Continuing Environmental Graffiti’s “lost” theme this week, Chris Ingham Brooke - Chief Graffiti Artist had the chance to catch up with legendary night-time photographer Troy Pavia to talk about his work: Lost America.
DINOSAUR 2006
Junk airliner, broken and painted for use as a movie prop sleeps under fast moving monsoon clouds at Aviation Warehouse. Night, full moon, 2 minute exposure, red-gelled strobe flash. Canon 20D
On full moons, in the middle of the deserts, abandoned aircraft lie in entropy. The huge masses of steel look like carcasses, slowly being reclaimed by nature. This is the aircraft boneyard: where aircraft go to die.
These former shells may have already disappeared: crushed, melted for scrap or perhaps vanished underneath the desert sand. The images taken capture a rare moment in time. They capture an America that is slowly disappearing; a lost America.
This was the aim of Troy Pavia, who took these incredible images and who has been exploring junk-yards and abandoned roadside towns at the dead of night for over twenty years. He practically invented Urban Exploration and what’s more, through his innovative use of lighting and time exposures, he has been able to share snapshots of his experience. Environmental Graffiti had the chance to catch up with him:
What inspired you to take images of abandoned and discarded airplanes?
The easy answer is that they’re just so spectacularly cool! But yes, it goes deeper than that. Thematically, my “Lost America” photography is about recording the passage of outdated facets of American culture as they are discarded and forgotten, replaced by new technology and ideas.
APOCALYPSE NOW 2006
Viet Nam era Huey and incoming aircraft at Aviation Warehouse. Night, full moon, 2 minute exposure, red-gelled strobe flash. Canon 20D.
and what do these particular images mean to you?
The aircraft boneyards are the perfect example of the completely disposable society we’ve created for ourselves. They are an unsettling reminder of the fragility and impermanence of our technological world.
Why are most of the images taken in the dark?
I am a night photographer. All the work on my websites is shot at night.
While most photography captures an instant—a fraction of a second—night photography is about recording a span of time measurable in human terms. Capturing a scene takes on different meaning with the knowledge that moonlight is slowly accumulating in the camera with every tick of the watch. Minutes-long exposures record the stars spiraling around Polaris as the Earth rotates. Trees blur in the wind, and clouds are smeared across the sky, reflecting the glow of cities beyond the horizon. People moving through the frame never appear, while planes and cars leave arcing ribbons of light. As the moon travels along its path, shadow edges become indistinct, softening the overall quality of light. Recording these deserted places with time exposures reveals their stillness, but also, the ever-changing world they inhabit.
PRA 2006
The fuselage on the left was broken and painted with black paint to simulate the remains of a crashed and burned airliner, and the “PRA” (Indiana Jones?) logo was painted on the nose section of a DC6 at Aviation Warehouse. Night, full moon, natural and red-gelled flashlight. Canon 20D. Composite of 2 images.
what’s it like taking them?
It’s as surreal as the photos look. Night photography in abandoned places, junkyards and ghost towns is not for the faint of heart or people who believe in ghosts. Because the exposures are minutes long there’s a lot of time to relax and take in the atmosphere of the scene. It’s a meditative, zen-like process for me.
So just where do you go about finding these aircraft boneyards? I’ve never seen one before!
The huge storage facility at the Mojave Airport can be seen from the highway, so they’re pretty well known here in California and the desert southwest. These places have been featured in many movies over the years, the first being the 1949 best picture oscar winning anti-war film “The Best Years of Our Lives.” The boneyards are deeply entrenched in American mythology and a source of fascination for millions, world-wide.
It took several years worth of inquiries and phone calls to gain access to the 2 boneyards I’ve shot (I risked sneaking into a third). The US government has a facility in Tucson AZ that’s filled with thousands of decommissioned military aircraft. It’s highly restricted and considered the holy grail of boneyards. Public access (except for short bus tours) is virtually impossible, but I’m still working on it . . .
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/309th_Aerospace_Maintenance_and_Regeneration_Group
http://www.kodak.com/US/en/corp/features/sleepingGiants/
LAWN ORNAMENTS 2006
Airliner engine nacelles among the Joshuas at Aviation Warehouse. Night, full moon, 4 minute exposure, Canon 20D. Tungsten balanced. Available light only
What equipment did you use to take this set of images?
