A Day With Tom b. !

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Quite some time back a fellow blogger's tip (Thanks Laurie !) led me to the blogspot blog Tom b. Photography, where I first discovered the fabulous photography and reporting that Tom B. has been doing on abandoned buildings, graveyards, and other miscellaneous material that catches his eye across North America. Back in April 2010 Tom moved his blog to the Tumblr platform, so his active site where new and simply excellent material is going up regularly is at Tom b. Photography on Tumblr. If you enjoy abandoned buildings and/or vintage clothing, do drop by Tom's sites and check out his work. I was mesmerized from day one.
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While in the USA last September I had the really good luck to be able to meet Tom, and spend the better part of a day on a photo expedition with him. The exact location of where we went that day is of no importance here, it was a pair of abandoned industrial factories somewhere in North America. Just a few days after that trip with Tom, I came across a tombstone in a cemetery for someone named Tomb. Needless to say I sent a copy of the photo to Tom b.
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I've never met anyone who was as totally concentrated on, and as physically involved in their photography as Tom is. The incredible results he obtains are the direct result of the intense energy he puts into his shooting. I had the impression I was accompanying a professional athlete, a professional in every sense. He does considerable research on the sites he chooses to visit; many of the pieces on his blog go into great detail about the history of the buildings. But once he gets on site, he and the camera become one, seeking the perfect image.
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We thought it was mighty kind of the owners to set out a settee for visitors to repose on should a rest be needed. Tom looks right at home, don't you think ?
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One last shot, heading down a demolished staircase, out of there ! Thanks so much Tom ! It was a rare privilege to be able to spend that day with you !
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While we traipsed around like ghosts haunting the place with our presence, Tom also took a few photos of me at work, which he kindly sent to me later.
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I always wanted to be a truck driver !
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One of my favorite subjects that day was a flattened bicycle on the floor, which had obviously been driven over more than once by heavy vehicles, reducing it to a two dimensional shadow of its former self. More on that later. Tom caught me in the act.
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