So good to see you in a long form video again! I vote “yes” for the history of the subjects. I love to hear quirky tales and incidents. They provide the unique spice of the Americana experience.
Thanks for watching Jim! Everyone seems to be enjoying the history aspect of it. I keep telling everybody. I think the history portion will be more interesting in West Virginia, plus far more derelict structures up in that area as well! Glad you enjoyed it, have a great week up there!
I used to search out and take photos of old abandoned places, but fell out of it. Watching a couple of your videos makes me want to get out and do some more of it. I grew up in Palatka (North FL) and have fond memories of exploring some wonderful abandoned buildings there, but they are of course all gone now.
Florida is a tough place for old abandoned buildings! You can find a few cool things here in there in North Florida but it's so much harder than up here in West Virginia. We moved here from South Florida where there is virtually no abandoned structures. Old things are torn down so fast there it'll make your head spin, so I am definitely thankful to be here in West Virginia! But you should definitely give it a shot, it's very rewarding to capture and document those old structures!
Thanks so much John! Glad you enjoyed that. We have that old Coca Cola Bottling Works building here in Clarksburg. I'm thinking of doing a video on that one sometime in the near future. Hope you are doing well, chat soon!
Great video Paul, I like having my own personal travel guide to show me around Florida. It’s good seeing the old places whether they’ve been left to fall down or re built, it’s also good to hear the history surrounding the towns as well. I shall tune in for more
Thanks for watching Joy! I think you'll enjoy the history more when we move. Lots of Revolutionary and Civil War sites up there, and things are just generally far older. Plus it will really help me learn my new state! I'm really glad you enjoyed it! Chat soon!
I find old buildings fascinating, much more interesting than some of the sterile modern buildings. I love the irony of the drive thru liquor store! I've briefly visited Boston, San Francisco, and LA, contrasting architecture in those cities. I think the history of the location and the photos work well - looking forward to more. I did start a vlog visiting local villages where we have very old buildings. A hidden village about 15 miles from me has an Inn dating back to the 14th century!
Thanks for watching Russ! Yeah, big cities and modern buildings have never excited me much. If I have one, my favorite city is Liverpool because of the old architecture and the old Liver Building. One of my fav things about the US is the things you find on the backroads. If you want to see the real US, those are the roads to take. This kind of vlog will be much more interesting in West Virginia, due to the older nature of the area. I would love to see the vlog of your local villages. The history that you have over there is so old compared to ours, so interesting! Hope you're doing well. I see you have a new vlog out today as well that I will be watching tonight!
Good to see you back on a longer format vlog. Found that really interesting and would be interesting to see this type of vlog as well as landscape. In England, while there are loads of preserved old buildings that go back hundreds of years, you don't see much abandoned as like in Florida, land is snapped up. However, in Cumbria and many parts of Scotland, you see abandoned crofts, farms, mines, etc, which I find fascinating and gives you an idea of what life was like in a bygone age. Have a good week.
Thanks for watching Rod! This kind of content will definitely be better when we move. Things are just far older in that area of the country, and naturally there are more abandoned than derelict structures to be found there. I've always found it interesting at various locations in the UK where a ship will wreck on the shore and it's not removed. They remove those things here the very next day unfortunately. Makes for a great photography subject! I'm glad you enjoyed this content, there will definitely be more to come! Hope you're doing well, have a great week over there!
