Sulzer Areal Winterthur.
I have been shooting photos of tropical beaches, paradises, flowers and animals for years. Natural beauty is nice to shoot, but sometimes you start to loose a bit ‘contact’ with what is around you. So what I always liked in photography is ‘Urban Exploring’. Urban Exploring is in general going to places that are old, forgotten, a reminder of the industrial revolution, and more. Here in Winterthur Switzerland, there is a place called Sulzer Areal. It is the old service place of the SBB, the Swiss Railways. And there is a lot to see…. and not only for photographers.
Halle 53
Sulzer Areal is not in use anymore. (well, Halle 53 is a parking place now). It is being rebuild to an Urban Living Concept…. yes. Meaning: most of the buildings are being converted into living space with that old urban or industrial look. Right now, the place is one big construction site. But there is still a lot to see, a lot detail. Like in Halle 53 and at the Lagerplatz.
My photos will be with dark grey cloudy skies, even with rain if possible. The summer here is close to be a very big disappointment (after a lovely Spring though). For nearly 2 weeks (!) now, we have dark grey skies, lots of rain and low temperatures. Well ok, there were a couple of ver nice days in between. The combination with that old urban industrial look of the place can be quite interesting. So lets try to shoot some darkish atmosphere photos ! I will add some black and whites too. In this text are some of the first results but there is more to come.
Halle 53
Photo tips.
The area is huge. That means that you can eat your heart out as a wide angle lover. If you have something covering 10 to 18mm (or eqv. in crop mode) bring it. Further more, well it is quite contrasty up there. Lots of light coming through the large old dirty windows, lots of shady areas so bring a camera with some dynamic range. HDR shooters can have a great time here. A tripod is a must. My gear will cover 16 to 135mm. I bring/brought 2 cameras, 1 Fuji X and 1 Canon.
Outside Halle 53
There is also another reason why I choose overcast days or clouds. Its because of highlight clipping. Even going down to -1 or even -2 EV cannot solve the highlight clipping in some cases. The sunlight (in full sun) can be harsh and create refections.
Post processing is done/will be done with LR, PSD and Photomatix. (for the HDR renderings).
Links.
Here you can find more info about the place. Some of them are in German.
Photos.
Click to enlarge.
Black and White. Click to enlarge.
