[+/-] POLARITY PHOTO [-/+]

A Glimpse of Tiffany & Travis: Stonewall Farm, Keene, NH

2009-06-19T13:03:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago I was lucky enough to shoot Tiffany & Travis Dustin's wedding at the amazing Stonewall Farm in Keene, NH. What a day it was! The love these two share just made my job so easy. Without further ado, here's a glimpse of their amazing day.

T&T: The Glimpse

This *might* be my favorite shot of the whole thing. I found this train bridge right near the event and I just HAD to get these two out there under this thing. The funny part was, it was on a pretty well traveled road so in order to take this photograph I had to employ one of the bridesmaids and christen at either end of the tunnel to warn us of approaching cars. It was like mixing wedding photography and that scene of street hockey from Wayne's World. "Game on! Car! Game off! Game on!" Luckily for me, Tiff & Trav are THE PERFECT CLIENTS and they didn't even flinch when I proposed such a preposterous idea.

Rockin' the ceremony, both of them kept their composure as the event approached it's crescendo:

The happy couple as they are introduced to the crowd:

The groomsmen, keepin' it gangsta! How freakin' dapper do these cats look:

The first dance:

Tiffany is always ready to throw down and have some fun! Even in a wedding dress! Check out her hooping skills:

More to come soon! Check back in!
Hope you're staying happy and healthy,
Brody.

The 603 in Full Effect

2009-06-16T10:02:00.000-07:00

So for those of you who don't know my history, I grew up in the woods of New Hampshire (henceforth the 603). I love that freakin' state and nothing besides photography puts me in such a place of inner peace as the 603. Well, two weekends ago I had the honor of shooting Tiffany and Travis Dustin's wedding in Keene, NH and while I was back in my home state I snagged a couple of frames out in the woods of a few local features.

This is the view from the fire tower on the peak of Pack Monadnock Mountain (It is said that Pack is local Native American dialect for small or little.) out to the great White Mountains many miles off to the north.:

If you climb to the bottom of the fire tower and turn 180 degrees this is the other view that greets you. This is the north terminus of the Wapack Trail. From here you can hike over 20 miles south into Massachusetts:

At the bottom of Pack Monadnock Mountain is NH Route 101. If you follow 101 west back towards Keene you eventually are greeted by the sight of the majestic Keystone Arch Bridge:

This bridge was once the largest stone arch in New England and it was built in the 1860's as a trestle to carry trains northbound from Massachusetts to destinations in New Hampshire.

I hope you enjoy the shots.
Stay happy and healthy,
Brody.

Two Frames in Passing

2009-06-16T09:20:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that I freakin' love graffiti. Here in New Haven we're lucky enough to have several spots that are filled with colorful art but my favorite spot as of late has been the legal graff wall.

The other day when I was passing with christen, I was compelled to stop and shoot a couple frames.

Here's some fresh new paint from New Haven artist REO:

And another one of REO's pieces with Christen chillin' in front:

Hope you're all staying happy and healthy,
Brody

Jeremy and Allison: Preview

2009-06-15T07:18:00.000-07:00

Three weeks ago I was lucky enough to second shoot Jeremy and Allison's wedding at the beautiful Harkness Park in New London, CT for my good friend Carrie Roseman of Carrie Roseman Photography. The following is a couple previews from that AWESOME day. There's more to come soon!

Here's one from the ceremony:

Here's one from just after the ceremony. I love the expressions here. You can tell they're just basking in wedded bliss:

One from the reception. Allison was rockin' that epic smile all day long too!

And finally, one for fun!

Thank you so much to Carrie and to Jeremy and Allison for having me on such a great day. The weather was perfect. The smiles were plentiful. And I definitely had an amazing time!

More photos to come!
Stay happy and healthy,
Brody.

A Long Time in the Making

2009-06-15T07:03:00.000-07:00

Hey there folks,

Sorry I kind of dropped off the face of the blogosphere lately. Been crazy busy with projects and other life things and I haven't had a chance to update. Later today I'll have a preview or two up and ready to roll. In the coming week I'll have 2 full posts ready to roll and there are more photos coming in by the day.

Before I bore you all by running my mouth any more, I'll leave you with a recent photograph.

Old Nailworks Dam on the West River in Shelton, CT built sometime in the early 1800's

I hope you're all staying happy and healthy.

The General Lee

2009-03-05T06:30:00.001-08:00

Last weekend I got a call from my buddy Joe.
"I got a horse," he reports.
"What?" I said.
Now I've known Joe for quite a few years now but never once did I have him pegged for a closet cowboy. An animal lover, sure. Horse owner? Not so much.
"Yeah man, a horse. He's a former race horse. He's cool as hell," He proudly stated. "Want to come shoot some photos of him for me?" Joe asked.
Without pause but still a little caught in disbelief I said, "Sure! Let's do it!"

Without further ado.
The General Lee
Owners:
Deanna Kovac
Joe Cuzino

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2

3

4

5

Deanna brushes The General Lee...

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And he soaks it up. Look at the expression! He's lovin' it! What a ham.

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Come to find out, Joe wasn't lying. There was a horse! And what a horse he is. The General Lee was so great to work with. He was friendly and didn't take off (unless I was chasing him!) I hope to shoot more shots with him soon!
Thanks Joe and Deanna!

Hope you're all staying happy and healthy!

Just a Taste - Yale Lock & Key

2009-03-05T05:59:00.000-08:00

Hey there folks!

Just a little taste of what once was. Here's a couple frames I was able to grab from an infiltration of the old Yale Lock & Key site in Stamford, CT. This factory was once a sprawling beast. A proud beauty left over from the heyday of this region's industrial era. Now the Harbor Point Development has demolished 90% of her. Only one very long rectangular 6 story building and a 3 story loading bay remain.

Now mind you, this building is so stripped that it is see through from a distance. It is also on an active construction site. As we came around the front of the site I saw the entrance agape. I'm not sure what possessed me but I bailed out of the car at somewhere around 10-15 mph. The look on Christen's face was priceless as I blurted out "PopTheTrunkIneedMyTripodParkOnTheStreetBeBackFAST". I ran across the dirt lot as fast as my enormous and out of shape frame could carry me, taking cover behind idle construction equipment as much as possible as I dashed toward an open door in the bottom of the remaining six story structure.

The first floor of the building was beautiful. Sure, it was empty but each of the mushroom shaped columns was painted a different vibrant color of the spectrum. I couldn't pause to shoot it for you folks because I was quite exposed for anyone to see. I quickly made for the stairwell and began to climb all the way to the top floor. Between floor five and six, in the stairwell, this message was scrawled:

I'm not sure who wrote it but they were wrong. I stopped to catch my breath on the roof of the building. My eyes feasted upon the fine view of the city of Stamford stretching out in all directions from the foot of the factory. After I caught my breath I made my way down one story to the top floor.

The factory was beautiful. The structure was hollow shell of what it once was but it was still possible to picture the building packed with workers the hot, heavy air thick with dust on a summer afternoon. Much of the floor had been torn up. Almost all of the pipes stripped. Miraculously though, almost all the window panes remained in tact despite the condition of the rest of the place. I gave pause and set up to shoot a frame of the production floor.

Shortly after the shutter clicked closed I heard a metallic groan and a hollow slam echo through the empty floors. Immediately I knew I was not alone in this barren factory. I realized there was no place to hide on the production floors themselves and that my best hope lay in hiding in a stairwell. I quickly crept to the nearest one and hid behind the door.

I could hear the persistent sound of footsteps bouncing off the cold concrete of the stairwell. They were getting closer. I grabbed the doorknob in front of me and leaned back as hard as I could on it and hoped for the best as I hid in the triangular space between the door and the wall. The footsteps drew closer, proceeded past me up one floor to the roof. I lost their sound as the other person made their way out across the roof to what I could only presume to be one of the other stairwell access points.

I saw my window of opportunity and clamored down the stairs as fast as I could. I burst out into the lot and darted across it while breathlessly calling to christen who was parked around the corner.

It has only been a week and a half since that day but every time we pass an empty building and i get that crazy look christen shoots me a glare and locks the car doors. Thank god I have someone to keep me in line!

Hope you're all staying happy, healthy and stealthy!

Wandering this wild world.

2009-03-05T05:39:00.000-08:00

Hello friends! Sorry it's been forever since I made a post. This world has been spinning fast I'm just working to keep up with it. I've been shooting anything I can put in front of the camera lately. Anything to do what makes my heart happy. There's few things better to me than the moments I have at the controls of the camera.

This post is going to focus on some of my abandonments photography from the last month. I've spent a great deal of time wandering the Winchester Arms Factory as of late. I love the place. Sure it is big and empty but that's part of it's charm. Every step you take echoes through it's cavernous halls and it makes you think of just how loud the machines that used to run there must have been. You can almost hear the voices of generations upon generations of craftsmen yelling over their lathes to each other.

The doors hang heavy on their rusted hinges. They shiver and groan as you shoulder them open. I wonder how many times these doors have opened?

