Abandoned

One weekend in October I got to do something I've always wanted to do.
I got to shoot inside an abandoned building.

It had been about a year since I took part in any activities with my photography group, The United Photographers Of Montreal. For one reason or another I found myself constantly waylaid by all kinds of outings or work related activities that kept me out of their reach and off of their radar. But when the outing to shoot in an abandoned factory came up I quickly checked my schedule and made a note to be there- come Hell or High water!
The factory in question was the abandoned sugar factory in St. Henri. It was a bit hard to get to but, oh, so, worth the trek.
First, we had to walk under an underpass, dotted with various size mud puddles, then, reaching our destination, scamper down a slightly steep hill before we entered the crag-like opening of the factory.
Victory!
It was as I had dreamed.
There was this great, and vast opening before you as you ventured inside. Watching your footsteps you could either take the tiny stone steps to your right or you could walk out onto the landing,the edge of which revealed the gaping maw of the center of the building.
I was in Hog heaven!
Sadly, I could stay as long as I wanted to. I had to meet a friend later that evening. But, I did make the most of my day while I was there.

The one thing noticed about the building was that it wasn't as lonely as I thought it would be.
The amount of people lurking in the shadows or galivanting in plain sight was astonishing to me! Here I thought I was doing something clandestine, something beneath the scope of the law when all the while the place was hopping like a club at two a.m.!
Among the other things I noticed was the artwork. Because, let's face it, that's what it was. Great murals lamenting the recent or not so recent passing of a loved one, friend or family, lavish stokes of bravado splashed all across the various walls of the buildings interior.

There was also refuse, debris left from someone's other life. saw this sad, dilapidated stuffed tiger drowning in a pool of fetid water.

At first, I thought it out of place in a setting like this but then I looked around me and saw all the stories of people's lives displayed all around me and I thought better if it- it probably fit in there more than I did.
The place was huge!You could probably walk through the whole place and still forget that there's a roof!
The roof was a real treat. Up there you could get a really good view of the overpass, and at the right time of day the lighting must be breathtaking.
I know that I couldn't stay there long that day but I was extremely happy to have gotten the chance to see the place and photograph it. I hope to go back real soon(I wonder what it looks like in the snow?)but not alone- it might have been crowded that day but, it may not be all time! I'm not crazy!