Dustin Grau Photography

As a child with a heritage from the steel city of Pittsburgh, I lived well after the years when coal smoke turned the skies black and rained cinders on the towns surrounding the old steel mills. Most stories of the mills came from my grandparents, but I have to assume they were similar to other states with a large steel-production impact. To learn more, a band of explorers loaded up on a foggy winter morning and made the trek across state lines to such a place. This particular site was similar in that it was the lifeblood of the nearby […]

Perhaps one of the best-known, infamous, and historic hospitals in the state of Georgia, Central State sits in the former capital city of Milledgeville. Its history spans over 100 years from opening in 1842 and has been known as “Georgia State Lunatic, Idiot, and Epileptic Asylum”, “Georgia State Sanitarium”, and “Midgeville State Hospital”. It once housed nearly 12,000 patients in the 1960′s, dwindling to only about 9,000 by 2005. In 2010 the hospital was closed and has sat deteriorating ever since, causing a significant economic impact to both the city and county. As part of redevelopment efforts on the campus, […]

Bostick was a state prison adjacent to the campus of Central State Hospital in Milledgeville, Georgia. Constructed in the 1950′s it served as a dormitory through the late ’80s when it was converted to a medium security prison for special-needs criminals. Closed in 2010 it has sat abandoned until being recently purchased in 2013, with intents to convert the building into a nursing home for inmates. Due to its impending remodeling this was a must-see location during a permissioned visit to the hospital.

It had been a while since I’ve been out on my own to explore, but an unexpected visit from an out-of-town friend prompted me to show some southern hospitality. We toured a few common spots which proved to be quite depressing. Many locations had been freshly boarded-up, repurposed by new owners, or demolished completely. Of about 6 sites we visited or tried to visit, only 1 was available for us to photograph. Even that location had its share of disappointment, with most of the artifacts and equipment removed since my last visit in 2011. On the plus side, I had […]

A sampling of activities and entertainment at Duluth’s NYE celebration. The headlining band was The American Flyers, with performances by Miss Cindy’s Dance Studio, DJ Wes Brawner, and fire performer Patrick Spidey. The evening expectedly ended with a fireworks finale and the raising of a custom icon for the city in front of the city hall clock tower.

This year the city of Duluth did something a bit different for its Halloween celebration. They kept the traditional trick-or-treat event on Main Street for the kids, along with all the bouncy-houses and rides. The addition of food trucks to supplement local faire was good but no different than their Food Truck Fridays of the past month. What they did do was kick things into a bit more active state after dark, claiming an “adult-friendly” atmosphere with live performances and entertainment. While the turnout was low (compared to many of the regular events like the Fall Festival) there was still […]

The 6th annual Worldwide Photowalk took me out of the city this year. I felt like I had done enough there with L5P, Centennial Park, and Farlie-Poplar District in the past several years. Instead, I opted for my old college town of Marietta, GA and the peaceful National Cemetery. We walked the grounds of the cemetery, followed by the Marietta Square and Glover Park. I actually didn’t end up with much that I was truly happy with, save for some interesting headstones and structures within the historic park. The square ended up consisting of some headshots and candid scenes of […]

A unique opportunity arose recently, allowing a small group of photographers permissioned access to a historic Atlanta hotel. I won’t state the name directly, but it will be quite obvious from the photos which one this is. The building is currently undergoing renovation into a “boutique” hotel, so this was a chance to document what remains of the original rooms after decades of use and abuse. The beds and most furniture had (unfortunately) been removed, but what was left behind was just as interesting. And yes, this is the hotel that contains a strip club in the lower level, but […]

This is a bit of a first here: a gallery completely made up of iPhone images. I could’ve brought my dSLR with me, but I think it would’ve drawn more attention as I walked around this school. Normally an abandonment like this has no meaning, but to me personally it’s quite significant. My mother and her siblings once attended this school, and for a year I was a product of the local school system. I also used to walk the grounds of this school with my grandfather some 30 years ago, so it brought back a lot of memories. It […]

Having been bit by the model bug, I had to go back to another APG shoot. For what little it costs to cover a decent tip for the models, the experience is well worth it at these events. There’s a bit of socializing, a bit of instruction, but mostly it’s the ability to just shoot and learning for yourself what works and what doesn’t. I was very happy with the outdoor shots at the end of sunset, though we had to cut that short due to a sudden rain shower. The group eventually moved to a covered area and we […]