The wall reads: "Run Comrade, the old world is behind you!"

The orange sign on the door reads, "Warning: Lead Work Zone." This was taken inside an indoor test-firing range. An organizer on the wall held diagnostic paperwork. The sheets had a list with checkboxes for every malfunction a rifle could encounter on the test range. A comic on the right hand wall near the workbench joked, "Every day I'm forced to add names to the list of people who piss me off."

A "Want Ads" section of a newspaper from the 1990's with a pair of prescription shooting glasses found on a workbench in the old section of the factory.

Take care everyone! Until next time!
Stay happy healthy and stealthy,

Fire & Ice: Another Date with Winchester

2009-02-01T06:42:00.000-08:00

FIRE & ICE

Some say the world will end in fire;
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To know that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

-Robert Frost

1. The red arm looms... signs of what's to come.

2. Ice and moss carpet the barren floor.

3. A dangerous layer of ice on the production floor. Footing is sketchy at best this time of year.

4. A gun safe that once stored many rows of shotguns waiting in queue to be test fired in the indoor range on the same floor.

5. Aqua door, employee bathroom. Light spills in from the blue-tinted lead-paned windows and peels back layers of paint to expose the original construction materials of this great beast.

6. Lovin' the duo-tone paint job this factory has.

7. Employee graffiti in a stairwell.

8. Signs of a past life.

9. Ice creates a trap for clumsy lummoxes such as myself. If only I could buy some grace and balance I might bust my ass less. At least my airborne antics provide great comedy for those lucky enough to witness a trademark "Ass-valanche" happen.

Hope you're all staying happy, healthy and stealthy.
Brody

Chuck Norris!

2009-01-08T08:54:00.000-08:00

I hope this post finds everyone in good spirits and ready to dive into 2009!
Without further ado meet Chuck Norris. That's right, Chuck Norris. The other day I was lucky enough to get to spend some time with little 9 week old Chuck and his family. What an awesome little dude he was with boundless energy! He was definitely a fun challenge to shoot!

I hope to shoot more photos of Chuck as he grows older.
Hope you're all staying happy and healthy!

Two Quick Frames with Jake

2008-12-26T08:42:00.000-08:00

Jake is the man. Scope him out just chillin' all gangsta style. :)

Hope you all had a damn awesome holiday!
Onward and Upward to 2009, my friends!
Stay happy, healthy and stealthy!
Brody.

Polarific: Street-style shots with Katherine

2008-12-16T10:40:00.000-08:00

Today I bring you shots from a concept shoot I did this fall with Katherine.
I hope you enjoy them.
Stay happy and healthy everyone,
Brody.

THA UNZZ IS WHEN...

2008-12-15T12:38:00.000-08:00

Just a quick preview from the latest Cranberry Fingerdips jam.

"AND THEN THE NORGE DROPS THE BASS BOMBS STRAIGHT ON YOUR BISCO CHAKRA AKA MINDS EYE"

Translation: The Norge plays a wicked bassline at the latest jam session while I attempt to capture sound in a photograph.

Chitown Mike is hooked up.

Miss Ingrid blasts forth with an aura of sound.

A firey solo jam by Ingrid

Norge laying down THA UNZZ

Hope you're all staying happy and healthy,
Brody.

Blast from the Past!

2008-12-11T16:45:00.000-08:00

Hope you enjoyed these shots!
Stay happy and healthy everyone!
Brody.

Happy Holidays from Polarity Photo

2008-12-09T10:15:00.001-08:00

Shot a couple quick photos of my friend Sanchez tossing some lights on the tree at my roomie's place in NJ. Special thanks to the awesome Lisa for making such generous accommodations! Thanks for letting me join in your family tradition.

To all the readers out there. Stay happy and healthy this season. Be kind to others and think with your heart and not your wallet.

Be good family.
Brody.

FUSION:

2008-12-01T11:18:00.000-08:00

The Camp Cranberry/Camp Fingerdips Jam

So I've been absent for a bit but it isn't for wont of things to do. That being said, today I bring you something totally from left field. These shots represent something totally new and fun for me in terms of lighting, composition, post-processing and execution. I hope you enjoy!

On acoustic guitar, Chitown:

On the tubs and skins, James:

On the didgeridoo and freestyle vocals, Professor Serious :

On the mandocello and the mandolin, Mr. Michael:

On the bass, The Norge:

I hope these shots were as fun for you all to look at as they were for me to take. There should be more from this group of AWESOME artists in the future. I'll keep you all updated.

Stay happy and healthy everyone,
Brody

Desecration: The Jackals

2008-11-13T08:57:00.000-08:00

The other day while out scouting some photography locations I decided to check on one of my favorite places, the Winchester Arms Factory. When I arrived on scene what my eyes took in caught me totally off guard. It was like a punch to the face. A crane was destroying part of one of the most historically significant industrial buildings in Connecticut, dare I say the Northeast.

The Winchester Arms Factory is being gutted and demolished. The greedy cash-mongering elitists at The Science Park at Yale have finally let loose their grip on the jackals that have been cackling at Winchester's heels for years. These jackals will run this proud behemoth down and slaughter her to make space for what? The answer is all too common today. Condos. The natural predator of the historic abandonment.

Now, slowly, this building that stood as a proud testament to human ingenuity is being reduced to little more than a pile of bricks, slivers of elegant hardwood and twisted metal. The factory that provided paychecks to a growing city is vanishing. The very same building produced the rifles that we tamed the American West with and made the guns that we used to fight for what we believed in during both the World Wars is soon to be no more.

I urge you all. ROAM YOUR CITY! Find these buildings which lie within the very boundaries of the place you call home and document them. DO NOT LET THEM MEET THE SAME DEMISE. You have the power to catalog their story. You have the voices needed to speak up in their defense. You have the energy that these weary edifices need to breathe new life into them. Do not let our collective history be reduced to little more than a pile of rusty colored bricks!

When this time comes for our society down the road don't you want more to show for our lives, for our accomplishments, than handfuls of McMansions and generic plate-glass commercial structures?

1: The Jackals sink their teeth into the heels of this beautiful beast.

2: The fire door separates two different production floors. During her heyday these halls would ring loudly with the deafening screech of lathes turning new barrels, the clink of metal tools on metal parts and the chatter of hundreds and hundreds of employees per floor working long hours to feed their families.

3: A gun vault filled with an unknown substance coughs empty shotgun shells onto the factory floor.

4: A shattered window of an office door still displays stickers that speak to the type of product this factory once produced.

5: It was somewhere around this time that I decided to check on the security situation. When I walked up to the second floor window, I peeked out it directly into the driver's side window of a security truck parked no more than 40 yards away. I promptly hit the floor like I'd been tasered and snuck up to the third floor to snag this shot from a safer vantage point.

6: This shot shows about 1/8th of the unabated section of the main factory. It also prominently features the 5th floor skywalks that you have to use to gain access to the center portions of the factory. I've yet to force myself over one of these things in Winchester.

7: Another dormant production floor. This one has been stripped of all it's metal machinery which was no doubt either moved to another production floor or sold for scrap money.

8: The front portion of the building is the newer section, as you can tell by this art-deco-ish cube window. On this floor of the office, all the pillars were posted with dot-matrix print outs that read "Together we can make it happen!" It makes me wonder if they knew the factory was closing and they were trying to fight it?

I ask you all. Fight the jackals. Do not let their greedy souls find their meals within your towns. Stand defiantly in their face, raise your collective voices and wave the banner of history proudly high above your heads. Do not let our culture, our society, be defined in the future by our disgraceful desecration of the past!

Stay happy, healthy and stealthy everyone,
Brody

When you don't have the right tools...

2008-11-12T10:37:00.000-08:00

So I'm here in the studio working on photos today. It's a nice crisp fall day. Right around 10:30 or so I hear this electrical whine. I brush it off thinking it is one of my neighbors no doubt vacuuming their car. So an hour passes and I decide to glance out the window to see what could be creating this constant drone that is seemingly coming from the front yard. Lo and behold, my eyes are greeted by this amazing vision:

My third floor neighbor is vacuuming the leaves off the front lawn at a rate of approximately 3 to 4 PER HOUR. I figure, there's no way he's going to keep this up. He's sure to give up right? Let me tell you, here we are at quarter to two PM and he's still out there, chuggin' away.

I estimate he's about 1/28th of the way finished. At this rate he should be finished by next June!

Stay happy and healthy everyone!

I <3 Fall.

2008-11-12T08:08:00.000-08:00

Found on a backwoods road in southern CT at around 8:30AM.

I freakin' <3 fall. Don't you?

Stay happy and healthy everyone!
Brody - Polarity Photo

Jeremy & Allison - E.Shoot: Round 1

2008-11-10T07:19:00.000-08:00

Jeremy & Allison
Location: Noank, CT
Wedding Date: 5.30.09

So, a couple weeks back I was invited along by my good friend and talented photographer Carrie Roseman to second shoot at Jeremy and Allison's engagement shoot in the beautiful village of Noank, CT.

