Night photos

Halloween Pics

This past Saturday I set up a little photo booth in my foyer and took pics of the neighborhood kids. This was my first time doing a project like this and my first time using an external flash for a project. There was a learning curve, but thankful for Lightroom which helped me fix some of my lighting issues. I still have a lot to figure out specifically with lighting, but I am glad I was able to get a few shots. 

 My crazy kids:)

Trundle Manor

Carrie Furnace 2

My Neighborhood

Arathena and Zoey

Carrie Furnace 1

 Only picture with tripod before it broke:)

Photography on Location: Outdoor pic at different times during the day

 My neighbors gate is the subject for this assignment

 6:20 am (hand-held, forced flash)

 7:20 am (hand-held)

9:30 am

 1:00 pm

 3:00 pm

5:00 pm

8 pm (hand-held, forced flash)

Carrie Furnace: Industrial Revitalization

This semester I am taking the Photography on Location class at Pittsburgh Filmmakers.  The first location we will be shooting at is Carrie Furnace.

Carrie Furnace is a former blast furnace located along the Monongahela River in the Pittsburgh area industrial town on Rankin, Pennsylvania. It had formed a part of the Homestead Steel Works. The Carrie Furnaces were built in 1884 and they operated until 1982. During its peak, the site produced 1000 to 1250 tons of iron per day.  All that is left of the site are furnaces #6 and #7, which operated from 1907 - 1978 along with the hot metal bridge.

Towering 92 feet over the Monongahela River, constructed of 2.5" thick steel plate and lined with refractory brick, Carrie Furnaces 6 and 7 are extremely rare examples of pre World War II iron-making technology. Since the collapse of the region's steel industry in the 1970s and 1980s, these are the only non-operative blast furnaces in the Pittsburgh District to remain standing.
During the 1920s, 1930s,and 1940s, Carrie 6 and 7 consumed approximately four tons of raw materials comprised of iron ore, coke, and limestone for every ton of iron produced. The cooling system for the blast furnace required over five million gallons of water a day. These furnaces reached their peak production in the 1950s and 1960s when they were producing 1000 -1250 tons of iron a day.

As one of the focal points for the proposed Homestead Works National Park, Carrie Furnaces 6 and 7 will undergo a $78 million stabilization and renovation that would allow visitors to climb a series of walkways around these industrial giants and see close hand the furnaces that set world records in the production of iron.

Although the site, which is one of the few remaining riverfront brownfield sites in the area, is currently vacant, redevelopment planning is underway. The redevelopment of the site includes efforts of Allegheny County, several municipalities, and the Steel Industry Heritage Council, to historically preserve the mill structure while also utilizing the site for economic development. The plan calls for the furnaces to be refurbished into an interactive museum. The remaining area would be developed using a mixed-use redevelopment plan. Housing, office buildings, a hotel, a conference center and a transportation center are also planned.

I am excited for the opportunity to take pictures in this historical blast furnace. I am looking forward to the raw nature of the environment and it's uniqueness.

Missing Kenya

Tenwek Hospital Kenya

Photo taken by Steve Starr