St Nick’s

OK done. I’ll post pics and videos soon. They will be on another thread. St Nick Recap.

Given the fact the rain has started and is knocking the leaves off I may move this date up a few days. If you are doing this shoot let me know otherwise I’ll assume you are not in and will change the date as it suits me. Of course you can always do this on your own.

Again as I said in the original post I cannot confirm this place is not patrolled in some way. So yes, I am really taking a chance and assuming no one will give us a hard time about crawling around the thing. If you are not the adventurous type sit this out and I’ll post up my pics of the place. If you are in and don’t mind a nice Fall ride I’ll see you in the parking lot.

Here are the directions: StNicks

Update from scouting run Sep/30th (READ CAREFULLLY):

I had taken a run up just to see if the place was still there. I ran into about 7 other photags doing the same thing. They had everything from tripods to ladders, yes ladders.

Facts:

• This is for SERIOUS photags ONLY!
• Yes, it is posted with no trespassing signs.
• If you are afraid of heights – forget it.
• If you are afraid of the dark – forget it.
• You’ll need a tripod.
• You should allow at least 3 hours to cover most of it.
• If you miss a step your gone.
• You WILL need a FLASH (not the on board flash).
• You will need a flashlight or headlamp.
• You can easily get lost and the only way out is to jump.
• You will need your grass cutting sneakers.

I had not intended to take any pictures. I walked in, starting climbing around and it was over in a few minutes… I was hooked. After climbing around for 20 minutes in this era long since past I decided to run back out to the car and get my camera. I did NOT bring my flash. I had to use the on board flash.

These shots are NOT my intended shots, they are to give you an idea of what to expect in a few weeks.  Like I said I had to use the on board flash and I had a 24-70mm hanging of the end, which you can see in almost every shot. I do not claim responsibility for this stupidity but I got caught up in the moment. It was like a photag in a camera store. The on board served a second purpose… in some areas I had to flash the floor just to see where I was going. There are rooms in this labyrinth that are pitch black even in full daylight.

There are areas with missing or no steps. If you cannot jump or cling to the walls these are areas you will need to skip. If you fall I will not even make an attempt to salvage your camera.

What does it look like?

Yes, if you cannot hike 10 flights of steps you can always take the elevator – here it is.

No joke here folks. If you do not watch every step you are history. You must constantly look down!

I will be crawling the ladders. I would not recommend this, but they do lead to areas that are otherwise inaccessible.

Some of these walkways are dead ends, some you have to jump to catch the next flight of stairs. All in all I only noticed the remains of two photags that didn’t make it. From what I could see they where carrying Cannons, not worth trying to salvage – I doubt the shots were any good.

I always flashed before I entered. It may appear well lit but let me tell you is wasn’t.

  

Here are more snapshots to help you plan your itinerary.

https://picasaweb.google.com/100151631024298508039/StNicks?authuser=0&feat=directlink