Old West VA State Penitentiary & Mothman

[Nevermore1]

I took my oldest, Emily, to the Old West Virginia Penitentiary in Moundsville, WV last Monday for one of their photography "tours" so she could get some photos for her AP Art class Art Show next month. Below are a few shots I got as well as one of her with the Mothman statue in Point Pleasant, WV which was a 2 1/2 hour detour for us. It would have been nice if we'd have been able to get the outside photos at a different time of day but the prison was only open from 10-2 for the photographers. She really enjoyed and thought it was worth the trip and the extra $ to get the run of the place without having to work around tour groups. Any pointers/criticism is always welcome. I don't usually post photos because I know I'm not that great at it but would always love to get better. Also, please let me know if any are OOF - I think I may need new glasses...

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[KenC]

Nice trip, Tracy. It reminds me a little of ESP. I like all of the interior shots - well framed and almost perfect exposure in difficult lighting (5 could be a little lighter). #3 is good also. Do you know what focal length you used? It seems like there is quite a bit of compression, which I think works well for it. Focus looks good as far as I can see without blowing them up.

 

[Nevermore1]

Thanks! Yes, it does remind me of ESP. My daughter says she likes ESP better for the history and this place for taking photos. There was maybe 4 other people there taking photos. Their photography tour wasn't cheap but I think it was worth it to avoid the tour groups. I want to go back again for more photos now that I know what to expect. I was so tired that I didn't think to bring my external flash with me and there some areas which were so dark you could't see more than 2 feet in front of you even with a flashlight. My daughter made fun of me because I had to take a picture with my on camera flash then look at the screen to see what was in front of me in one area, that was the only way to keep from walking into a cement pillar (I have a bunch of crooked photos of that room). I used my 24mm prime lens and my 18-135mm kit lens, I would have to go back and check the file info to see which I used for what.