There were rumors of an old school so pristine that even taggers and scrappers had not hit it. Where the walls were covered in storybook characters, and the rooms exposed their bones behind the plaster. The only downside was that the location was very much out of town, far enough south that myself and the few other explorers needed to make a day of the trip. Compounding the drive and exploring was the constant rain which ranged from constant misting to complete deluge. Luckily all our gear survived without getting waterlogged, though the same could not be said for our […]

We found this house at the end of a street, door wide open and looking lonely. There wasn’t much to it with only 2 bedrooms, living room, and kitchen. However, the scribblings on the walls, ransacked cabinets, drawings posted on the walls, and drug paraphernalia on the mantle indicated that someone had been visiting somewhat recently.

The bathtub races are a new annual tradition at SPSU. Started in the late 70′s and running through the early 90′s, the event was a draw to new and old students alike. Due to high insurance costs and transitions within the university, the ability and interest waned. Though in 2010 the races were brought back and continue to gain momentum each year. Currently all racers are man-powered, with a driver and up to 3 “pushers” to propel and guide the vehicles down the street. Future plans are rumored to bring back some kind of motors (most likely electric), though the […]

All good things must come to an end, and it is very likely that the end is near for the home of “sad bear”. There have been many rumors of the demise of this building, and the current news from the community is that bulldozers will roll this summer. I’ve made many trips to this school, but must say this visit has yielded some of my best shots thanks to better equipment and improved post-processing techniques. Though even if this place is not destroyed by developers, its popularity among taggers, explorers, and the homeless have take its toll and continues […]

After months of lurking on their Facebook page, I finally had a free Tuesday to attend a studio shoot with the Atlanta Photographers Guild (APG). This week it was at their Goat Farm studio space, with a very talented model (in my opinion) and some lighting equipment I don’t normally use. Honestly, I’ve only done 2 actual model shoots and I’m very inexperienced with knowing how to pose them. Maryn did an excellent job though, which let me just photograph her however she wanted to pose. The original plan was to do a sort of “trash the dress” with a […]

This was a very interesting photoshoot, as it was the first sunrise shoot from within an abandoned building. This building was once used by a company that manufactured industrial equipment, but will soon be used to store fixtures and parts that will be reclaimed and repurposed for buildings. A member of our local exploration group was kind enough and able to get us in on a fully-permissioned trip, so I had time to properly wander the building and time enough to photograph all I could in about 3 hours. I feel that I captured some good artifacts and views, between […]

It is always sad to see locations with a rich history go to waste like this former home of a figure tied to the Coca-Cola heritage. Being an Atlanta staple, it would be thought that such a building would be preserved, but neglect, time, and the elements have done more harm than any that have set foot in this house. The walls were literally sweating due to the vast temperature difference indoors, which is the reason for so many streaks of mildew along the walls. I hope to return again, but next time focusing more on the exterior and the […]

This was a location that’s been on my to-do list for a while, and finally came up as an opportunity. It was formerly a winery, most likely performing both the making and bottling as based on the remaining artifacts. The vats that likely held wine had been removed, and a filter unit (shown in the main post) are the indications of production. There was likely a cellar for aging/storing, based on the numerous levels of rooms below grade. Paperwork indicate that the location may have been closed around 2004, though with so many items still in the offices it looks […]

The last time I visited Europe was for a similar work-related conference in the Netherlands. This year I was accepted to the EMEAPUG (Europe, Middle East, Africa Progress Users Group) conference which was held in Manchester, England. I arrived early on a Wednesday morning, so I had some time to walk around the city and snap some photos (of course). I didn’t take as many as I would’ve liked, but I did get to visit the Manchester Cathedral and had a good walk around my host venue, the Midland Hotel. The cathedral is a beautiful gothic church built between 1421-1882, […]

Just after wrapping up my photowalk in Atlanta, I met up with some local explorers to revisit a railroad mechanical shop. I knew that I had not fully explored the location the first time I visited, and much of it was flooded due to heavy rains the previous week. As I expected, there was another half of the site that I had never explored and was just as interesting as the first half. I also took another look at the half that I explored, this time with less water and fewer mosquitos.