Empty Places: An abandoned school in Georgia

I was able to walk through and photograph the John B. Gordon Grammar School with a man whom attended the school in the 1970’s. He had fond memories of every room, including the cafeteria, the auditorium / gym and of course the principal’s office. He pointed to the stage with a smile and said, “My very first school play was right there.”

The school opened in East Atlanta, GA in 1909. As you look through these photos, you will be able to see some of the vibrant colors of years past as lead based paint flakes and falls to the now dirt floor. You will also see that some years, the colors were dark or bland. Other years boast pastel greens and yellows.

The school was shut down in 1995 and later purchased by a development group with plans to turn the structure into loft apartments. That never happened and in 2009, the property was foreclosed on.

In April of 2014, the building caught fire. Today, it is a total loss and will likely be torn down in the near future to make way for development. When that will occur is still up in the air.

These photos were captured in June of 2014. 

Empty Places: Welcome to the Prison Farm

The Prison Farm is just as creepy as it sounds. This structure, once owned by the Federal Government, opened in 1920 as an experiment for alternative punishment for prisoners. The inmate population of 100-beds (which later grew to 700-beds) knew their home as one of the first sanctioned "Prison Farm's" in early American history. Guards oversaw about 1,200 acres in the area of Atlanta, GA. 

The prisoners that lived on the farm were trusted individuals from a variety of backgrounds. The population was hand picked by the warden and each inmate worked hard to raise not only crops, but also animals. 

The prison, while successful, was expensive to properly oversee the inmates. The prison eventually closed in 1983. 

The prison, which is a very significant part of history, now sits abandoned. Fires, vandals, drug addicts and the like have been unable to destroy the massive structure, which is falling apart all by its lonesome due to nature. 

Race or Dye... Interesting

I didn't take too many photos, due to all the dye dust in the air, but this is one of several I shot at a recent race in Nashville, TN. As folks ran the 5K course, volunteers through handfuls of powdered dye on the participants. It was a very messy race. 

I shot this with my little Fuji X100S. It did a great job and it was easy to keep it covered from dye debris. 

It's Called Freedom of Speech

Woman: "You can't take his picture, it's called freedom of speech!" 

Man getting arrested: "Don't take my picture, dude, don't take my picture!" 

Police officer making the arrest: "Man, come on, would you want your picture taken if you were getting arrested out in the street?" 

Me: "I take street photography and I document life and what takes place in America." 

Woman: "You can't take his damn picture, it's called freedom of speech!" 

Me: "Freedom of speech?" 

I whisper: "It won't mean a thing in 100-years."

Random visits to motel rooms?

How many times have you driven past a motel and asked the question, “I wonder what goes on in there day to day?” “Why are there always cars parked in front of that place all day long?”

We have heard about stories of prostitution in some motels, we have seen police reports from others in Rutherford County outlining drug arrests, rapes and robberies. One thing we haven’t done is to simply walk up to some of these motels and knock on the doors to find out what really goes on behind the dirty windows and dusty curtains. So we did just that to share with you some of the stories that we heard from behind the doors (hear and read the story here). 

This story is featured with interviews on WGNSradio.com. 

See our past random knocks on doors HERE. 

What is Street Photography?

So the question, "What is street photography?" This was shot with a Canon 70d.