Abandoned & Decayed - An HDR/URBEX Paradise

Decaying and abandoned old buildings are a treasure trove for the photographer or the urban explorer (URBEX) and these types of environments just shout out for the use of HDR and other post-processing styleization techniques to produce a moody and atmospheric image. The inside of these buildings are normally very dark and where there is bright light spilling in from the outside you can get large changes in dynamic range which can be limiting for most camera sensors. Hence the need for taking multiple bracketed images over a range of exposures to bring out the details in the shadows and properly expose the washed out highlights.

The above image, taken inside an old abandoned colonial house in Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia, was created by tone-mapping 3 bracketed images as shown below.

0 EV

-2 EV

+2 EV

For dynamic ranges like this where there is a large difference between the dark shadows and the bright highlights of the open doors and windows I would normally have taken more brackets; 5 or even 7 to cover the dynamic range of the scene. However in this case I was taking hand held as I was sans tripod so shot off 3 quick brackets to try and miminise any camera movement.

The images were imported into Aperture and then tone mapped using PhotoMatixPro. I subsequently did some additional post-processing in  Viveza 2 from Nik Software to enhance the colour and texture of some areas such as the wall on the left hand side and the wonderful eroded ceiling beams.

Looking at the final image compared with the "normal" 0 EV photo it really highlights the benefits of HDR techniques to bring out the full dynamic range of the scene.

The Dome

The Dome is in the Christchurch museum in New Zealand as part of an exhibition about Hallett Station in Antarctica. This geometric dome was taken to Antarctica in pieces and assembled on site by United States Navy Seabees at Hallett Station in 1957. The dome is made of fibreglass with a tongue-and-groove wooden floor. The wall sections were originally fastened together with brass bolts that can be seen around the windows and vent edges. Brass fittings were used because they are non-magnetic and therefore did not effect the scientific instruments used in the dome.

The dome was used for weather recording and observation and also contained a variograph which recorded changes in the Earth’s magnetic field. The dome was initially positioned on the roof of a laboratory, which had stabilised foundations to reduce weather or vehicle interference with the sensitive scientific equipment. The observatory dome was kept free of magnetic contamination by ensuring that it contained no metal furniture or other items.

In the 1984/85 season, the dome was repositioned at ground level on a foundation of beams and refurbished as an accommodation and supply hut. From 2000 until it was dismantled in 2004 it was used as a latrine for Hallett Station clean-up personnel.