Yay finally got to watch. Good to see you back doing a longer form, I'm defo a fan of this kind of stuff - Americana - so I'm along for the ride if you decide to go that way, and of course looking forward to the landscapes of WV too. There's been a recent debate over here about the conservation of old buildings. recently a locally significant but disused old church in Greater Manchester was demolished to make way for new buildings leading to a bit of a public outcry. We are usually pretty good at repurposing our heritage rather than demolishing but, like you over there, there is now becoming such demand for land in the big urban areas that it's happening more and more. If the local councils get to it before the preservation guys can protect it, down it goes. Sad really. And I agree with you about the history too 'maintain and learn' will serve the future far better than 'tear down and forget'
Thanks for watching mate! Yeah, I hate to hear about your old buildings getting taken down for something new. My friend over there tells me that a lot of those corner, neighborhood pubs (some of them a couple hundred years old) have been lost to new development. The history from just in those places must be amazing. We have a big thing here over the last few years of taking down statues and historical markers from anything that is considered racist, like anything from the Civil War south. Now, of course, some of that stuff shouldn't be glorified, but to me a small monument, statue, or especially a historical marker is just providing information. I always say, if we continue to remove the bad history, someday the oppressed will never know why they were once oppressed. Sooooo, glad to hear you'd follow if I did something like this on my channel. Stay tuned! Really glad you enjoyed the video mate. Have a great weekend over there, chat soon!
Thanks for watching Michelle! I hope to do more of this after we move. The history is much more interesting up there with all of the Revolutionary and Civil War sites, and the buildings just being older in nature. Glad you enjoyed it! Hope you and Jim are both doing well!
Great video, some intersting histroy, I love seeing the old and abandoned things, combine that with dead or knarly trees, perfect content 🙂 I think it makes you aware of your own mortality and gives you a better appreciation of life. Thanks for sharing
Thanks for watching Keith and some great words in your comment, I totally agree. We're moving to West Virginia next month and the opportunity for this type of photography and vlog will be much better up there due to the older nature of things in that area. I'm really glad you enjoyed it! Hope you're doing well, have a great week!!
Great to see a new long form video Paul. Yes that was definitely a Porsche 298 from the '80s/90s. I think the history helps explain the photos especially for us non-natives of the US. I'd be interested in seeing you combine some long exposure images with some of these abandoned places. A bit of light painting and a sunrise or a night sky etc.
Thanks for watching Andrew! I thought that was the Porsche model, just wasn't sure. Definitely a cool find. Glad you like the history part of it, but it'll be more interesting in West Virginia. Lots of Civil War and Revolutionary War sites up there, and lots of old derelict houses, buildings and other structures in that part of the US. And the plan would definitely be to do some great photography along with it. Glad you enjoyed it mate. Hope ya'll are doing good over there! Have a great week!
I used to work at the Desert Inn 20+ yrs ago. According to an older gentleman who was from the area says it was never really a brothel. That was a gimmick created as a draw by the woman who owned the place. Also, it was called Jackass Crossing because it was originally an old cattle trail. Your general store used to have great tacos! $1 on Tuesdays. It's a shame you didn't go 15 miles north up to Kenansville. They have an awesome old bank building and old abandoned school there. Thanks for the video. I enjoyed it.
Ah, no brothel? That's probably what the cowboys said when they got there and found out it was just a.gimmick 😂 Thanks for the story about the Inn, I love hearing old memories and recollections! I'm glad you enjoyed the video! Thank you for watching!
Yeeha Junction is my kind of place to stay, restaurant looks in good shape lol. Great vlog and long format was great to see you back. Love these history or back stories to the images. Three-hour drive one way is a great effort to get out and make a video. That Porsche was the worst car they ever made, but looked at place decaying in the yard. Great video Paul and talk soon mate.
Thanks for watching pal! Yeah, can you imagine telling your wife you were taking the mule to go get something to eat at the restaurant. She'd say "oh hell no, I know what goes on in there " 😜 I'll probably be doing more of this when we get to WV. The history is older and way more abandoned stuff there! Glad you enjoyed it pal, chat with you soon!
Great to see you back at it Paul! Some interesting history and images in this video. A drive thru liquor store.... hmmmm, not so sure about that. lol. Cheers.
Thanks for watching Alan! Yeah, I'm sure some people love the convenience of a drive thru liquor store but it makes all the sense of a drive thru gun store 🇺🇲🙄 Glad you enjoyed the video!
That petrols station was very cool Paul. Great video mate and you captured some ripper shots. I enjoyed watching this, I like this and hope you do start a dedicated channel to these type of adventures.
