Working with Zach is symbolized beautifully with this first image – a tempting vine that wraps around your mind – tangling your imagination – producing stunning shots! Dramatic writing aside, I determined that our second session should involve a field trip to Detroit. Time to get down and dirty in the field, so to speak. […]
Continuing my enthusiasm from Portugal, I was able to schedule several new explorations of the old Rust Belt cities. My first was Detroit. It has been about 5 years since I’ve seen this city. New to this trip – help from a Canadian urbex guy who knew about more interesting areas than I ever could!
Over the past two years I’ve been exploring my native city of Cleveland as a source for my figurative work. It’s odd that I have avoided it for so long. But now, with every investigation, I find more locations that stimulate fresh ideas and stir more themes of social reflection. This series of images was
Cleveland is a city that has become symbolic of the social forces in our country for my work. I grew up in its shadow, barely visiting out of parental fear. Now I understand its maligned past. It is a symbol of human greed. Huge companies that built our country were located here. Westinghouse, Warner-Swasey, Ford,
This is the second part of my last shoot in Cleveland a year ago. I feel rather stupid that I never really attempted to explore my old stomping grounds. There were so many great locations offering many great options. It was a photographers dream! Once again, my model endured all of my suggestions. He climbed
You can never take for granted the assistance of friends and fellow artists. This grouping of images stems from suggestions from my wonderful friend and fellow artist, Linda Gall. I had been whining about the increasing loss of abandoned buildings in Columbus. So Linda suggested an exploration in her hometown of Zanesville. Zanesville has an
So back in 2000, this wonderful building became available as a setting. I had noticed it many times in the past since it was close to a popular restaurant. I loved its architectural style. Like so many buildings in the city its abandoned status caused concern. Then suddenly, makeshift barriers and fencing went up and
After discovering the Big Muskie while on a portrait shoot outside of Zanesville, Ohio, I knew this was something I had to shoot. The Muskie was a relic of an industrial age gradually disappearing. It was one of the largest shovels ever built. A iron monster sitting in the middle of nowhere begging to be
So this is another urban exploration post that I feel helps elaborate the desolation, despair and urgency associated with many of the sites I discover. Always hoping to make each location another page in my thematic view of the world. So this house was discovered in 2017. It had sat quietly in a thick grove
It’s so easy to get distracted by daily work. I know that when it comes to photography, well anything actually, I’m like a dog seeing a squirrel. Obvious attention problems! Someone recently asked if I was EVER going to complete my Pen postings. So here they are! In 1988 I actually managed to convince some
Columbus, OH | Contact Me
©2024 Rob Colgan. All Rights Reserved. Site maintained by Formation Studio.