It was a cool, windy fall day in New England. The colors were vibrant, the sun was fighting an epic battle with a blanket of clouds. Since they're both fans of the water we decided to hit the river for a little bit and hang with Jeremy and Allison for a few doing something they love.

Jeremy steers the boat toward Mystic's draw bridge.

Lovin' the gaze here.

Getting ready to dock!

All in all it was a windy day on the water and after an hour or so we decided to pack it in and grab some coffee. At the coffee shop we decided a nice walk in the New England woods was in order. Especially considering the fall colors were nothing short of out of control!

Ms. Carrie Roseman of Carrie Roseman Photography setting up for a shot

Look at all that love you can just see it in their smiles!

Fall in full effect. Vibrant colors behind vibrant smiles!

A warm embrace on a cool fall day.

Look at these two, lookin' like rock stars.

Nothin' like a crisp fall day with a cool breeze for a walk in the woods. Especially when you're with the person you love.

It also doesn't hurt when that person happens to make you smile, too!

A pair of warm hands is always a bonus!

Jeremy and Allison, I had an amazing time! I can't wait to be there at your wedding on 5.30.09!

Stay happy and healthy everyone!
Brody - Polarity Photo

Some tunes and a brief update:

2008-10-29T12:27:00.001-07:00

Hey there friends! I hope this entry finds you in the best of spirits. I finally have a moment to sit down after being a tri-state traveler for the last several weekends and update you on what's goin' down! I'm gearing up for a long cold New England winter here!

To keep me from getting cabin fever this winter, I've some great new stuff in the works here at Polarity Photo.

I've got a coffee table book that's in its infant stages on the way that will document the ongoing struggle between the things we leave behind and mother nature. (mostly concept at this point but a blog will be up soon to keep you updated on its progress)

Another coffee table book is in the mill (test shots are already fired and I'm going over them tonight) of architectural details of Yale University.

Also, I've got photos in queue from an awesome engagement shoot out in the beautiful village of Noank, CT.

And lastly in the photos department, I've got just a couple teasers from a night with The Point at Lulu's Village Pub out in Port Jefferson, NY.

In other news, stay tuned for a holiday portrait package deal and a lot of exciting stuff here at Polarity Photo.

If you like what I do, the photos I bring home and the smiles I capture, do both of us a favor and follow my blog. Blogger set up this great new feature where you other blogger users can follow someone's blog. Scroll down on the right and jump into the crowd. (Okay, so it's a very very very small crowd at the moment. LOL!)

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A song from Mr. Jason Mraz to go along with today's post:

Details in the Fabric by Jason Mraz

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Stay happy and healthy friends,
Onward and Upward to new horizons and unfamiliar paths!
Brody Grant - Polarity Photo

And remember "Embrace Polarity, Seek Balance" friends.

Spending time with Spi-bat-der-man?

2008-10-27T13:02:00.000-07:00

Saturday, I had a shoot with a friend of mine's 2.5 year old. Little Jude was totally awesome. I pulled in and he came right up to me to say hi. Being 6'4" with a beard sometimes the little ones find me intimidating. Not Jude! Not one bit! I loved when I gave him a toy dumptruck and got to see those great little eyes light up. Those eyes and that bright smile coupled with his awesome personality made him so great to work with. Momma, watch out, when he gets older you're gonna be fighting the ladies for his time. :)

Originally, Jude was rockin' some super cool overalls but approximately 3 to 3.5 seconds after I arrived he decided he'd rather go down in photographic history as Spiderman or Batman, so out came the costumes. Jude was such an awesome subject. He was totally enjoying life and childhood and giving me all the candids I could want one moment and the next I'd say, "Hey jude, can I take some pictures of you" and he'd hold still, quasi-pose and look off camera or right at me if I asked.
What a great little guy, right?

1: On this day I learned that before they can fly, young Batmen master their fear of heights by climbing on cars.

2: More pre-flight training.

3: The most awesome mischevious smile, ever.

4: Thinking about taking flight.

5: Some quality time planting garlic. Even Batmen have hobbies beyond fighting crime.

6: And then it was time for change.

7: Check the muscles. Pretty impressive for 2.5, right?

8: Strong enough to lift a vehicle!

9: The softer side of Spiderman.

10: Being Spiderman isn't easy, the days are long and the mask is hot.

11: What a natural.

Stay happy and healthy,
Brody - Polarity Photo

Views from the Vault #1

2008-10-16T12:37:00.001-07:00

Here's a selection of frames from the Polarity Photo Vaults. Hope you enjoy!

Forgotten Idols & Forsaken Souls
Boiler Works - Connecticut:
A statue of Jesus left in a broken window, beheaded. Spiderwebs cling to the idol showing how long it has been in this window frame.
It almost makes you wonder if it were left as a final act of defiance by a worker leaving their job. As if to signify that on that dark day, they too felt forgotten and forsaken.

Norwich State Hospital - Preston, CT:
Storm clouds move in over the hospital grounds on a gloomy spring day. The water these clouds dump will only further the long grueling process of dismantling these buildings that mother nature has set out upon.

Norwich State Hospital - Preston, CT:
Patient rooms file off into the distance in the hallway of a patient dormitory building. The colors of each room were part of an experiment on the effects of color in environments on human behavior and disposition. This hallway would have had patients with similar psychiatric histories. The effects of the color change would be “measured” and the data interpreted.

Now these rooms that are little over eight cubic feet make up an eerie spectrum. All their doors are flung open as if their inhabitants had just burst from them to freedom only moments before I arrived.

The Pleasure Beach Cottages - Bridgeport/Stratford, CT
Beds sit neatly made awaiting warm bodies to occupy them after a long day of summer fun. Sadly, because these two towns couldn't get their act together to repair the bridge that accessed the island, all 45 families who used to vacation here each summer were evicted and charged money to barge their possessions from the cottages back to the mainland.

Boiler Works - Connecticut:
The Nesting Dolls: This is one abandonment, broken down into boxes and placed inside another abandonment.

Norwich State Hospital - Preston, CT:
A pill bottle quietly rests on the floor of a dayroom, undisturbed since this portion of the facility closed in the 1980's

Capehart Mills - Norwich, CT:
This behemoth is staggering on shaky legs. Massive portions of this mill have suffered fires as well as continuous damage from the determined unrelenting destruction of the elements. On this day, a thick wall of drizzle was beating against the shattered slivers of her window panes. Tiny rivulets formed and raced across the uneven pitches of the factory floor. The light was flat and gray… and then… I walked around a corner to see this. Such deep rich color in a world of flat light and cold concrete.

Stay happy, healthy and stealthy everyone,
Broderick Grant

Catalysts to Anti-Gravity

2008-10-16T06:03:00.000-07:00

CATALYSTS TO ANTI-GRAVITY:

Nine months ago on a cold spring day my friend and I hit the wheels and headed up to Massachusetts to meet someone for a day of exploring. We arrived and unloaded the car and somewhere in the neighborhood of seventeen to eighteen seconds later my friend starts in with the incessant complaining about the cold, the boredom, the building... pretty much everything you could think of.

Now mind you, our guide of sorts was having a rough day and was waist deep in sorting things out via cell for the bulk of our visit there. She (and understandably so), for the most part, left us to our own devices which for me translated to aimless wandering. To my chagrin, what this meant to my friend was an opportunity to assault my ears with uncensored bitching. Lots and lots of complaining.

Now being who I am, I love a tricky situation so I did my best to keep my friend happy while still trying to grab a few frames. I didn't make it out with many photos that day but I must say, in the end, the photos ending up being little more than a small detail.

These are a few of the frames I shot so long ago and never really looked at:

Thanks Katherine, for dragging me up there. I was a little less than psyched when I left that day but in the end, the investment in time and gas I made was worth it.

Stay happy, healthy and stealthy everyone,
Broderick Grant.

Open Mic @ the A-Cafe

2008-10-15T08:52:00.000-07:00

So, I went out to meet up with some friends to the Acoustic Cafe last night. Me being who I am, I essentially live with my 30d as an extension of my body. That being said, when my boy Mike and his friends hit the stage for a little open mic jam action, I started letting the frames fly.

Here's some shots from last night:

Mike on the mandochello:

Horns:

Drums:

I have another small set of shots from last night to come after this.
Hope you're staying happy and healthy,
Broderick Grant

New York State Freedom Fair

2008-10-15T08:39:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, I was invited out to Hancock, NY to shoot some photos at the 14th annual New York State Harvest Fest and Freedom Fair. Myself and the crew camped out in the October chill in the middle of the Catskills for the weekend to soak up some great music and good times with good people.

Even though I was having an amazing time, my camera was not in the completely damp barely 40 degree weather. This eventually made me think better of dragging it out so I just packed it away in the car at about midday on Saturday. Hope you dig these frames. There are more to come.