Thanks for watching Adrian! Glad you enjoyed that. That petrol station was very well preserved, look to be from maybe the 40s or 50s but they've obviously done restoration on it. This kind of content will be better from West Virginia as things are much older and a lot more derelict structures are to be found there. There will definitely be more to come! Hope you're doing well down there, have a great week mate!
Yes! Love the history parts. As far as making another channel, just do whatever is fun and beneficial for you. I will stay subscribed no matter what pops up!
Thanks for watching Juanita, I know it's been a while!! I'm glad to hear you like the history part of it, that's my favorite part of looking for and exploring abandoned structures as well. I love the history you can only find in small towns. There will definitely be more videos to come like this after we move and get settled. Hope you are doing well, have a wonderful week!
Great vlog. I did love the drive in liquor stores in Pittsburgh. Great idea. Don’t know why they don’t have them over here. Ya got some really nice images. It’s great to see these parts of the U.S. that not a lot of people get to see. Hope you are all keeping well and the big move goes smoothly
Thanks for watching mare! Yeah, we have drive through for almost anything these days: banks, Starbucks, liquor, dry cleaning, etc. We are a lazy lot 😅 I'm glad you liked the look around something other than my normal beachscapes. This kind of stuff will definitely be more interesting up in West Virginia as things are just typically older up there and the history is far more interesting. Glad you enjoyed it pal. Hope you are doing well, have a great weekend over there mate!
Thanks for watching John! I think you'll enjoy the history part as well as the abandoned structures even more once we get to West Virginia. There's quite a bit of derelict structures up there in the history is older and more interesting! As soon as we get settled, I plan to start up my channel full time again! Hope you're doing well up there, have a great week!!
Paul... driving 3 hours to visit a brothel! I'm telling JoAnn 😂😂😂. Seriously though I love this type of exploration and photography, and we all should follow our passions right? The history of most colonised countries is fascinating in its own right, but when you get the incredible growth of a nation like the USA from a few boatloads of people to modern day America in just a few short centuries, that journey is surely well worth documenting. BTW we have plenty of drive through off licences over here, they are called 'bottle-o's'. they are everywhere! Great to have you back on our screens for more than a few minutes. Take care and have a great week buddy 🙏🙏🙏
Well considering Joanna had a hysterectomy earlier this year and the recovery time is significant, 3 hours to drive to a brothel doesn't seem too bad 😂😂😂 Too much information, sorry about that! I think history portion of these kind of videos will be even more interesting happen in the West Virginia part of the country. Far more derelict structures to photograph and the history is much older... And the colonization aspect of it will be more relevant to some people that follow my channel 😂 🇬🇧 I plan to start up my channel full-time again once we get settled! Glad you enjoyed it pal. Have a wonderful week down there and take care!
@@paulcookphotography the other thing I took away from this was that the only hitting action going on involved a ‘semi’ now I don’t know about you but that’s probably too rude for RU-vid 🤣🤣🤣 I’m sure your channel will be a hit, I loved your video featuring the old road bridge some time back. Take care buddy 🙏
Hi mate, I enjoyed the video and the history of the places your visited. I felt like I was sitting in the car with you going up the highway. And you know I’m a big fan of your backroads Americana IG - great to see a long form video, have a great weekend!
Hi mate, that was a nice compliment as I felt like I was talking a bit much while driving down the road. Glad you enjoyed it and like the backroads Americana page. I really love that kind of photography and exploration so there will definitely be more of this kind of thing coming. Hope you are doing well down there. Have a great weekend!
Great to see you back on the longform video, Paul. Looked like a good trip out for a quick break 😁 that drive was quite scenic. Nice shots and looked productive for your “Americana” profile, interesting finds.
Thanks for watching! Yeah,. definitely a nice day out and about. There were some definite scenic parts to that drive, but Florida gets a bit more scenic (in a different way) the farther north you go. But this kind of thing will definitely be more interesting after we move to West Virginia - more abandoned stuff, more old history! Glad you enjoyed it!
