Almost a New Year...

It's only December 27th but I'm already considering my New Year's Resolution.

Of course part of my resolution is to carry my camera with me more often.

Another is to get my work "out there".

And finally, I promise to update this blog on a regular basis.

I plan to convalesce for just a few more days.

Then there shall be more photos!

Happy Holidays!

NEW Asylum Book

Most of you know that along with being an avid photographer, I am also a consummate bookworm. Recently while perusing Amazon's recommendations for me, "Asylum: Inside the Closed World of State Mental Hospitals" came up and I bought it immediately. I then took the time to check out Chris Payne's photography at www.chrispaynephoto.com where I was not disappointed. His work is amazing and his documentation of the demise of the state hospital is unparalleled. With a foreword by renowned neurologist Oliver Sacks (of "Awakenings" fame), this book is a must have in any library.

Black Dahlia...Revisited

This is the first time I have ever used the macro setting on my camera and my mother's red dahlia was the perfect subject for that shot. This flower reminds me greatly of the movie art for The Black Dahlia where the dead girl's reddish black lipstick is running down the side of her mouth.

Polyvore

Soul of Style by KateBroderick featuring Roxy

While I am indeed an Urban Explorer at heart, I'm still a girl. One of my coworkers who happens to be my twin separated at birth, turned me on to Polyvore.com where you can create quick pieces of art based on current fashion trends. Here's my first set that I did to keep busy tonight.

Photography and the Law

Some of you will notice that there are now numerous posts missing from my blog. Even though I regularly make an effort to historically document the places I visit, I have recently received a notice preventing me from documenting a fairly well known site. I plan to abide by the requests in this particular letter as I would prefer not to be prevented from working as a photographer in the future. Thanks for your understanding!

PORTRAIT SESSIONS FOR FALL!

Kate Broderick Photography is proud to announce that it's time to break into portraits!

Summer is over, school is about to start and now is the perfect time for fall portraits of little ones, friends, family, high school seniors, college freshmen, pets...

Recently engaged? How about a fantastic fall photo shoot to mark one of the happiest occasions
of a new couple's life together!

Packages include your choice of prints and print sizes, a free DVD of your photos to share with friends and family, as well as the option to order a range of beautiful, professional (but affordable!) photo books, postcards, Christmas cards, address labels, and much more!

For the rest of the month book a portrait sitting and choose your location for free! No location fee, no sitting fee! Plus, get a free 8 X 10 of your favorite photo!

Email us at kate@asylumaveartists.com

or call the studio at (978) 424-3155 to book your session!

Shooting Old Skool

This set was taken at Cathedral of the Pines with a Yashica 124 MAT G twin reflex camera from the 1960's. Occasionally I like the feel of shooting with film and 120 film is one of my favorites so I bought a couple rolls of black and white. All photos were tinted using Photoshop CS4.

Youth of a Nation

A skate park in the inner city is a great place to people watch with a camera. You get such a unique cross section of society hanging out in a skate park. You get BMX kids...

You get the "hardcore" skaters...

And the future youth of our nation...

Crosby Mansion

A second visit to the Crosby Mansion this summer yielded some pretty exteriors. While I haven't finished editing them all, here are a few of the more intersting, arty shots.

House on Haunted Hill

A few weeks ago I was driving around my hometown with a friend when he suggested that we go look at the "haunted house" in Westfield. I had never heard of this house before, nor had I seen it as it's set pretty far back from the main road.



I have to assume that at one time Westfield Road, or Route 20, once curved right in front of this house but now, years later, the house is barely visible.



The story goes that the family who once lived in this house was murdered, the house then abandoned for decades. Certainly a story worth looking into.

Cape Cod

Falling behind is never a good idea but unfortunately it happens. Back in April I went out to visit my great uncle who was once a professional photographer and adman back in the 50's and 60's. Not only did I finally get a chance to see his portfolio from back in the day, but I got the opportunity to be inspired by just simply being around him and his wife, also an artist.

Crosby Landing was one of the first beaches I can clearly remember from my childhood when I used to vacation on the Cape with my parents and grandmother. My gram was very taken with the Crosby Mansion, the Crosby family's summer resort.