I started doing night photography in 1989 with junky old flea market cameras and lenses. It felt artistically pure for me to be shooting discarded junk equipment WITH discarded junk equipment. In 2005 I moved to digital with the first wave of DSLRs that could actually manage noise-free time exposures.
What were your favourite moments whilst taking these pictures?
Getting into locations where access is restricted and difficult to acquire always feels like a major triumph. It’s very fulfilling to show a property owner some of my work and have them say “Wow, I’d love to have you take pictures here!”
Equally what were the worst? Did you have any nasty experiences?
Getting chased back to the car by a pack of wild dogs, finding a Black Widow spider as big as my thumb crawling up my leg, being chased away by crazy desert rats waving shotguns yelling “Git offin’ mah propity!” It’s always an adventure.
TF-102A 2003
This Cold-War era “Delta Dagger” fighter sits in a field behind Castle AFB museum awaiting restoration. Night, full moon, 100VS film 4 minute exposure, red-gelled strobe flash and green-gelled flashlight.
Is there anything you’d recommend to anyone who wanted to do something similar?
Night photography has become immensely popular in the digital age. The ability to chimp the shot on the fly has made it much easier, so there are millions of people experimenting at night with time exposures and light painting now. Practice is key. Start out shooting easy locations first until you figure out what works and what doesn’t. Shoot stuff in your garage or basement with the lights of and experiment with flashlights and strobe flash. If you have the urge to shoot abandoned places, all the usual common sense rules apply: don’t go alone, have a cellphone, carry samples of your photography (because the sheriff won’t believe you), and tread lightly.
Further Resources
Below you can watch an interview with Troy for the British TV show “Artland”.
译文:
飞行器坟场——安息之所
这周的环境涂鸦节目（Environmental Graffiti）将继续“失落”这一主题。克里斯·英格汉姆·布鲁克——首席涂鸦艺术家将有幸与传奇夜间摄影师特洛伊·帕维亚见面，来谈谈他的作品：失落的美国。
恐龙2006
这是一架废弃的飞机，因为作电影道具的需要，被画上了图文，在这个航空仓库中，静静地沉睡在飞驰而过的季风云团下。夜，满月，2分钟曝光，红凝频闪，佳能20D。
