Gallery Update 08/25/26
Aaaaannnd we’re back with another journal entry.
This one really is just another update to my gallery page. I finished updating and converting a few other old photo collections for web and I wanted to share and talk about them a little bit. Most of these on their own pages have different descriptions, so I’ll try to not steal their thunder. If you’re interested you’ll be able to access these collections either through this page by clicking the title of the photo set or by heading to the gallery and visiting their respective pages!
So let’s get into it;
This collection is from the time I’ve spent attending a community photowalk in Northside from about early 2024 into early 2025. So it’s been awhile since I’ve been, but there are quite a few people I’ve met and think of fondly. I have a lot of respect for these people, their talent and drive is really a privilege to see first hand as well as getting an opportunity to have a conversation and pick the brains of the coordinators. I’m lucky to even call some of these people my friends or acquaintances.
This photograph in particular is one that’s very special to me. This is from one of, if not the first photowalk I personally attended and happened by pure chance. The process of picking a walking path was initially chosen by tossing a key into the air and waiting for it to land on the ground. Whichever direction the tip of the key landed is the direction we would walk. I can’t recall the exact nickname for it but I’m fairly certain we called it, “the key of truth.” (If someone reading this remembers it and messages me I will adjust it) After we set our paces in the direction of the key we stumbled across this abandoned building in the middle of an open lot. It was like an oasis in a sea of gravel and blacktop. There was lush green vines and small trees and bushes growing on the exterior of the building. Windows were boarded up or busted, and the doors were replaced with plywood. There were a few openings despite things being boarded up, if you wanted to put a little effort in you could easily get inside of this building.
So I did.
I’m not sure of the purpose this building served. When you walked in everything was stripped on the first level. Subfloors, flaking ceilings, and wood panel walls. The center piece though, in my opinion, was this double sided vault door. It had to have been about a 8+ inches thick, and it was cracked open on one side. Only enough to fit your hand or forearm in though. The doors obviously had not been moved in a long time and could not be moved by one person. The only photos I have of this door and the first floor are really bad phone pictures which I’ll share below:
However, the upstairs in this place was beautiful. They didn’t tear down the walls or anything. Upstairs it was all old wood panelling and office spaces. Old calendars that dated back to 1998, membership stickers plastered to an office door that dated back to 1973 & 1974, diet sprite cans that had to have been from the early 2000’s or late 1990’s, busted windows, and a bird nest on a bookshelf with two lone eggs waiting for their parent to return. A deteriorating space stuck in a time that’s been long gone. The first picture above was the staircase leading to these preserved rooms. There was metal scrap and broken glass you had to climb over to ascend the stairs, but once you crossed this obstacle all you saw was this view of the staircase. It very much reminds me of an American Football album cover. I love all the details that surround this one single shot, because of this I have to say that it’s a favorite. I do hope i was able to paint a clear picture of the atmosphere of this place. The sad thing though; we explored this building and no longer than 5 days later everything was gone. Nothing was left except for what now contributes to the gravel lot. Wiped off the face of the earth that quickly. There were a lot of things I wish I captured, but I’m very glad to have just experienced it for the little time I was able to.
There are a few more pictures of this place and much much more shown in the gallery space called Northside Photowalks, go take a look!
This was a very spontaneous experience, I saw this on the way home from my art studio and had to capture it. The only thing I had on me though was my Canon A-1 and some very expired fuji 1600 speed film that was in unknown condition. I thought there were only two outcomes to this; it was either going to turn out really cool or it was going to be terrible. Or a third option is I could have just used my phone I guess. BUT, I personally really like how this turned out; the photographs (because of the expired film) are fairly busted though I can’t even lie. I do think it happened to be perfect to capture a demolition with a lot of character on some film with an unknown amount of character. The end results are these insane looking photographs. Above this description is probably my favorite from the set. The debris covering the “college of law” sign, being able to make out unique accents from the interior of the building, and seeing these elements clash with what was left of exterior was so interesting to me.
If you want to view the rest from this set go check out the gallery space UC College of Law Demolition.
This photo set holds a very special place in my heart. I’ve deepened my relationship with many people who participated in these climbing trips. These were my first experiences in New River Gorge; experiencing the lush nature, the climbing culture, and having an opportunity to unplug from life and plug in with friends. The bond we all had was so special. Everyone was really excited to touch some real rock (it was most of our first time ever climbing outside), and almost everyone who was a part of the group used this trip as inspiration for their own personal creative work. I had so much fun on these trips; from shooting shit with some new people or friends I’d already known, to capturing the raw emotions that come with climbing, to just talking to people about what they were creating or looking forward to making. Whether it was photography, painting, drawing, or poetry of some kind. My favorite image is the one above, this is my favorite from the set but genuinely might be the one photograph I’ve taken I’m the most proud of. This one is of my friend Liam (shoutout, love yah). The emotions in his face, the way his hands and feet grip the rock, the way his entire body wraps around the underside of the boulder, and the safety net of hands off to the right reaching out in case he falls. I really think this captures bouldering outside with friends perfectly.
If you’re interested in seeing some more related to this, check out the gallery space New River Gorge 2023.
Well, that’s everything for now. I’m very happy to have some of these finally added to my website. There are way more photographs in the process of being shared here soon. I’ve stumped myself and built up a gargantuan backlog of pictures I need to develop and scan that range all the way back to 2023. Over this past winter (december ‘25 - january ‘26) I was working on all of my C41 color film and b+w film I had sitting in my fridge waiting to see the light of day again. It was about 20 rolls altogether I fear, and I still have about 14 rolls left of some cut up Kodak Vision3 I bought and bulk loaded. Over these next few months I’m going to be working on getting those processed and scanned. I hope to share them here with you guys soon.
Thank you for your time, best regards,
-Gabe