I have been lucky enough to photograph the mansion through it's decades of renovations. This time I even had the opportunity to photograph the interior. The rich wood paneling and Mission style furniture made me want to curl up in front of the hearth and never leave!

I <3 Graffiti

Sorry for falling off the face of the earth lately. I'm teaching, teaching photography, shooting weddings, copy editing for a photographer, and just released my book. I'm swamped. But not so swamped that I can't take shots of TRAIN GRAFFITI!!!!!

The Royal Connaught...and a Brush With the Law

Today was an explore of epic proportions. It began with a group of us walking around Hamilton, Ontario for Doors Open. We visited an art gallery where I was yelled at by a very nice Jamaican man who caught me taking photos of the art with my BlackBerry. Apparently that's not allowed. Whoops. Then we moved on to a church that was supposed to be open but it turned out there was a wedding scheduled. So what do you do when nothing at Doors Open appeals? You open YOUR OWN door.

The Royal Connaught was once a beauty. Twelve stories high, she was an amazing beacon of luxury in downtown Hamilton with a ballroom, pool, and amazing architecture.

We had a fantastic time climbing all the way to the roof where you can see virtually the entire city including the ships we photographed yesterday down at the waterfront.

But that's not the best part. The best part is that some fat guy in a motorized wheelchair called the cops on us. Suddenly I'm hauling ass up from the basement to meet up with the rest of the group and we decide to pour out of the door all at once where the handicapped guy is sitting there, wearing all his gold chains and his pinky ring, yelling to the cops that there were "hundreds of them" inside the hotel.

So here's how I looked before that phone call. By the time we ducked into the Ramada Inn across the street I was wearing a bright yellow shirt, sunglasses and didn't have a camera. Then we moved on to a Dollar Store in the ghetto of Hamilton and watched the cops question the rest of our group (we had decided to split up). I'm being told that was not the ghetto but come on... it was ghetto enough for this poor girl from the States.

In the end, we all managed to meet back up in one place and get in our cars where a couple of us moved on to the nurse's quarters at a TB hospital in Kitchener which I will most likely post tomorrow. I'm now dead on my feet.

Thanks for the heart failure fat guy in the wheelchair! Here's to Hamilton's finest =P

Summer Lovin'

It's summer already with the heat rising up above 90 degrees and everyone pulling out their shorts and bathing suits so here's a little dose of summer I like to call a 1974 Datsun. My best friend's car that makes me yearn for beaches and drag races. Enjoy!

BEHIND THE WALLS IS DONE!!!

Everyone! It has finally happened! After three years of painstaking work,is finally finished and up for sale RIGHT HERE on Blogger.Comment, email me, tell me you love me and you're proud of me!!

Cover Style

Softcover $39.95 Hardcover $56.95 Hardcover Image Wrap $54.95

I Wish It Was Spring....

Oh how I wish it was spring... Yet every time it warms up, I turn off my heat, and hang up my sweater, and I wind up freezing! Instead I take photos that make me feel like it could possibly be spring...

Danvers State Hospital Redux

Danvers State Hospital, one of the most famous (infamous) Kirkbrides, was converted into condos this past year and opened its doors to its new residents. The Kirkbride still looks remarkably the same, still standing, looking out over the hill that was once its kingdom. So here's a modern take on the original Castle on the Hill.

Open and Shut Case

The second installment of Grafton State Hospital became all about the doors and windows. A friend of mine said that one of his favorite aspects of my photography is how I play with light and as I've said before, I've begun keeping that in mind when I shoot. Because there is so very little left in this hospital, my eye was drawn to the doors and windows and the way the sun was flooding through.

When I walked into the day room on the second floor I immediately set my camera up to take this shot. The attic above had collapsed onto the third floor, causing the second floor roof to give way and cause this little mini collapse. Between the sunlight and the puddled water on the tile, this made for a great window shot with a hint of reflection on the floor.

Blue seemed to be one of the dominant colors on this floor and though it was obvious that this shot had been staged previously, I still was not going to pass up such a beautiful shadow play with the open drawers and the light streaming through the window in this linen closet.

Each isolation room had a small hole cut into it for the staff to look in on the patients. This struck me as I was walking by and I decided to take a shot that would hopefully transform the otherwise exceptionally plain room into something a little more interesting.