Really interesting stuff Paul, I love stuff like this. Kind of reminds me of Tony McKeage's abandoned building photos. Good to see the long-form video pop up in my feed. I sometimes miss the shorts, because they don't appear in my feed. Enjoyed the history element too. 👍
Thanks for watching Robert! Yeah the notification system or the visibility of shorts is absolutely terrible on YT. Glad you enjoyed the video, I hope to do more of this when we move as the history up in West Virginia is older and more interesting and the amount of derelict structures is abundant! Glad you enjoyed the history part of it as well, as that is one of my favorite parts. Hope you are doing well, have a great week!
Great to have you back with a full video mate. Nice vlog, not something I was expecting but cool subjects. Love abandoned places as well, there is just something cool about them. How eerie was that bike cemetery omg, was expecting Leatherface to appear😀😀 omg that restaurant that got destroyed by a truck😱 also liked all the historicsl info you shared Paul, very informative. It might be a good idea to create a new channel as well! Have a great week buddy! Cheers
Haha Leatherface! That is somewhat of a risk here in the US. Lots of people hide out in these abandoned places - homeless, drug addicts, drug labs - definitely have to be careful a bit. Glad you liked the history part of it. For me, if I were to start a separate YT channel, it would be more about the history and photography than necessarily the exploration inside. We'll see where it goes. There will definitely be better abandoned/derelict photography when we move up to West Virginia as things are a bit more old and depressed up there. Glad you enjoyed it pal. Have a wonderful week down there and take care!
Hey Paul nice to see you back with some long form video! Some great shots and it’s cool to hear the stories of the places you went. Great stuff sir, I hope you guys are doing well out there!
Thanks for watching Lee! I wasn't really excited about this video, I've been sitting on it for about two months. Like I said, there isn't much in South Florida as far as abandoned stuff, they just tear it down so fast here. But once we move to WV, there will be much more opportunity for this kind of photography and the history up there is much more interesting. Glad you enjoyed it though! Hope you guys are doing well out there! Have a great week!.
Hi Paul, a very interesting vlog after being away from YT so long! As Rod has commented below, we have very few abandoned places in the UK. Looking forward to finding out more about the history of the various places you visit. Take care.
Thanks Deryck! Yeah, I've always loved old derelict structures although I'm not really I to breaking trespassing laws by going inside. But I do love to photograph the outside. More than that I love to think of the history of a place, and what has occurred there over the years. The history is a bit older and more interesting in West Virginia as you have a lot of Revolutionary and Civil War sites, as well as the economic bust from the coal mining days. So stay tuned, there might be more of this kind of thing. Hope you are doing well, have a great week over there!
Absolutely loved this one, Paul. I love this type of photography and would definitely like to see more and I absolutely agree with your stance on History, good or bad, it needs to be preserved. I never knew you had another Instagram so I just followed you over there too. Great video, mate, Stay safe out there🖖
Hey David! Sorry I've been a bit hit or miss on RU-vid lately. We will be moving to West Virginia sometime in June and hope to start up my channel full time again, hopefully with this kind of content as well! Yeah, we have a big thing going on in this country of tearing down and destroying any history that may not be the current political correctness. Statues, books, historical markers are all being destroyed, Pretty soon, no one will know What the real history was of this country. Glad you enjoyed it pal! Hope you're doing well over there!