Somebody's Closet:

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Here's what the campground looks like at 4:30am in 40 degree weather:

More frames to come.
Hope you're all staying happy and healthy,
Broderick Grant

I Couldn't Sleep

2008-10-08T06:13:00.000-07:00

A cool, crisp New England morning with rich reds and golds breaks over a steamy reservoir. Ducks bob in the pond contemplating their winter destinations. Fall has arrived in New England. The colors are deep. The air is cool and still.

And at 6am most of the residents of these quaint towns are still tucked in to their warm beds. What else do we all miss when we’re sleeping?

Hope you're all staying happy and healthy, my friends.
Broderick Grant

Goodbye to Charcoal & Fog

2008-10-04T04:43:00.000-07:00

The following story chronicles the scariest day I've lived thus far.

6:00am: I'm trying to wipe the sleeping junk out of my eyes as I fly down CT 15 towards my friend RD's house.

6:45am: I arrive at RD's and jump in the car.

8:45am: Arrive at our destination: Charcoal & Fog Psychiatric Center. Built in 1867, abandoned in 1970's. Those of you who know me, know of my love story with this structure.

9:00am: RD and I are making our way down an abandoned railroad trestle toward the Kirbride building of the abandoned psychiatric ward when we are spotted by a man at a scrap yard. We start jogging down the power lines nearby and duck into the woods. We're about to come out on the railroad tracks farther down about 15 minutes later when I see the man walking down the tracks... SWINGING A GOLF CLUB... what this man had in mind, is beyond me. RD and I take cover for another 45 minutes.

10:00am: We bushwack through the Jurrasic style overgrowth on the abandoned property and wiggle through a miniature missing door panel in the tip of the abandoned male ward. On the other side of the door lies a 2 foot wide ledge and beyond that a 15-20 foot drop into the basement. The landing here has collapsed into the basement at an odd angle and you have to cling to the wall to get around to the staircase. I get onto the first step and feel the whole staircase flex. I take my next step keeping each foot to the sides of the stairwells. As I place pressure on my right foot, it shoots through the floor up to my calf. I shift my weight onto my left foot as quick as possible and I scramble up the stairs cursing "oh sh... oh sh... oh sh... !"

For the next two hours we work our way through the worst of the fire damaged male ward.

[1: The only way to take this photo is to cling to the closest door frame you can see and essentially throw yourself onto the "sturdy" floor in the very foreground of the photo. That edge you can see leads to a black hole that drops 3 floors straight to a basement filled with a tangled punji-pit-like mass of splintered wood and rusty metal. Getting back over to that door frame is twice as hard as crossing the first time.]

[2: The fire damage to the building is glaringly evident. Rampant vines tug with ever growing force on the building's facade. The collapse widens more and more every day. The gaping holes in the wall allow the elements to do their work with exponentially increasing vigor.]

[3: This is the top floor of Male Ward #4. I love this hallway. I love the contrast of the destroyed wall and the new green growth at the end of the hallway. This is one of my favorite spots in this building and just to the left of where this frame was shot is the bathroom containing the next photo. This portion of the building is understandably my favorite.]

[4&5: The greatest single room in any abandoned building, the bathroom on the top floor of Male Ward #4. Above this room the roof has fallen in and the floor boards have rotted away, the remaining boards create the gaps which cause this perfect lighting. I couldn't decide between Landscape or Portrait, any thoughts?]

12:00pm: We make our way back across the crazy collapses and into the stairwell. RD reminds me to be careful on step #2. I pay attention and cautiously make my way down. As my feet hit the landing I hear a distinct cracking noise and my left foot crashes through the floor sending shards of wood and tile clattering into cavernous blackness of the basement below. I slide into the sturdier corner of the landing that I've pulled myself back onto and shake for a moment as the terror subsides.

It was at this point that it hit me. This amazing building... this landmark of our collective history... it isn't long for this world. The very structure which bears the weight of its beautiful walls is crumbling. And then, another epiphany, I will never see these places that I shot above again. I almost died. Moreover, it will be a miracle if this place, my first institutional love, makes it to this time next year.

We climb/bushwack throught he collapsed portions of the first floor and across the Jumanji-like overgrowth choking the courtyard and jump into the hole in the wall in Women's Ward. Still scared, I could barely focus but I managed to shoot two more frames before I packed up and left for the day.

[6: Dental chairs in a basement employee locker room. These chairs came from the collapsed room above. In fact, not more than a month ago when I did the Nurse shoot here the chair that is the farthest in the back was slowly slipping into this room from the floor above. Seeing that it finally made it's wild descent into its current position was yet another sign that the building is breathing its last labored breaths.]

[7: Women's Ward Activity room. "Tattered Patterns and Empty Reflections" ]

This building, my friend that has taught me so much about myself is on its way out quickly. The day will come when my favorite institution is little more than a disappearing trail of yellowed paperwork and a new development or condos. Today was the day I came to that realization.

Salvation.
Vulnerability.
Triumph.
Terror.
Humanity.
Depravity.
Compassion.
Fear.
Hope.

The polarity of our collective histories neglected, destroyed and then forgotten. Why is it easier for our society to turn our backs on these places rather than save them. Why do we choose to turn a blind eye to the beauty, the positivity and the lessons we can draw from these giants?

Charcoal & Fog, thank you for showing me this world in an entirely different light. Thank you for teaching me about mortality and risk. Thank you for teaching me about confronting the past and not running from it.

Embrace Polarity, Seek Balance.

Hope you're all staying happy and healthy,

Brody

Get The Point!

2008-09-27T05:19:00.000-07:00

Broderick here, touching bases with everyone one before I head out for another long weekend of shooting, adventuring and unnecessary risk!

The Point:
Live @ The Patchogue Theatre - 9.25.08

The day started with a long ferry ride to Port Jeff from Bridgeport. Shortly after boarding, I decided I was getting a bit warm and perhaps I'd investigate the top deck of the ferry. Despite the fact that the wind was blowing steadily at oh, just below gale force.

Nevertheless, I was enjoying myself at the front of the open top deck. Wind whipping through my hai... errr beard? I was having a total Titanic moment up front, enjoying the view, texting like a teenage girl. Suddenly, mother nature interrupted my "BFF JILL" moment by pitching the vessel about 5-10 feet up and then quickly allowing gravity to work its magic sending the boat crashing hard into the next wave. The boat made a huge hollow smashing noise as I looked up just in time to be doused with a facefull of cold, salty Atlantic goodness.

"Well," I remarked to myself, "I guess I don't have to worry about being too warm now."

Luckily, all seafaring shenanigans aside, I had an awesome time. (once I reached mainland!)

Here's some frames from my night with the boys of THE POINT:

Colin kneels to adjust one of his many pedals during a jam:

How awesome were these light fixtures?

Mike in a moment of Zen-like concentration.

Jesse gives a clinic on drum-work mid jam.

Kevin under the "Moon"

Colin & Kevin

This shot goes out to the totally awesome Mrs. Carla Ten Eyck for making me rethink lens flares.

Colin is freakin' focused!

Kevin makes that guitar CRY!

Thanks to The Point for the AWESOME show as always. You guys never cease to amaze and you make every show worth coming out to. These guys totally rock. Check them out!

Stay happy and healthy everyone,
Broderick Grant

Here's a good song from Atmopshere for today:

Song lyrics | Sunshine lyrics

MELT STUFF!

2008-09-23T12:15:00.000-07:00

MELT STUFF:
An Hour in the Glass Lab with a Master

Hey all, Broderick here!

Yesterday I had the pleasure of hanging with my friend Morgan of MisticProductions, a small glass shop here in Connecticut. Morgan was whipping up a couple Christmas ornaments when I popped in so I grabbed the 30Delish out of the car and gave him the Lindsay Lohan treatment (lens in the face, shutter flying constantly).

I hope you all enjoy these frames.

Stay happy and healthy everyone,
Broderick Grant

Grafftastic!

2008-09-23T06:10:00.000-07:00

What's up all, Broderick here!
Hope you're all doing well! Life is crazy this time of year. It is my favorite time of year. Crisp cool air, warm sun and the perfect nights.

Saturday was awesome! Nothing short of totally epic! Katherine and I spent 8+ hours shooting photos in front of some awesome graff and chilling with the artists who create it. I'm gonna leave the shots of the graff and the artists themselves to Katherine and I'm just gonna post the portraits.

I hope you all enjoy. I know I did.

I hope you're all staying happy and healthy,
Broderick Grant

A Preview:

2008-09-21T14:19:00.001-07:00

Just a quick preview. Tons more to come.

Hope you're all staying happy and healthy,
Broderick Grant

Foreshadowing Numbered Days

2008-09-17T07:29:00.001-07:00

Back in July when I first visited Camp Columbia I was perplexed by these numbers. Somewhere along the way, someone informed me that they were most likely for an abatement or demolition team as each building had numbers on nearly every surface in a sequential order. I brushed it off as speculation.

[For those of you who follow our blog, skip this paragraph.] Fast forward just two short months. Katherine and I show up to do a shoot and all the overgrowth is knocked down, all the entry points to the buildings are different, all the doors and flooring have been removed, bed frames piled in the bathrooms. A large container sits in the field, into which the demolition team heaves the entrails of each magnificent structure. The buildings are marked with dates. Each door, like a tombstone speaking to the lifespan of these historic buildings.

