Creative Abandoned Industrial Photography at Historic Bethlehem Steel
A little piece of the history…
The Bethlehem Steel Corporation was an American steelmaking company headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Until its closure in 2003, it was one of the world’s largest steel-producing and shipbuilding companies.
The company’s steel was used in the construction of many of the nation’s largest and most famed structures. Among major buildings, Bethlehem produced steel for 28 Liberty Street, the Empire State Building, Madison Square Garden, Rockefeller Center, and the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City and Merchandise Mart in Chicago. Among major bridges, Bethlehem’s steel was used in constructing the George Washington Bridge and Verrazzano–Narrows Bridge in New York City, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and the Peace Bridge between Buffalo and Fort Erie, Ontario.
Bethlehem Steel played an instrumental role in manufacturing the U.S. warships and other military weapons used in World War I and later by Allied forces in ultimately winning World War II. Over 1,100 Bethlehem Steel-manufactured warships were built for use in defeating Nazi Germany and the Axis powers in World War II. Historians cite Bethlehem Steel’s ability to quickly manufacture warships and other military equipment as decisive factors in American victories in both world wars.[2]
Today, the site of the company’s original plant in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania is home to SteelStacks, an arts and entertainment district. The plant’s rusted five blast furnaces were left standing and serve as a backdrop for the new campus.
If you have never visited SteelStacks, you are missing seeing a truly remarkable piece of history. To stand at the base of the stacks is an awesome sight. If you like industrial and abandoned photography, the area is full of unique images waiting for your creative eye.
We will begin photographing during the daylight hours, capturing unique views of abandoned buildings and the stacks themselves from a variety of different vantage points. As the sun sets and day turns into night, this is where the magic begins! We will capture the stacks as they come alive with lights, again, capturing them from a variety of creative angles.
Hands-on instruction will be given throughout the event, focusing on creative composition, exposure settings and dealing with high contrast scenes, how to capture high dynamic range images, light painting and more.
An information email will be sent about a week prior to the event to get everyone ready with gear and details. There will be a pre-trek class held via Zoom on Wednesday October 14th at 7pm, where we will go through a ton of images, composition, exposure tips, best gear choices and more. Registration also includes a post trek image review, tentatively scheduled for Wednesday October 21st at 7pm. During the image review we will discuss ways to improve your images in the future, and through post processing. We will also cover how to merge your bracketed images into a single HDR image.
Some stairs will be involved as we shoot from the trestle, but great shots can be had from ground level if stairs are an issue.
Tickets for this event will go on sale on Monday October 5th at 8am. Limited spots available.
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Updated Terms & Conditions – Valerie A Hoffman Photography (March 2023)
As we live in our new ‘normal’, the following updated policies are being put in place to protect the health and wellbeing of all workshop attendees, as well as those who we will come in contact with during events.
That being said, here is what you need to know and comply with:
- Anyone who is sick with COVID like symptoms or has a fever over 100 degrees must not attend the event. Amount paid may be put towards a future workshop, or can be refunded in full if notice is given in advance. Suggest checking your temperature BEFORE leaving home. By registering for an event, you also agree to a touchless temperature check at the initial gathering for any workshop or trek.
- Face Masks are optional unless otherwise specified.
Cancellation Policy:
Two (2) weeks notice is required to receive a full refund. 75% refund of the Trek fee with only one (1) week notice. NO refund will be given if less than one (1) week notice is given for cancellation. Must call to cancel. We reserve the right to cancel the Trek at our discretion. Minimum number of participants is necessary to run event.