Preconceived Ideas

I am guilty of approaching a photo shoot with a preconceived idea, I don't mean a plan of the photos I wanted to take (I always try to have some sort of plan). I was told about a disused insane asylum that is on the grounds of UQ Ipswich, it has not been renovated in the 15 years since closing. I was very excited and set about getting permission to photograph this building. I am a UQ employee so I imagined this wouldn't be very hard.... my first mistake. 6 weeks of playing email tag with different departments I finally got the go ahead. While I was waiting for permission I saw  some photos of abandoned asylums in the US, this is where the preconception came to play, I wanted to see the operating table, old chairs and theaters.

http://www.photographyblogger.net/deinstitutionalized-pictures-of-abandoned-asylums-by-justin-earsing/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+photoblggr+%28Photography+Blogger%29

It was not like that at all, the Blair Pavilion is used for storage....that was my first disappointment, the building had been cleaned a few years ago so it was not a neglected as I expected. I wanted there to be old furniture in the rooms...

As a result of my disappointment I didn't even look at my photos when I loaded them to the computer, I dumped them in a folder and never intended to go back to them....until I heard that I was very lucky to be able to take these photos, a work colleague told me that she has worked at Ipswich campus for 10 years and has never even been in the building. It is a no go zone. This prompted me to go back and look at my photos...so I could send her one or two.

They were a lot better than I originally thought, which makes me wonder should I leave my photos for a few weeks before editing? Probably not, but it would be a good idea to go back and look at my raw files after a few weeks, I might see something I had dismissed the first time.

It was a rainy day when I took these photos, I liked the clouds around the old building

The current security guard posed for a shot for me

Names of the patients are still on the doors

Scratch marks on the door from when the patients where is lock down

Long corridor

Inmate art - preserved

Adam and Eve - no separate bathrooms. No privacy