Now going back through my photos from July, all the signs are there. Fresh boards in some spots, swept floors in some buildings, fresh nails in things and of course... the numbers.

I'll miss this little secret tucked away in the hills of Connecticut. A place where for two brief days, I could stand in the middle of it all and hear the clink of aluminum ware on plastic trays in the cafeteria. The din of laughter from the Rec Hall. The drone of a lecture from the classroom buildings.

Now the buildings are lifeless husks of what they once were. The wild wind rips through them fluttering their tattered window coverings in the breeze and slapping their few remaining shutters against the weather worn exteriors. There's nothing for the wind to get caught in now... Nothing inside to arrest its force and keep it from wreaking havoc. The roofs are falling in. The floors rot quicker each day due to the water infiltration that the gaping maw in the roof allows. But none of it matters. Mother nature will not be allowed to feed on these corpses. Nor will the buildings be saved and repurposed to serve new generations. No, that's far to expensive.

History, is too expensive a commodity for us now. Preservation, a luxury to be afforded to only a few sites. It is much easier, and more cost effective, to bury the past than it is to celebrate it.

This will be my final Camp Columbia post.
Rest in Peace, friend.

****************************
The sound track for today is:

The Postal Service - "Such Great Heights"

I am thinking it's a sign that the freckles
In our eyes are mirror images and when
We kiss they're perfectly aligned
And I have to speculate that God himself
Did make us into corresponding shapes like
Puzzle pieces from the clay
True, it may seem like a stretch, but
Its thoughts like this that catch my troubled
Head when you're away when I am missing you to death
When you are out there on the road for
Several weeks of shows and when you scan
The radio, I hope this song will guide you home

They will see us waving from such great
Heights, 'come down now,' they'll say
But everything looks perfect from far away,
'come down now,' but we'll stay...

I tried my best to leave this all on your
Machine but the persistent beat it sounded
Thin upon listening
That frankly will not fly. you will hear
The shrillest highs and lowest lows with
The windows down when this is guiding you home

Stay happy, healthy and stealthy everyone!
Broderick Grant

Tranquility, Clarity & Perspective

2008-09-16T06:19:00.000-07:00

Hey there friends. This morning I wandered out to the coast to soak up some salt air, clear my head and recharge for the rest of September. We've got some cool shoots on the horizon. The phone has been ringin' pretty steadily down here at the Seacoast Studio.

The world is spinning fast, my friends. But honestly, how awesome is it to have a place to relax & recenter like this within walking distance of your house? Today there were some pretty epic clouds and even though I don't spend a lot of time shooting scenery, the 30d was screamin' at me to fire off a frame or two.

All I know is my soul needed a little photography, some sea breeze and a whole lotta sand between my toes. Big thanks to mother nature for bringing her A+ game this morning.

Here's a song by the artist "Iron & Wine". I think it makes a fitting soundtrack for today's post.

Hope this post finds you all happy and healthy,
Broderick Grant

The Factory That Built the West

2008-09-15T20:07:00.000-07:00

The production floor of the former Winchester Arms Factory. Shattered plaster is the only thing that dots the floor where screaming machines once produced the rifles that won wars. This huge factory once provided the salaries of many many families. People sweat their entire working lives away on it's floors, earning a living wage so they could afford to build the houses that we live in today. Now, patiently, stoically and courageously, she awaits the executioner to gut her into condos. (Thanks Yale!) Another piece of history, soon to be destroyed in the name of "progress"

Stay happy, healthy and stealthy, friends.
Broderick Grant

Ryan Montbleau Solo - Acoustic Cafe: Bridgeport, CT

2008-09-13T05:22:00.001-07:00

Alright everyone, here's the first installment from a night of shooting one of the most talented, soul-soothing musicians out there today. The ever amazing Ryan Montbleau came to Bridgeport's Acoustic Cafe last night and laid down a phenomenal solo set! He even played Stretch, the song I have blogged two posts below.

After the show, I was psyched to head him off backstage before he could sneak off. I was able to shake the guy's hand, give him one of my keys and just say thank you for making amazing art that has gotten me through so much. I wanted to say more, to briefly mention that, much like a little school-girl, I've been reading his blog for months and drawing inspiration from it. I wanted to share a laugh with him about how he blogged about speaking with chris robinson of the Black Crowes this year and being dumbfounded when he shook his hand. I wanted to relate to Ryan that standing there with him, for just a brief second, had a similar effect on me as I've been following his music for 2-3 years now. But no, instead I stood there, awestruck. I awkwardly summoned a hand shake, a couple broken sentences and swam in the moment. I gave him a business card, shook his hand once more and bailed.

So Ryan, if you're out there reading MY blog, thanks for 3 years of awesome music. The art you create has been a radiant light I can carry to illuminate my twisted path in times of pain and darkness. It has been the soundtrack to success as I celebrate my victories. And every note you've played has meant a ton to me.

Never stop creating amazing art, sir. This world is better with your music.

Keepin' time!

Pardon the next frame but part of what I love is capturing artists in the moment, hooked up to something larger than themselves, creating art. I think there's a certain rawness and vulnerability that comes across through the lens that you get when someone is so focused on creating that there's no time for keeping up appearances. Ryan, shoot me a message if you hate this! :)

Stay happy and healthy everyone,
Brody

A Perfect Pair: Imperfect Chairs

2008-09-12T11:48:00.000-07:00

Just one frame and a song for you all today.

"A Perfect Pair: Imperfect Chairs"

Two chairs cough their insides across a day room at Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in New York.

Once a resting place for weary souls, these chairs are now themselves are weary and worn.

Quietly.
Patiently.

Gutted and nearly lifeless, they await another adventurous traveler to stop, relax and tarry a while; taking a deep breath and the time to absorb the history, the energy and feel the story they are so eager to share.

And a song by the ever talented boys of the Ryan Montbleau Band:

"Stretch" - Ryan Montbleau Band

Take me under and make me understand.
Block my lungs off and make me appreciate the air.
Show me the way to touch my toes.
Make it a little bit easier, now, this pain it ever grows.
Show me the way to do the things I’ve always wanted to do,
To do.

Open up my eyes, tell me all about these lies that I’ve been telling.
Buying into fantasies and dreams my own demons were selling.
Show me the way to spread my wings.
Make me wonder how I never trusted those things.
I know that I could fly the highest if I’m only given the time,
The time.

And it’s going to take microphones and stages,
Many people rearranging what their plans are for the night time
Hope they show up at the right time
And I’ll sing them my song
And I hope they sing along
I know they always sing along in my imagination.

Take me under and make me understand.
Block my lungs off and make me appreciate the air.
Show me the way to touch my toes.
Make it a little bit easier, now, this pain it ever grows.
Show me the way to do the things I’ve always thought that I could do,
Could do.

And it’s going to take microphones and stages,
Many people rearranging what their plans are for the night time
Hope you show up at the right time
And I’ll sing you my song
And I hope you sing along
I know you always sing along in my imagination

This weekend I'll have photos from Acoustic Cafe in Bridgeport, CT of the boys throwin' down some awesome art and some positive energy.

Stay happy and healthy, my friends.
Broderick Grant

When Nothing Goes to Plan

2008-09-08T14:44:00.000-07:00

So, originally, we were going to have a vintage themed Yale shoot for everyone to enjoy but things got complicated on Sunday. Yale has apparently, over the summer, installed about 200% more scanning security systems on their doors. So after an hour or so of wandering around Yale, we gave up and headed up to Camp Columbia.

The plan, salvage the day with a vintage summer theme at the Camp. We show up, and everything is different from the last time we were there. Building entry has changed to different windows and doors. The buildings are stripped (see post below for more).

"Okay," we say, "no problem. This is something we can deal with. Roll with the punches!"

Katherine jumps into a summer dress in another room and with a flick of her wrist her hair goes from "Ready for Adventure" to "Rockstar Status". We start to shoot some shots in a couple of the windows, working with window light.

All of a sudden I hear that far to familiar and incredibly bone chilling sound of tires crunching on peastone.

"OUT OF THE WINDOW," I hiss!

We're both crouching now, hiding from the windows like a soldier in an urban warzone. All of a sudden, in true form, it dawned on me. Why not snap a frame? The shutter starts to fly. Katherine hears me and is overcome with laughter, teetering on a pair of heels as she chuckles softly trying to desperately keep the noise down.

Luckily for us, the Forest Ranger who decided to take a lap out there was completely oblivious to our photographic shenanigans. However, being creatures of caution first and foremost I turned to Katherine and simultaneously we came to the unanimous decision to pack it in for the day.

Another day we'll have more luck. You can only duck so many punches before you ask yourself, "Is someone trying to tell me something?!"

