JOHN SHELLINGTON: ABANDONED
APRIL 29, MAY 20, 2023

John’s abandoned work seeks to repurpose the forgotten and decayed, offering a new perspective on what may be considered unsightly by most. These works intend to return a warmth and beauty to the withering and weathered, and inspire a sense of curiosity and reflection about the past.
His work requires considerable planning around moon phases and subject locations, as they are all shot during a waxing gibbous or full moon, and take careful consideration into the moon’s path across the night sky. These conditions provide the best natural lighting and eliminate the need for image stacking or significant manipulation in post processing. The interiors are lit by candlelight or lantern, an idea that came about after photographing after photographing an old rancher’s shack in Canyonlands National Park, Utah, during a camping trip in 2010.
John continues to research the locations of old buildings across the U.S., some with storied pasts and others just a glimpse into the lives of early pioneers and trail blazers, in hopes to forever preserve them through his photography