Rust & Ruinism
Rust and ruinism find their allure in the beauty of decay. From the period architecture of the Mansfield Penitentiary and the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum to the arrested deterioration of the mighty Carrie Blast Furnaces, we’ll photograph some of the best urban decay in Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania.
Workshop Details
March 9-14, 2025 — 1 Spot Left
This is a 5-night, 6-day workshop. Your adventure begins in the late morning of March 9 and ends on the afternoon of March 14.
$2,895. Register below.
Skill level
Intermediate and above. Open to all who have an understanding of the basic principles of night photography and of their cameras.
Group size
14, with 2 instructors — 7:1 ratio
Workshop Leaders
Registration
| • Deposit of $895 is required to reserve your spot at the workshop. |
| • Balance of $2,000 is due on February 10, 2025. → Pay balance here. |
| • You may choose the “Pay in Full” ticket if you desire to pay all at once. |
| • Last day for a cancellation request is February 9, 2025. (see cancellation and refund policy) |
| • The workshop fee includes private night access to the Mansfield Penitentiary, Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum and Carrie Blast Furnaces. |
| • The fee does not include lodging, food, airfare, or transportation to or during our workshop. |
The Rust & Ruinism Experience
Ready for a road trip? Let’s travel through the Rust Belt and photograph some of the most storied locations the area has to offer. Our locations have long been popular among those—from ghost hunters to filmmakers—who wish to experience the history and decay of these once stately, powerful and important structures.
We’ll start in Pittsburgh, make our way down to West Virginia and then finish our tour in Mansfield, Ohio.
We’ll begin our adventure in the hulking industrial relic of the legendary U.S. Steel Company’s Carrie Blast Furnaces. Built in 1884, this massive vestige of Steel City operated for 98 years. In its prime Carrie produced over 1,000 tons of iron per day. The smoke has cleared and this rusted ruin is the only pre-World War II blast furnace that remains in the Northern Hemisphere. We’ll clock in during the day to learn about Carrie’s rich history and then stoke the furnaces again at night and under the stars.
Next we’ll head to West Virginia to spend a night at the spooky Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. Built in the Gothic Revival and Tudor Revival styles, the asylum was in use from 1864 to 1994. Shooting both indoor and outdoor scenes, we’ll use the light of a full moon, as well as craft our own lighting schemes, to highlight the unsettling features of this location.
We’ll end our epic road trip in Mansfield—home of the Ohio State Reformatory, aka the prison made famous by the film The Shawshank Redemption. Here we’ll photograph the famous examples of architecture that were intended to uplift, inspire and even intimidate their residents. We’ll enjoy a daytime tour to scout and to learn the history of the prison, followed by 2 nights of private access to the penitentiary. Rusted bars and cells and mosaics of peeling paint add to the haunting atmosphere of this institution.
Each of these historic locations has insane amounts of texture, detail and lines. We’ll implement multiple light painting techniques to bring them back to life and showcase the beauty of decay.
What You Should Know
This workshop caters to knowledgeable night photographers with an intermediate or higher skill set. Participants should have a firm grasp of the basic principles of photography and of their cameras, and have a comfortable understanding of night photography fundamentals. We will be happy to offer advice and answer questions about both day and night photography, but the focus of the formal education will be in the field working with flashlights and portable LED light panels (Luxli Fiddles and Violas).
If you would like to attend this workshop but are unsure whether you have adequate night photography skills, we can offer pre-workshop tutoring to get you ready for your adventure with us. Alternatively or additionally, a few of us have written books that may be productive pre-workshop reads.
What You Will Learn
This workshop will focus on increasing your knowledge of scene illumination by using your own light sources as well as mixing in the ambient light of the full moon.
TOPICS COVERED WILL INCLUDE:
light painting
Low-Level Lighting (LLL)
how to photograph in dark industrial interiors
urban star trails
and more …
This workshop will have very little classroom time but plenty of field instruction. While in the field, the instructors will demonstrate their own techniques and will work with participants one-on-one to make sure everyone gets the most out of the workshop.
