After a long hiatus I returned to what once was one of my favourite photo locations, the former steel mill that now is the Landschaftspark Duisburg Nord, also known as LaPaNo. To keep things fresh, I decided to go there at a time of day I have never been there before: The early morning hours of dawn. As usual, click the images to view them in an almost distraction-free Lightbox.

I arrived there at 5 AM for the not quite dark but still dim hour before sunrise, so the first shots are dominated by my effort capturing this pre-sunrise atmosphere. 

The park and the industrial facilities are illuminated at night which creates interesting photographic opportunities.

I grew brighter quickly, so for some images, I had to work a little in post to retain the nocturnal feel I had in mind. The following image is a screenshot which shows the final image in the left and the unprocessed RAW on the right. The result may look unspectacular, but it I found it deceptively difficult to bring out the detail in the wall without making it to bright and at the same time keep up the illusion of the lamp being the primary light source. 

When the sun had risen, I switched gears and went for semi-abstract detail shots which never show the park or the buildings as a whole and yet convey (at least in my mind) the rugged industrial feel of the place.

This is it for this post. If you have made it this far, I’d appreciate to hear what you think. 

If you are from the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, or Eastern France, and happen to have the opportunity for a trip to Western Germany and the city of Duisburg, you really should consider visiting the LaPaNo, as it is an extraordinary photo location.