Stay happy, healthy and stealthy my friends.
Broderick Grant - Polarity Photo

Camp Columbia: Her Final Gasp

2008-09-08T08:25:00.000-07:00

A favorite summer haunt of Eisenhower, the buildings of Morris, CT's Camp Columbia are quickly approaching their end. The beds have, for the most part, been piled in one room. All the doors have been removed from their brass hinges which are now all strangely absent. The wind rushes through the few windows that don't have boards and the tattered drapes whip in the current. Small shafts of light trickle in through holes in the roof into bedrooms where students once slept off hot summer nights at the Columbia University Summer School of Surveying.

The floors have all been stripped of their once glossy hardwood coverings. Chalk boards have been smashed, only a few small jagged, dusty, jade colored slivers remain clinging to their frames. In one building, work lights patiently await power from the abatement crew's generator. Plastic tubes for the ventilator are strung with red tape from the rafters. The floors are all swept clean. Even the bats on the porch have all been evicted from their roosts in the ceiling.

Each gust of wind tears through the empty buildings stirring leaves in corners and creating an eerie death rattle. As if the structure were wheezing her last labored breaths. Soon, Camp Columbia will be but a fleeting memory, some patches of fresh turned earth and a clearing in the woods.

Reminiscent of a patient room in a psychiatric ward, this small room was once the home of a rotating cast of Columbia University students. Now, it is home to little more than dust and leaves.

A hanger in one room faithfully awaits the chance to shoulder another coat. Sadly, it will never get the chance. This building is the worst of the seven on the property and the abatement crew is aggressively working to turn her under.

The bath house has seen far better days. Piles of mattresses spew their innards throughout the long structure. Lockers topple over into holes in the floor. Leaning awkwardly, as if peering over the edge before they leap.

I was having a hard time shooting this day as I was so mixed up about the whole thing. Not more than a month prior these structures were nearly pristine, as far as abandoned buildings go. Saying goodbye to these historic places you've come to love sure is hard. Thus is the nature and cycle of this hobby I suppose. Adjusting to it definitely sucks though!

Click here to see the first Camp Columbia post.

Stay happy healthy and stealthy everyone,
Broderick Grant - Polarity Photo

Hurricane State Hopsital

2008-09-07T04:59:00.001-07:00

So, I dragged myself out yesterday (with a good bit of pushing from my awesome friend) in Hurricane/Tropical Storm Hanna to take some photos of a New York State Psychiatric Center that I had not yet seen. All I have to say is I'm glad I went. What an awesome time, an amazing building and I can't wait to go back with a model and shoot the everloving bejesus out of this place!

Without further adieu I present to you, Hurricane State Hospital:

Part of the "active" side of the campus. You can see the lights on this building still humming. Patients were wandering campus everywhere. We rounded one corner to find a gentleman nonchalantly urinating on a stop sign in the MIDDLE of campus.

The Illusion of Freedom: a 3rd floor sun-porch with foreboding metal grid. Some more active buildings in the background.

Seating for two. So what if it is in 4 inches of standing water? This shot shows a little more sun-porch.

A gurney quietly collects dust as the hurricane rages out side.

The wind was whipping these faded red curtains. The mist of wind shattered rain was rolling over the window sills in dramatic clouds of fog. Sadly, I couldn't figure out how to capture it. Luckily, I at least was able to get this frame out of it.

"Lead chips, Latex drips." - Explorer's Saying

An article from 1966 on deinstitutionalization. The very movement that would eventually close and shutter this facility; releasing patients into the community and terminating the jobs of 1000's.

A patient bathroom. Each and every window in the facility had a grate to cover them to prevent ambitious patients from jumping from windows to escape.

Well, that about wraps it up.
I hope you're all staying happy, healthy and stealthy,
Broderick Grant - Polarity Photo

Jeff Bujak Revisted

2008-09-05T10:17:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

Droppin' in after some location scouting today to see how you're all doing! Today, I bring you the remainder of the Bujak frames from 09.03.08.

Thanks again to Jeff for making some amazing music and bustin' his hump to set up his light rig for me so I could take these photos!

[as a little side note, please bear with me as I mess around with my watermark stamp. I've been toying around with some different ideas lately so they're all marked differently. :) ]

I might have one more post in the future with another 5 or so frames. We'll see what I dig up!

Hope you're all staying happy and healthy,
Broderick Grant - Polarity Photo

Jeff Bujak

2008-09-04T08:55:00.000-07:00

Just a little preview of what's to come. I spent last evening shooting with Jeff Bujak down at WPKN studios in Bridgeport. Let me just say what an awesomely talented guy this is. I've never heard so much music come from one guy! Jeff had his light rig in full effect and let me tell you WHAT A TREAT IT WAS! Here's a quickie 3 for everyone to check out as a preview of what's to come!

Special thanks to Jeff and WPKN 89.5 Bridgeport!

You can find some of Jeff's progressive piano at:
>>> LiveBuj.com <<< for live recordings.
and
>>> JeffBujak.com <<< for tourdates, merch and everything else!

WPKN can be found on the web at >>> WPKN.org <<<

Stay Happy and Healthy Everyone!
Broderick Grant - Polarity Photo

Vine Tendrils

2008-09-03T04:47:00.000-07:00

I just have one frame for everyone today before I head out with the strobes and get to work. This triptych is made from three frames shot over the span of 7 months. I think I finally found a suitable center image. I hope y'all dig it!

**********************************
And here's a song I'm feelin' today.

Incubus - "Echo"
**********************************

Stay happy, healthy and stealthy everyone,
Broderick Grant - Polarity Photo

Juggling Suns Revisited

2008-09-01T16:52:00.000-07:00

Hey there everyone, here's a couple more frames from the face-melting Juggling Suns show from 8.30.08:

Mark totally hooked up in the moment, blissfully creating amazing art for us to enjoy!

My friends C&J soakin' up some Suns!

Mark lets some lyrics fly!

Tim holding it down on rhythm.

Awesome folks turned out in droves!

****************
check out the Juggling suns at:
Click Here for the Offical Band Web Page with forums!
or
Click here for the Band's Myspace Page to check out some Tunes!
or just click here to give a quick listen

****************

Hope you're all staying happy and healthy,
Broderick Grant - Polarity Photo

Busy weekend!

2008-08-31T16:56:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a crazy weekend. I'm still reeling and there's more to come!

First off, let me make an awesome announcement! I sat down with my friend Kate Broderick. Friends, I'm pleased to make it official! Kate is going to be joining the Polarity Photography Team as both co-owner and photographer. That being said, we're now able to offer 2nd shooter packages for any session!

Next up, let me relate to you the chaos that has been my life the last 72 hours.
Smashed a lens, cut my hand up pretty badly, smashed a filter, ordered my off camera radio triggered flash gear (woo new toys!), the rough proofing service is set up and ready to roll, I'm all hooked up with the folks at White House Custom Color for bangin' prints, I got to see my favorite touring band in Bridgeport and I managed to sneak in a little exploration in the middle of all that!

Without further adieu, here's a couple preview shots from this weekend that I took:

Mark from the Juggling Suns shoulder deep in a jam and hooked up in the moment.

Mark and Tim create a Yin Yang under some UFO-like stage lighting. The Suns follow through on their promise to abduct you!

Found on the floor of an abandoned wire mill in Connecticut. Built in 1871, Abandoned sometime after 1999. Today, she sits stoically defiant of the elements, patiently awaiting the cruel hand of fate.

The production floor of the Montgomery Tinsel Mill. Once throbbing with life and whirring with machines, the barren floor does little more than harbor a thick layer of dust, now. Anyone wanna do a fashion shoot here?

A singer sewing machine now lies dormant, optimistically awaiting a pair of able hands to spur it back into action.

I just love the hardwood floors in these places! The red columns on this floor were oh so awesome and vibrant too!

More to come when I rest up, nurse some wounds and finish up post processing!
Stay happy, healthy, and stealthy everyone,
Broderick Grant

The Green Grasp of Nature

2008-08-30T04:32:00.000-07:00

So when I'm not out shooting portraits and events I'm out crawling through abandoned structures in the Northeastern US. Lately, life has been so busy that I haven't been taking many photos in abandonments that don't have people in them. This frame is a recent exception to the trend that I figured I'd share. I hope you enjoy!

Ivy bursts through the shattered window of a factory in Connecticut that once worked leather many years ago. Now, Mother Nature's green grasping tentacles trightly grip the window frame, slowly pulling the facade of the building down. She has a way of wringing the life from the structures we leave behind. This old factory is no exception. Another year or so subjected to her torment and this factory will finish its slow descent back to the earth. Frame, roof, floors, and windows none of it is impervious to the persistent force of Mother Nature.

Stay happy, healthy and stealthy everyone!
Broderick Grant

Chillin' at the Beach

2008-08-29T17:42:00.000-07:00

So I went down to Milford Photo today and picked up my light stands for the new strobist setup I'm gonna rock. As I was cruisin' home, I passed an awesome beach so Christen and I pulled over and I forced her to stand in front of my lens for a few frames.

Hope you all enjoy!
Stay happy and healthy everyone!
Brody

Whatever tomorrow brings...