Night Conditions
Logistics & General Info
Travel
This workshop is a bit different from our other offerings as it will start and end in different cities. It will begin in Pittsburgh and end in Mansfield, Ohio.
It is your choice whether to fly to and from Pittsburgh and drive back at the end, or to fly to and from the Mansfield area and drive to Pittsburgh at the beginning, or to book a multicity flight.
Nearby Airports:
Columbus (CMH) —1 hour from Mansfield
Cleveland (CLE) — 1 hour
Dayton (DAY) — 2 hours
Pittsburgh (PIT) — 2 hours, 30 minutes
Rental Car
A car (rental or personal) will be needed to travel to the workshop as well as between shooting locations.
If you are interested in carpooling or sharing a rental car, let us know and we will try to connect you with another attendee looking for the same.
You are responsible for arranging and paying for your own transportation.
Lodging & Food
This workshop will have three hotels to ensure we are in close proximity to our three shooting locations.
Lodging
Info and group codes will be sent at some point after registering, once our lodging partners are ready to begin taking reservations.
You are not required to stay at the official workshop lodging, though doing so does make it easier to meet with the group each day.
If you are interested in sharing a room, let us know and we will try to connect you with someone like-minded in the group.
Food
Each location is in a town large enough to provide a variety of dining options.
When on the night shoots, you may wish to bring snack food or a sandwich and plenty of water.
You are responsible for arranging and paying for your own meals and accommodations.
Weather
Expect daytime highs in the mid 50s F and nighttime lows in the high 30s. We will be indoors for most of the trip but the old buildings we’ll visit may be significantly warmer or cooler than the outdoor temperatures.
Recommended Attire
Cooler northern springtime temperatures suggest pants and long sleeves and a coat for daytime.
Layers (thermal base layers) are advisable at night. The indoor shoot locations are not heated.
Comfortable and protective shoes are recommended for getting around. There won’t be long walks, but we will encounter uneven footing.
Exertion Level
The exertion level of this workshop is Easy. (See more about our classifications.)
No vigorous activity will be required during the workshop, but please consider your physical abilities prior to registering. You should be comfortable carrying your own equipment over uneven ground in the dark.
Considerations
IMPORTANT: We encourage reading our FAQs section for more information about skill and gear requirements, and other information that pertains to all our workshops.
If you have questions, please contact us—we're happy to talk it over with you.
Loving Decay …
“What’s left behind is a symphony composed of angles of steel, riots of rust and the play of light over peeling paint. It’s utterly beautiful.”
I love history. Not just American history, but any history. Social, military, religious. It all appeals to me. It not only provides me with an understanding of where we have been, but also an insight into why things may have happened. It also may suggest a blueprint for moving forward.
The only problem is that generally I don’t combine my love of history with my love of photography. When I am visiting a historical site, I am more interested in reading the interpretive signs and getting a lay of the land. I’m looking for books and talking to the docent or ranger for further insight.
There is one subject, however, where I’m able to combine my love of history with my love of photography: the decaying footprint of humans. From 19th century American mining structures and fallen castles in Europe, to the dilapidated factories of the northeast to the relics of the west, these subjects can be both hauntingly beautiful and rich in history.
One perfect example of this is the Ohio State Reformatory (OSR) in Mansfield, Ohio. Built with the idea that a beautiful building and healthy environment could help rehabilitate first-time offenders, the folks at OSR became leaders in the field of youth detention. As with many of our great institutions, however, the years were hard and the mission, perhaps, even harder. What’s left behind is a symphony composed of angles of steel, riots of rust and the play of light over peeling paint. It’s utterly beautiful.
The first time I visited OSR, I was lucky enough to be part of a group of photographers that had rented out the building for several hours. We were free to wander around, to use tripods and to take our time creating compositions. This was not the typical situation found by the average visitor. Our experience was fabulous, and I had vowed to come back at night with a workshop group.
Last year that dream finally came true. Gabe and I, as well as 14 other brave photographers, spent the night in OSR photographing the haunting beauty of this prison while feeling the haunting presence of its previous inhabitants. The experience was thrilling.