@@paulcookphotography No need to apologise, mate, sometimes life demands out attention elsewhere. I hope the move goes smoothly for you and I’m looking forward to what you create there. Take it easy, Paul 🖖
A early 90's Porsche 928 that one Paul ! OK so back to the film - I went through a phase of Urban Exploration (UrBex) photography and loved it - shot an abandoned school, railway station, farm house, mills, a theme park and much more - it was also a HDR phase so looking back on the images now they are a bit grungy and could do much better today but seeking out and , gaining access and exploring them was great fun. I'd be tempted to mix these films in with other content (similar to my street stuff making an appearance every now and then) I think it's incredibly tough running one let alone two channels ! Love the history too and definitely something to keep in the narrative. Great series of shots especially the chair / tyre combo - it's images like that that conjure up imaginative scenarios and stories ! All the best and catch up soon and great to see you back out with a film of course :)
Thanks for watching Andrew! Yeah, that was just a bit of a trial run to gauge people's feelings on it. I feel the content will be much better up in West Virginia. So many old, abandoned, and derelict structures in that part of the US, as well as more interesting history due to the Revolutionary and Civil War sites. You might be right about how tough it would be to manage two channels, one has been more than enough 😂 I've never done much urban exploring but there are quite a few people here who do. It can be extremely dangerous over here. I've never had much interest in going inside, but that's probably out of fear of who you will run into. I think I'd like to keep it focused more on the history and the photography but we'll see how it goes. But I'm glad you enjoyed it, it seems to have resonated well with those who have commented so far! Hope you're doing well mate and hopefully moving along well with your house hunting! We are like two peas in a pod with this house hunting thing, aren't we? 😂
Neat video, Paul. It’s amazing to think of living in Okeechobee decades before air conditioning and interstates. Btw, Western NC has some urban decay opportunities I’d love to show you.
Thanks Jim, something a bit different. I've always had a passion for all things old and has been kind of a hidden photography passion of mine for a while. I'm sure Western NC has some great derelict structures....looking forward to exploring that area of the country! Thanks for watching my friend, have a wonderful week!
Hi mate, good to see you out and doing what you love. I really enjoyed that, not being or ever visiting the States its a great insight into your history and cultures , new and old. I really liked it, i for one would be very happy to see this mixed in with all your other content. That Inn looked like it had some stories to tell im sure ! Hope you are all doing well out there mate and hope you find the home your searching for, best of luck with it all mate !
Thanks for watching mate! Yeah it's been a while since my last long form videos! Glad you enjoyed this one. The history part of it will be more interesting in West Virginia. Lots of Civil War and Revolutionary War sites up there, as well as plenty of old, abandoned or derelict structures. I think you're right, there are probably many great stories lost to time in that brothel/inn 😂 The home search is going well. We made an offer on a house, now going through the banking process, and are expected to close the deal June 5th! Fingers crossed! Hope you guys are all doing well over there!
Yeah, I was going to call it UrbEx but I was out in the middle of nowhere so wasn't sure if it still applied or not 😂 Thanks for checking it out mate. I'd love to explore the history you have over there, there'd be a never ending wealth of it! Hope you are doing well my friend! Have a great week!
As an Englishman I love the historical aspect of your videos. Just a thought: there must be considerable scope for photos showing the interaction between nature and abandoned buildings which might get lost if you divide the channel in two. Perhaps you could think of the abandoned buildings as "human landscapes" which would then fit with the idea of a landscape photography channel - you don't have to be constricted by other people's ideas of what landscape photography is!
Thanks for watching John! Now that we've moved from Florida to West Virginia, I couldn't agree more. I found my photography changing quite a bit. I have definitely decided to not split my channel into two.... Not only is it double the work, but you hit the nail on the head to not be constrained by other people's thoughts of what is landscape photography. My most recent video showcases a lot of the historical buildings in the new town that I live in... Some even have trees growing out of them 😂 I photograph a lot of trees, and where? I would never have included man-made objects in those photos, if the structure is interesting enough I now do. So thank you for the thoughtful comment, much appreciated! I hope you're doing well, have a wonderful weekend!!
Thanks for watching Hal! Yeah I still use both my A73 and A7R3. I use my A7R3 exclusively for landscape images. I don't see a reason to change. I don't use it for video so I don't need any of the newer video features, and I don't shoot wildlife so I don't need a higher FPS rate. I'm perfectly happy with it and will use it until it breaks down on me. I'm glad to hear you are still happy with yours as well! Hope you are doing great, have a wonderful week!