2008-08-28T20:59:00.000-07:00

This world is beyond confusing.

Thank god I've got my camera to keep me grounded. Nothing compares to the power the camera gives me. That for one pure innocent moment behind the lens, the world exists in nothing more than f-stops and exposure times, my racing head is quiet, there is no past, no future, only the present. That single moment in time where you press the shutter button, harness light and capture a memory for all the world to see.

I may not be able to figure out the world, but with my camera I can freeze the bliss and perfection of one moment and preserve it for eternity.

With this, I declare, I'm ready to show the world who I am, my vision, my dream. I'm ready to wring the sweetest drops from this fruit called Life. To savor each moment, dark or light, blissful or painful. For once I can say confidently, I'm ready to truly live.

Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there.

INCUBUS - "Drive"

Sometimes, I feel the fear of uncertainty stinging clear
And I can't help but ask myself how much I let the fear
Take the wheel and steer
It's driven me before
And it seems to have a vague, haunting mass appeal
But lately I'm beginning to find that I
Should be the one behind the wheel

Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there
With open arms and open eyes yeah

Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there
I'll be there

So if I decide to waiver my chance to be one of the hive
Will I choose water over wine and hold my own and drive?
It's driven me before
And it seems to be the way that everyone else gets around
But lately I'm beginning to find that
When I drive myself my light is found

Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there
With open arms and open eyes yeah

Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there
I'll be there

Would you choose the water over wine
Hold the wheel and drive

Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there
With open arms and open eyes yeah

Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there
I'll be there

Grace of the 50's Part 2

2008-08-25T20:17:00.000-07:00

I liked this set and had such a good time shooting, I couldn't resist going back for a second post with a few more photos.
I hope you all enjoy!

Putting the finishing touches on.
[as a note: the frame looks soft because I was playing around with a new clarity slider in Adobe Camera Raw 4.5]

Breaktime on Ward

The end of the day shift on the Women's Ward.

Stay happy, healthy and stealthy everyone,
Brody

The Grace of the 50's Part 1

2008-08-24T21:18:00.000-07:00

So my friend Katherine and I headed out to a favorite location to try something new. We went for a 1950's style nurse themed photoshoot. Check out these shots. Woman can freakin' model, right?

Here Nurse Katherine surveys the campus from a sun porch.

Check out the smile!

Fixin' the lipstick...

and the collar!

Nurse Katherine working on some shift notes.

Nurse on break.

Hope you're all staying happy, healthy and stealthy!
Brody - Polarity Photo

Starting Again

2008-08-22T04:45:00.000-07:00

Just dropping in to say hello to everyone. Big things are on the horizon. I've got a ton of shoots booked for September and more are coming along by the day. My life is changing, incredibly. Sure, there's a lot of stress. Sure, there's a lot of doubt. Like a friend said, "the best things in life are worth fighting for."

That being said, here's a relevant tune from an incredibly talented band, The Ryan Montbleau Band:

Starting Again - Ryan Montbleau Band

Painting lines and taking down numbers.
Fall into a drink at the table in the corner.
Making eyes with another perfect stranger
When in steps my mind, "Danger Danger. Danger Danger."
Worried about starting again.

Stepping out of a long and rainy, lazy morning.
Fall into a deeper understanding of the story.
And these new eyes can only lead me to wonder
About the place that I am leaving
About the spell that I was under
Talking about starting again.

I could lay it all down, pick you up in a blaze of light.
Rolling over mountains, we could roll around all night
And everything would be alright
Once we get in the car and dive.
Starting again.

Here among this wooden life and the stacks of unending paper,
People are starting to scare me and my insides are feeling safer
Than the outside world and the people I no longer comprehend.
I've been thinking about starting over
I've been thinking about starting again.
Starting again.

It's another adventure for the massive understanding,
Only time to think about the towns that we are passing.
We could read the signs and feel the blood in our bones,
And anywhere our hearts are beating we could call our home,
And we could start again.
We could start again.

We could throw it all away and laugh into the light of a new dawn.
Laughing at anything, we could grow new eyes and sing new songs.
And we don't ever have to keep it on the inside,
Once we get in the car and drive.
Starting again.

Stay happy and healthy everyone,
Brody - Polarity Photo

Jam Session Part 2

2008-08-11T06:17:00.001-07:00

So here's another couple frames from Saturday's Jam Session. Hope you all enjoy!

Norge's mistress. Norge loves this bass ALMOST as much as he loves Laura, his lady! Luckily for Norge, Laura is okay with his love affair.

Billy, the drummer, rockin' perfect form!

The man is a master of the tubs 'n' skins and is getting better by the day!

Thanks guys for lettin' me soak up some quality tunes while I smiled away snappin' photos!
Hope everyone is staying happy and healthy,
Brody

The Norge - Freelance Bassist & Interstate Man of Mystery

2008-08-10T17:02:00.000-07:00

So, I spent the last weekend on a lil retreat in the Dirty Jersey hanging with roommate extraordinaire Ryan, aka The Norge. We spent the weekend winding down from the Gathering. It turned into a decompression of sorts. Norge and his buddy decided to have a jam session on Saturday and I was there doin' my thing shootin' photos.

Now, mind you Norge hates having photos taken of himself so it took a little coaxing but after a few short minutes of begging and bribery I was snappin' frames while the boys jammed away on some drum n bass goodness. A half hour later the boys decided it was time for a break so I packed the camera away and went back to relaxing.

Norge bites his bottom lip when the jam's got a hold of him. Check him out hooked up and feelin' the groove!

Concentration!

It may seem like it is all serious business but a good jam is really just about having a great time with awesome people!

Hope everyone is staying happy and healthy!
Brody - Polarity Photo

The Great Recharge - The Vibe-Tribe Reunites!

2008-08-05T07:26:00.000-07:00

Well, we're back and recovering friends! What an amazing weekend filled with friends, fun, great music, smiles, dancing, good food, camping, sunshine and good times meeting strangers. I must confess. Perhaps, deep down, I sympathize and could even call myself a "hippie" at heart. I mean this not in the trendy drug laden way but more in the contemporary kindness, compassion and empathy kind of way. This event, every year, helps me recenter and find that part inside of me that slowly tends to slip away over the course of the long year between Gathering. A chance to recharge and regain faith in the inherit goodness and love that still does exist within our chaotic world.

Sometimes, I feel each day in this crazy, rushing, 9 to 5 world that folks don't have time to stop and smile. In our normal lives, we don't tend to make time to put the brakes on and just chat with a smiling stranger. In our regular society, the average daily driver is so concerned with their own life and how much of a rush that they are in that they can't even take turns when merging on the highway! These days, you're lucky if folks will hold the damn door for ya!

This self absorbed negativity is gloriously absent at Gathering. People lend gear, give away food, share items and suffer in costumes through extreme heat just to make the experience of everyone who gets to see them better. These are the things that make vibes special to me. The fact that we can go to this park with 20,000 other people, set up a campsite next to people you've never met and have the most amazing time of the year hanging out with tons of new folks. In many instances, these people that you're meeting have only a hand full of things in common with you, a free spirit, an affinity for interminable jam of upbeat music and a heart laden with love and kindness.

Over a brief four days you'll form bonds that last a life time. You'll meet folks local and afar that are kindred spirits on similar paths in their life. Sure you're gonna get dirty. You're gonna be sweaty. There's gonna be grungy porto-potties to negotiate in the middle of the night. There's oftentimes rain. That being said, it is all a small price to pay for a whole heap of self awareness and the best damned weekend of the year!

Hope you enjoy the photos!

Waiting in line thursday for the gate search. Here two different security firms search your vehicle for non-festival friendly items: weapons, glass, drugs, fireworks and pets.

A neighbor. This bus was parked in the next row over and just packed with kind smiling souls. These folks were awesome! Thanks for the cam pole you lent us for our shade structure! It was a life saver!

People brought flags and decorations to spice up their campsites and to make it easier to find home amongst the sea of tents!

This couple got married just before Ryan Montbleau Band took the stage! What an awesome idea! Wavy Gravy officiated over their ceremony and they danced blissfully to the Ryan Montbleau Band set as their first show as a married couple!

People didn't stop movin' and groovin' to the sounds of good music. Here my friend Terra from Karma Hoops enjoys the summer sun!

We got a little rain on Saturday that made things a little muddy but some rain and mud isn't enough to stop the Vibetibe! (when I say little rain, I mean 3+ inches of rain in under 30 minutes coupled with probably 20 mile per hour winds!)

Here the newly weds enjoy their first set as a married couple. How awesome would it be to have Ryan Montbleau Band as your wedding band?!

Tribe members donned stilts & costumes, waved flags, signs and glowsticks all in the name of a colorfully good time!

One of my favorite parts about vibes is just how multi-generational the event is. Everyone from the age of 2 to 82 was there, smiling livin' it up and lovin' life!

The whole weekend while we were there, the Bridgeport boys in blue kept us safe. They were on horseback, 4 wheelers and even the occasional segway! Special thanks to the Bridgeport PD for their kind help and understanding of our very different scene.

