sunlight and garbage @ castleberry hill (fujica ax-5)

Despite being invented by musicians in the 1930s, Kodachrome is still better than any modern color film. I was overjoyed to discover it is still manufactured and processed. While some clarity and color depth of the slides is lost in the scans, enough of the unique feel is retained to be worth posting.

While hanging out with the Atlanta Photographers Guild and shooting models, I was rather bored. I noticed the evening sun on a railing and took a shot, as I knew the Kodachrome would reproduce the colors well. Conversely, in cold light, Kodachrome is capable of producing some fabulous blues and greens, as shown in this photograph of garbage in the ghetto.

bad neighborhoods @castleberry hill & downtown atlanta (polaroid 1200si)

One of the nicer aspects of Castleberry Hill is the never ending supply of garbage everywhere. Most of the litter can be attributed to the filthy animals that are Falcons fans, but the neighborhood also seems to attract more than its fair share of random dumping. The City of Atlanta's inability to provide basic services like street and sidewalk cleaning does not help.

To the northeast of Castleberry Hill is downtown Atlanta. This part of the city features some of metro Atlanta's premier office space. Right next to that fine office development are premium downtown Atlanta condominiums. I'm not sure if those are abandoned residences or a vacant hospital of some sort.

Back in Castleberry Hill, the residentially challenged are living large, as evidenced by this bum's nest. I hope everyone enjoyed this tour of scenic downtown Atlanta!

bad neighborhoods @castleberry hill & vine city (polaroid 1200si)

One day, while strolling through my neighborhood, I came across this low budget car wash. When I went back in the evening to photograph the car wash in the evening, the proprietor - at least I assumed he was - was sitting in front of it. I went back a few more times and was finally rewarded with a people free flick.

Although the car wash looks like it could be anywhere in the rural southeastern United States, it is located only a few miles from downtown Atlanta. As far as I know, the car wash is still there and still in business.

Homelessness is a serious issue in Atlanta. It is a problem, because they irritate me by asking for money all the time. However, there were two agreeable (i.e. they never talked to me) fellows engaged in urban camping in my neighborhood. Most of the time, they simply sat in a field with their limited posessions. After several tries, I was able to take this flick of a bums' nest, minus the residentially challenged persons.

While out strolling on another day, I discovered this Atlanta Falcons fan's recreational vehicle, located in a vacant lot on the eastern edge of Vine City. For readers unfamiliar with Atlanta, Vine City is a serious slum, mostly famous for its open air drug market. I went early in the morning to get the photograph, while all the crackheads were still asleep. Even then, I did not dare venture inside. By the time I found someone willing to explore the interior with me, the RV was gone.

revitalization @castleberry hill (nikon d70)

A year and a half ago, a friend of mine emailed me some promotional material for a condominium development in Castleberry Hill. My thoughts were, that's nice, but who wants to live in the ghetto? However, I figured there would be plenty of decay to photograph, so I headed down on a Sunday evening. After parking on Walker Street, I was shocked to find two new restaurants.

I also discovered and took this Mr. Fangs photograph. Soon after, I found and shot another Mr. Fangs flick. The first Mr. Fangs has since been rolled over by cretins. With restaurants and Mr. Fangs, the attractiveness of the ghetto as a place to live was increasing exponentially.

However, every proper shady residential area needs an original sub-prime lender, and in this case, the Fulton Loan Company purveys only the finest in stolen goods to discriminating customers.

And what's a gentrifying area without warehouses converted to lofts? I took this photograph of a loft conversion towards the end of my trip. Then I headed to my favorite local coffee shop.

After relaxing at Octane and reviewing my flicks over a cup of java - and surreptitiously admiring the barista, I headed home. On the way, I got lucky and caught this Empty and companion Last in some dope late evening light.