皎皎盈月下，废弃的飞行器横在沙漠中央，一个到处都是沙子的空间，宛如宇宙的存在。巨大的钢制外壳，就像尸体，被大自然缓缓侵蚀。这里是飞行器的坟场，它们在此安息。原本坚硬的外壳已经消失殆尽，被撞碎，或融为碎片，或已消失在沙子的覆拥中。这幅景象，是时间湍流中，被固定的珍贵一瞬。这幅景象，也是慢慢消亡中的美国的一个缩影：失落的美国。
这些难以置信的照片，也正是特洛伊·帕维亚的目的所在。他还曾经花了20多年，同样在死寂的黑夜中，探索了垃圾场和公路边的废弃小镇。他通过实践，发明了“都市探察”，并且，通过他对于光和曝光的全新用法，他已经可以通过按下快门，与世人分享他的感受。环境涂鸦有幸与他会面：
请问是什么激发你把镜头对准了废弃的飞行器？
简单来说，它们真是酷弊了。当然，远不止如此。我的主题“失落的美国”，是为了记录某些美国文化的逝去，它们被世人抛弃、遗忘，取而代之的是新兴的技术与思想。
天启，当即 2006
越战时期Huey，航空仓库的新来者。夜，满月，2分钟曝光，红凝频闪，佳能20D。
这些独特的图象对你来说有什么意义呢？
这个飞行器坟场，是我们现今社会的完美写照——我们为了自己的生存，创造了这个社会，当不再需要时，又随意处置。它们是我们这个技术尚未成熟稳定的社会的遗留物。
为什么大多数的照片都是夜里拍的？
我是个夜间摄影师。在我网页上的所有照片，都是晚上拍的。
大多数照片都是在几分之一秒间拍下的夜的一瞬，它们是以人类可以丈量的方式，记录下了时间的跨度。每分每秒，月光在相机中慢慢蓄积，这样就可以用不同的方式捕捉下同一个场景的不同面。长达数分钟的曝光，可以抓到星星们绕着北极星旋转，就像地球公转一般。树影模糊，摇曳在风中；云层伸展，洒满天空，映衬者城市的微光，游移于天际线之旁。穿梭于光的人影从不出现，飞机、汽车在空中划出丝带般的光之弧。当月亮沿着月轨行进，光影的界线变得模糊，光也变得更为柔和。用长时间曝光法，不仅记录下这片沙漠之地的静谧，更记录下他们栖息的这片永生之地。
PRA 2006
机身的右翼已经损坏，涂上了黑色的油漆，模仿空难中被烧毁的飞机残骸。在机身的鼻翼部分，涂有PRA（印第安纳·琼斯？）的标语。夜，满月，自然红凝频闪，佳能20D。
拍这样的照片是怎么样的感觉？
就像超现实主义。在废弃场所、垃圾场或幽灵镇进行夜间拍摄，不是为了让人们害怕或是给那些相信幽灵的人找乐子。由于需要长时间的曝光，所以有充裕的时间放松放松，感受一下现场的气氛。对于我来说，这个过程类似于冥想或禅宗。
那么你是怎么找到这些飞行器坟场的？之前我可从来没见过！
从高速公路上，你就可以看到莫哈韦机场上的巨大仓库，所以在加利福尼亚和西南方沙漠这一代是相当知名的。过去好多年中，这些地方在许多电影中都有被描述。而第一部电影还获得了奥斯卡最佳反战电影“黄金时代”。这个飞行器坟场已在“美国神话”深深扎根，成为了人们、甚至是世界的幻想之地。
我花了好几年年时间，不断打电话要求进入这两个我现在拍摄的飞行器坟场，这也相当值得，并且我还冒险偷偷溜进另一个坟场。美国政府在亚利桑那的图森还有一个场地，那里堆满了退役的军用飞机。那里戒备森严，被视为飞行器坟场中的圣杯。除了乘巴士进去作个短途参观，其他的公共参观是一律不准许的，但是我仍然在努力中......
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/309th_Aerospace_Maintenance_and_Regeneration_Group
http://www.kodak.com/US/en/corp/features/sleepingGiants/
草坪的装饰物 2006
航空仓库，约舒亚区的飞机引擎舱。夜，满月，4分钟曝光，佳能20D。钨平衡。只有光
拍摄这些照片，你用什么设备呢？
1989年，我用从跳蚤市场淘来的旧照相机和镜头开始了我的夜间拍摄。用被遗弃的旧设备来拍摄这些废弃垃圾设备，让我感受到了艺术的纯粹。2005年，我改用了数码相机。第一次使用数码单反相机，让我着实体验了零噪声的长时间曝光。
当你拍摄这些照片的时候，哪一刻是你最喜欢的？
去那些严禁进入、很难申请的地方，让我感觉是个大胜利。并且，在土地主人面前炫耀一下自己拍的照片，听他们说“哇噢！我喜欢你在这里拍照！”，心里真是充满了无比的成就感。
飞机
TF-102A 2003
冷战时期名为“三角洲匕首”的战斗机，静静地坐在AFB博物馆城堡之后，等待复原。夜，满月，富士100VS胶卷，4分钟曝光，红凝频闪和绿凝闪光。
你有没有什么窍门可以推荐给别人去进行类似的拍摄？
在这个数码年代，夜间拍摄已变得相当流行了。要拍摄快速镜头也变得更容易了，所以数以万计的人们正尝试这在夜间用长时间曝光和光的彩绘来拍摄照片。练习是关键。一开始，从简单的入手，当你辨别的出有效的拍摄方法时，就可以尝试一些具有难度的拍摄。比如，在你的车库或基地中用闪光和频闪的手法，拍摄一些东西。如果你急切想拍摄一些废弃物，遵守一些尝试性的规则：不要孤身前往；带上手机；带上之前拍的样片，因为治安官不相信你；还有就是放轻步伐。
更多资源
一下你可以看到英国电视栏目“艺术之岸”对特洛伊进行的采访。