Well, I hope this post has found everyone in good health and good spirits. I'm recharged and ready for another long year between now and next year's event! If you're even vaguely considering it, buy early bird tickets next year, I promise if you've got a good heart and love smiling Vibes is just the thing you could be lookin' for!

Onward and Upward everyone!
Stay happy and healthy!
Brody - Polarity Photo

Summer Days & Heading Home

2008-07-30T06:10:00.000-07:00

SUMMER DAYS & HEADING HOME TO GATHERING:

Hope this post find everyone in good health and good spirits! I'm super excited today because there's only 24 hours left until my favorite time of year! Tomorrow marks the start of the 13th annual Gathering of the Vibes. Trust that I'll be in line at 8am Thursday anxious to get in and set up the campsite so that we can squeeze every last drop from this much needed vacation!

Each year when this time rolls around I feel like I'm getting ready to head home to an amazing family reunion! I love the Vibes. It is the greatest environment ever and it is AWESOME for photography. 20,000 smiling faces dancing in the summer sun to awesome up-beat music! The festival is in Bridgeport again this year at Seaside park. We're so lucky to have this awesome gathering of kind and friendly folks in our back yard these past two years. I sure am psyched we no longer have to drive to upstate NY for this event!

So, if you're looking to get a hold of me over the next few days, that's where I'll be. Lovin' life and livin' it up in the summer sun.

So if you're local, come check us out this weekend if you're bored. Come laugh and join in the carefree fun that only 30,000 crazy hippies and artists can create! Take off your shoes, feel some grass between your toes and leave all that adult, suit-n-tie, 9-5, cubicle drone garbage at home and dance like a fool in the summer sun! If you show up, keep an eye out for a 6'4" lovable ogre-type guy in a purple and black hat with his face glued to a camera and an ear to ear smile.

Stay happy and healthy everyone!
Brody - Polarity Photo

Capewell & Christen

2008-07-28T06:53:00.000-07:00

Capewell Manufacturing & Christen Modeling:

So I decided to head out with my girlfriend, muse, and partner in crime Christen and do a little wandering the other day. We settled on scouting new locations for adventuring and photography as our day's project. We headed into the core of Hartford and stumbled upon a shell of a factory that we'd seen before. Capewell Manufacturing has a long history with the city, being one of the larger original industries that fed and fueled early Hartford alongside the Colt empire.

Now we'd driven past this beast before, all the while salivating, but this time as we slow-rolled through the block around the building, I noticed a first floor window-board that was only attached at the top. Bingo! The explorer's ear mark, the human sized doggy door!

As the Capewell campus is being rapidly refurbished and retrofitted for modern use, this was an opportunity not to be squandered. I eagerly caught Christen's glance and was thrilled to see the same spark of wonder in her eyes. We quickly parked the vehicle and headed in.

Now, it was sometime about 30 minutes after entry that we both came to the conclusion that Christen was not dressed for aggressive adventure and that we should just keep it a laid back event. I proposed the idea that we do a bit of fun modeling. Since she felt she was dressed well enough for a lil photo-shoot, she agreed to spend some time gettin' down and dirty. This is her first time modeling!

Christen slathered in rich sunlight. Isn't she beautiful, soakin' it all in?

Yin and Yang. Christen posing in front of a blown out hole in the wall in the 3rd floor of the manufacturing company.

After about 30 minutes of modeling, Christen politely informed me that she had a surplus of dirt and paint chips that were slowly creeping their way northward up her skirt and that she'd had about enough of this location.

We bailed out to the car. Christen shook the grime off her clothes and we continued on our scouting adventure. Somewhere in Wallingford, we happened upon a relic that was just too cool to pass up. Right there, on the side of this rural route we came upon a beautiful rusty tribute to our automotive history. Lucky for me, Christen was still in a modelin' mood so I put her to work posin'.

Two vintage style frames.

Baskin' in some summer sunlight!
Christen was awesome to work with! I think she made a great model (I'm definitely a bit bias though! ;) ).
I hope you all enjoyed the post!

Stay happy and healthy!
Brody - Polarity Photo

A Powerful Day at the Power Palace

2008-07-26T12:16:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,
I hope this post finds you in good spirits and good health. Today's post is a real treat. A location that was 9 months in the works for me. 9 months of watching. 9 months of exteriors. 9 months of anticipation. I hope you enjoy.

THE POWER PALACE

Built: early 1900's
Abandoned: late 1990's

This power plant is the heart of the region. It pumped the blood of electricity through the body of the seacoast. At places within its depths switches are marked which control the power flow of every business and every home within the region. The TV station. The two hospitals. The police station.

Now, its sources of power are considered too dirty for today's use. She lies dormant. The owner claims that she's just barely unhooked from the grid. Ready to roll within three months if given the okay to flip the switches. Tags hang on undisturbed dials notifying a crew of ghosts that everything is under maintenance. No signs of scrapping. No graffiti. Just a thin layer of dusty history on everything.

The moon rises over the heart.

The stacks loom overhead on the roof making one feel incredibly insignificant.

This is the view through the first door inside a loading bay into the main floor of the plant.

A tribute to the ghost crew from the one remaining worker.

Pristine

Evidence of maintenance.

Turbine covers. The vertical one reads, "Officially started working 6-23-80. Officially dead on 4-28-92"

Traces of the crew that once was.

Each tag reads "Currently under maintenance. Do not operate!"

A massive coal screener reaches 3 floors tall in the oldest section of the plant.

Big and little brother stand watch over the turbine hall.

Chaos on the first floor.

One of the stacks rises over the Employee Lounge Deck.

Summer Camp!

2008-07-24T11:21:00.000-07:00

I figured I'd get this crazy train rolling with a few shots from my most recent exploration.

Camp Columbia
In the sleepy western woods of Connecticut there sits an abandoned summer camp. Built in the early 1900's this camp serviced a well-known New York university. Initially, the camp was used as a retreat for university football players. Then sometime in the late 70's to early 80's the camp was retrofitted to serve as a special satellite campus for the university's highest level engineering students. Local historians claim that the camp was a favorite of Eisenhower.

In 2000, the camp was decommissioned and abandoned; in 2004 the property was sold to the state of Connecticut. Today, the stone cottages quietly and stoically await their fate. Scrappers occasionally tear a board off a window and rummage through the walls and ceilings of her cabins in search of valuable copper piping. Dragon flies race through the fields of waist high grass. Roofs slowly collapse, allowing water entry; speeding along the decay of each structure.
Leaves collect in corners and rustle, gently stirred from their slumber by a summer breeze.

Soon the buildings will be razed. There will be no trace of the camp except for it's massive stone tower. These buildings are a liability for the state and soon they'll be nothing more than a patch of dirt. History is too expensive to preserve.

Former Classroom: Building #337 - A student desk sits outside. It is almost as if it is waiting patiently in hopes someone will return to the camp for classes to drag it back indoors.

2nd Floor Admissions Building - Two beds display the stark difference in decay between the presence of water and the lack thereof. The bed on the right sits underneath a hole in the roof. It is pretty crazy to think that two students spent their summer in the heat in these cramped quarters.

2nd Floor Admissions Building Common Room - An eerie green light is cast across the wall from a large leaf hanging into the window to the left of the photo. Vines are slowly taking this building over and their leaves cast a creepy green hue over everything.

Stone Bunk House Porch - This is the view from the porch of the largest stone bunk house. I only noticed moments after I shot this photo that about 50 bats were roosted over my head in the porch ceiling!!

2nd Floor Admissions Shower Room - Light trickles into the shower room from an ever widening hole in the ceiling. Given another year or two, the floor I was standing on when this photo was shot would likely be collapsed.

2nd Floor Recreation Hall Assembly Room - Here students would gather for films or lectures. The wind whipped crazily through this room as each of its windows have no glass or frame. Contributing to the wind was the fact that the building is situated on the peak of the small hilltop that the camp was built upon.

That'll do it for the first set! I hope you folks all enjoyed!
Check back often!
Stay happy and healthy,
Brody.

Me & My Crazy World

2008-07-24T11:04:00.000-07:00

Welcome friends,

Welcome to my crazy world. Some of you have known me for years. Others however, are just getting to know me. For those of you out there who are new to my world, here's a little background.

I'm a lifestyles and event photographer from the Southern Connecticut coast. Photography is my bliss, my muse and my calling. A year ago, I found photography. It has been a wild ride since then. I stopped pursuing a degree in psychology and sunk every spare cent I had into my Canon 30D and traveling, shooting photos and selling prints to make ends meet.

When I'm not shooting for clients, I split my free time roaming the northeastern United States climbing through abandoned buildings documenting nature's attempt to reclaim the area upon which we build our structures and shooting photos of bands and artists preforming.

Stop by this blog often to catch glimpses of action across the Northeast. From Maine to New Jersey if it makes a good photo, I want to see it. If you have an event in the northeast, I want to document it.

Stay happy and healthy everyone!
Onward and Upward,
Brody