In the Basement Blowin’ Hot Air
Uh oh, environmental portraiture (almost)! What’s next gritty face closeups? Well, not quite, but I did have a fun year end scrambling about making this image of old heat exchange fans. The large fan paddles actually suck air from the room space down under the floor and force it through a heat exchange into the performance hall above. The fans are still in use going on 100 years, though the steam pipes on the left are the old inactive heat exchange. There are three of these fans in this room (one more behind me) and the long shaft goes all the way down out through the wall of the room into a separate space to the motor. There are even two more fans in the “attic” above the hall that work to pull air up and out.
 Blower Fans |
Not CERN scale cool, but great vintage steam(punk) cool.
The image will run as a two page spread. Many thanks to George, who helps maintain the system, for stepping in on short notice.
Civil War Memorial
As alluded to in an earlier post (Images Made: Woolsey), my images of Yale’s Civil War Memorial are out (YAM article). I want to take a quick moment to share two images that were not published.
I couldn’t help but make the first here after I saw it (made it on the way out, after covering the bases). I knew it wouldn’t make it with space constraints. The reason being that without the help of a heavy caption one understandably would assume the left wall of names is also from the Civil War (which it is not, World War II, I think). Anyway, point is outside of editorial clarity or expediency I like the architecturally formal strength here. In this I think I have a sense of space and a visually longer lasting image – the building lines are there to follow, loop back on, and interlock.
 Civil War Memorial |
The second image as well was not published, as this whole wall was. I want to share this here because it is a good editorial image for me as it feels different than many I have made. It is closer of course, perhaps, but (and maybe it is just the subject matter) it feels more intense.
 Civil War Memorial |
Images Made: Woolsey
Images Made #1: Woolsey
I think the blog here is aptly named, though hopefully no non-meat eaters have been driven away. In the spirit of how things are made I’ve largely posted either behind the scenes views of some projects or called out other projects to showcase what I do. I’ve added a Projects page that largely takes care of the latter visually for larger projects, but I will still post mentions here too. With this post I want to start a series that shows more of how specific images are made. This is a simple one, but I think important in showing how an otherwise simple image is MADE, not captured. This is a distinction in understanding images – the images I make.
I see myself as an image maker and this is important in that I don’t see images “taken” or “captured”, instead MADE. Sometimes this is less artistically subjective in the photography of art (aka museum photography) where the making might be more about technical making (assembly) or in this case a more subjective, but not excessively produced image that uses a little foresight and an ounce of assembly.
This exterior image of Woolsey Hall in New Haven, CT was made to accompany interior images I made of the Civil War Memorial that lists both fallen Union and Confederate soldiers of Yale (look for an upcoming mention on those).
 Woolsey Hall: Final Image |
More to say and Images Below, Read more…
Cushing Center
Photographed the nicely designed exhibition and collection space at the Cushing Center, designed by Turner Brooks Architect.
I photographed this back in the fall with the help of Turner Brooks and his associate Aaron, but publication was delayed an issue. There has been several previous articles on this collection and the preparation of the exhibit, but I was invited to make finished images of the space.
A feature is running along with an article in the Yale Alumni Magazine. As well Architectural Lighting magazine picked up the story for their museum lighting issue.
You can see the full set of images I made as a featured project: Cushing Center.
 Project: Cushing Center |
Cg
Yale West Campus feature
Everyone needs a summer project, right?
Well I’ve been spending some time out at Yale’s West Campus lurking around the mostly empty buildings and parking lots.
The campus is huge and there are people out there working, like conservation staff from the Yale Art Gallery and a good portion of the Peabody Museum’s collection.
Here are a couple images, and the full set can be seen here.
 Warehouse |
 Entry Way |
 Connector |
 Welcome |
 Ready Space |
 Parking |
Update: Check out the Yale Alumni Magazine article online here.
Cranes in the Sky
It’s the wave of the future they say, the Potain Crane.
I had a blast photographing the delivery and installation of this Potain Crane on Chapel St. in ‘ole New Haven last week. The crane sits on a concrete pad in front of Street Hall, a second to another in front of the Swartout building. These cranes support the renovation of both buildings as part to the Yale University Art Gallery renovation and expansion that started with the Kahn building.
The crane erection was an amazing process that started at 7am with setting up the support crane (the yellow one with wheels), and finished at 4pm. Note that the crane I photographed sits low on a concrete pad and up the street the first crane is high on a box structure – so they are at different heights. This makes sense when you see at day end they test crossed the cranes. All folded up the Potain Crane stands up and unfolds all via remote control. I’ll resist a boys and toys comment, as the crane/process is actually rather elegant.
Check out the image gallery and you can see the process unfold. Click on the screen grab image.
Construction Crane Erection Gallery
Thanks to the kind folks at Dimeo for letting me on site. And of course Leslie the Yale Art Gallery for having out for the day.
Chris
Gilead Room
A very rainy day, but it was dry inside a huge ex-Bayer building on Yale’s West Campus. This is the conservation and pre-assembly of the Gilead Room from the Young’s family house, from Gilead, Connecticut. Photographed this for a future published story on the West Campus complex. I’ll hopefully have more on that later this spring/summer.
The Art Gallery art handlers had just recently put all the main pieces together and removed cardboard that had been protecting the floor boards. You can see all the parts pre-assembly here (scroll down some, not my image so come back). The framed in room will be taken apart after some more conservation and reinstalled at the Yale Art Gallery in a year or two. The open wall sections and ceiling will be plastered in once reinstalled. Cool!
Thanks to Emily, Eric, and Tom for letting me into their secluded workspace.
Chris
Nail in the Coffin – New Haven, CT
Okay, this is it. Grand views of New Haven, CT. Also for Yale Alumni Magazine. Something should be on the cover, but not sure what. Everything I photographed can be seen here in a little slideshow.
 New Haven, CT at night |
 NH Panorama |
Chris
Hangin off A+A building, NH
I didn’t make enough production views of recent New Haven project for theYale Alumni Magazine, but this is maybe about as exciting from behind the scenes as it got anyway. Nothing like setting $15,000+ worth of gear an inch from a six story drop. At least one of the images will be used in the issue (should be May/June, I believe).
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 Wall Edge |
 Finished Image 1 |
 Wall Edge Evening |
 Finished Image 2 |
Chapel and State – "Becker Building Site"
Walking around, what angle, scouting shots. Well how about up there from that window? This is a setup and shot for a Yale Alumni Magazine issue on New Haven.
Thanks to the staff at the Odonnell Company for lending me their view (esp. Jess Smith). You can see the final image and some of the before post parts here.
Round top window’s the port hole on this one.
