downtown area made a create backdrop for her creative personality. 

Surprise above.

I was laying on the floor to flip thru the pictures I had taken during a shoot and my model Tahania leaned over the edge of the couch to take a peek. When I looked up I saw how her hair fell down at the camera and instantly started shooting away. I love the depth of field and everything else about this shot. I was using studio lights and my off camera flash, but they were set up for the previous shot I took and happened to be perfect for this angle. Everything just came together like it was meant to be. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do! 

Detroit Self Portrait

Even as it sits, crumbled and abandoned, Michigan Central Station remains one of the great landmarks of the City of Detroit. The decay of this building mirrors the struggles that its city has been thru, especially over the last few years. Detroit is a city filled with talented artists, and people come from all over the world to see the art they create, just as people still venture to this train station to see its greatness and the art within its broken walls despite being closed down for over 20 years. The most important similarity between The City of Detroit and Michigan Central is that after all these years of abuse and neglect they both are still standing tall! If there was a self portrait of Detroit, it would be this building.

Welcome to change!

Ok, so the title is a bit dramatic, but I had to draw you in somehow right? Up until this point this blog only has been a place for me to show off a few pictures and attempt to advertise my photography. Well my friends that is going to change now. Is this the big change I am welcoming you to? No. The change will be in my photography.

It is my goal to take the way I do and look at photography and change it into something no one has ever seen before. This blog will be your window into that process. Following this blog will give you a front row seat to watch as my art changes from the basic photographs it is not into much more.

People say that you cannot do anything new because everything has already been done. It is my mission to prove that statement wrong. I intend to take photography to another level by mixing it with other types of art, by ignoring the rules and looking at things in a new light, and countless other ideas that will pop into my head along the way.

In addition to showing the progress of my work I will often post about things that I have tried that did or didn’t work out well and possibly about places I have gone to work or products I have used that I think are great. (or that I think are horrible) This blog will be much more than a photo gallery so I hope you stay tuned and enjoy the ride.